Drugs that help quit but increase suicide risk

As anti-smoking laws sweep across the globe, more and more people are really trying to quit. There are many aids in helping to quit smoking cigarettes, from nicotine patches to smoking cessation drugs. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) issued a safety alert on two of these drugs, namely:

• Chantix (varenicline), manufactured by Pfizer
• Zyban (bupropion), manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

The regulatory body warned that these two drugs increase the risk for mental disorder and suicide. The manufacturers of the said drugs have been asked to add a so-called black box warning to their labelling, explicitly warning against mental health events and suicide risks. A black box warning is displayed prominently on the packaging and is the highest level of safety warning on a drug.

It is not clear whether the psychiatric side effects are due to the drugs themselves or due to nicotine withdrawal which is characterized by depressive symptoms. However, some smoking cessation drugs are chemically similar to anti-depressants. Zyban, for example, is also marketed by GSK under the name of Wellbutrin for the indication of depression.

Aside from the black box warning, the two drug manufacturers are also asked to conduct clinical trials that will assess the psychiatric health of the two drugs, including how they could exacerbate already existing disorders such as schizophrenia, polar disorder, and clinical depression.

Smoking cessation drugs gained bad publicity in 2007 in Europe. As The New York Times report

In September of that year, Jeffrey Carter Albrecht, a keyboard player from the pop-music group Edie Brickell and New Bohemians, was killed by a neighbor who had complained that Mr. Albrecht was banging on his door, ranting. Mr. Albrecht’s girlfriend blamed Chantix, which she said had made him hostile.

Scrutiny by health officials showed the following figures:

• 98 cases of suicides and 188 cases of suicide attempts among Chantix users
• 14 cases of suicides and 17 cases of suicide attempts among Zyban users.

The US FDA safety warning gives the following guidelines:

Healthcare professionals should advise patients to stop taking varenicline or bupropion and contact a healthcare provider immediately if they experience agitation, depressed mood, and any changes in behavior that are not typical of nicotine withdrawal, or if they experience suicidal thoughts or behavior.

However, the regulatory emphasized that the smoking cessation drugs offer some health benefits, too. According to Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

“The risk of serious adverse events while taking these products must be weighed against the significant health benefits of quitting smoking. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States and we know these products are effective aids in helping people quit.”

Photo credit: stock.xchng

               

Elder Suicide-Know the Warning Signs

Carol O’Dell, Caring.com’s Family Advisor and author of the memoir Mothering Mother, wrote a fantastic piece about one of those frightening topics we’d all rather not think about: elder suicide. But the fact that seniors have the highest suicide rates of any age group is one that we simply can’t afford to ignore.

Why are older people at such high risk for suicide? Depression is the biggest culprit, and it’s a condition that often goes undiagnosed in seniors. Some other factors that lead to suicide include debilitating illness, chronic pain, financial difficulties, isolation, and loss of a loved one or pet.

What can you do if you think your parent or loved one might be depressed or at risk for suicide? One of the most important things is to know the warning signs of suicide:

• Talking or reading about death and suicide
• Making statements of hopelessness or suicide threats
• Not sleeping enough or sleeping all the time
• Failing to take care of self or follow medical advice
• Stockpiling medications
• Becoming suddenly interested in firearms
• Increasing use of alcohol or prescription drugs
• Withdrawing socially
• Rushing to complete or revise a will
• Saying good-bye to family and friends

If your parent or someone you know is depressed or at risk, you can help by reaching out to that person. It’s not easy to broach the subject, but knowing you’re there to listen and help may make all the difference to someone contemplating suicide. “Your goal is to prevent a tragedy,” writes O’Dell. “Speak up — this is worth fighting for.”

This article was “reprinted” from www.caring.com (Elder Suicide: Know the Warning Signs)

PLEASE read Carol O’Dell’s entire article, Is Your Loved One (or Spouse) Considering Suicide-Know the Warning Signs. It’s a well written, interesting and informative article.

               

Surviving The Suicide of a Child

By Terrye Harris

On December 13, 2004, my world shattered into a million pieces. After a 2 year long battle with schizophrenia, my youngest son, Jonathan took his own life at the age of 19. The day Jonathan died, I kept telling myself this is the worst day of my life. Little did I know through the haze of shock that surrounded me,that there would be many more worse days to follow.

The first six months, it was all I could do to keep breathing. During this time I believe I could have actually laid down and willed myself to die. The only thing that stopped me was knowing that I could not leave my remaining sons and my grandchildren, as they also were trying to deal with this horrific loss. I was acutely aware that they needed me, their mother, now as never before. So somehow, I managed to keeping breathing and keep moving through life one step at a time.

At the six month point, I began to realize that I had to find help dealing with my loss and heartache. Rage consumed me, rage that the mental health system was ineffective in dealing with my son, rage that my son had to fight this mental illness to begin with, rage that I lost my beloved son. I started grief counseling and I joined a parents of suicide survivor support group. The parents support group has helped me with every step that I have made on this journey. It was not long before I realized that being able to talk to other parents who had suffered the same loss, was as essential to my well being as the air I need to breathe. Through the counseling and support group I have come to understand that what I feel is completely normal, that I am not losing my mind.

I strongly urge anyone who has lost someone to suicide, to find a support group to connect with.

It has only been a little over 15 months for me, I am still new on this journey which lasts a lifetime. I have been through the first birthday, the first memorial day, the holidays where the empty place at the table stabs at my already broken heart. I think of Jonathan 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The pain is so all consuming there are no words to adequately describe it.

But I have survived, I am surviving and I will survive, but it is not an easy road. I take one day at a time and deal with that day as it comes. That’s all I can do right now, that is all any of us in this nightmare can do. I survive for those that I love who remain here with me. I survive to make sure that my son, Jonathan is remembered. As long as I live he will not be forgotten.

There are a lot of statistics on suicide, I survive to remind people that there are faces behind those numbers. Faces of children, brothers, sisters and spouses who were loved by family and friends. That behind those faces were wonderful people who had much to contribute to the world we live in.

When I heard about the memorial quilt for Tennessee, I knew that my son’s picture had to be there. Jonathan’s picture is on one other quilt, a suicide memorial wall and in a memorial book. I don’t place my son’s picture and name on these memorials for me, I do it for him. To show the world how much he is loved and how deeply his absence hurts.

I try to tell Jonathan’s story every time an opportunity arises. Schizophrenia,depression, bipolar diseases are serious mental illness, often terminal. Suicide occurs when these diseases become fatal. I survive to try to raise awareness that the mental health system must be improved, to prevent others from having to walk in my shoes. I look at my grandchildren and worry for their futures if they or their children ever have to face the disease.

The day I buried my son, I also buried a piece of my heart. I will miss him until the day that I take my last breath. Any joy that I experience is bittersweet knowing that he is not here to share it with me. Some days, the blanket of shock still cushions me, it all seems so surreal. He’s not really gone, he is just in the other room. Other days the pain rips through me as if it will tear me completely in two. This is the way of the journey of grief.

My faith in a loving and merciful God , my faith that Jonathan is happy and no longer suffering, my faith that I will see my son in eternity sustains me on this road. And I draw comfort from knowing that death cannot destroy what is important. That Jonathan is still my son and always will be, that I am still his mother and always will be and most importantly that I will love him for all eternity. Love is all powerful and cannot be destroyed by death. Often, the world is changed one person at a time. And because of this, it is my obligation to the world and my son to survive.

Terrye Harris
www.pos-ffos.com
www.pos-ffos.com/groups/soc.htm

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terrye_Harris