Posted on 06/17/2008 11:07:27 PM PDT by neverdem
James Elliott thought his recurring nightmares of exploding bombs, dogs eating corpses, a child's head blown off its body and other war horrors from his Iraq tour had ended in 2004 when he returned to his home in Silver Spring.
The Army veteran sniper was earning high grades in college and got engaged to be married. His post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had disappeared.
He even signed up for a Veterans Affairs experiment to kick his habit of nearly three packs of cigarettes a day using the drug Chantix, and was succeeding.
But after two weeks on the drug, his night terrors returned with a vengeance, and his fiancee built a wall of stuffed animals across their bed to serve as a security buffer.
"I just thought she really liked stuffed animals," said Mr. Elliott, 38.
Within a few weeks of his taking Chantix, VA officials learned the drug was causing serious side effects across the nation, including psychotic behavior, suicides and suicidal tendencies. But the agency took three months to get that warning through its system and to the veterans in the study.
Night after night, Mr. Elliott violently thrashed against the plush toys in his sleep, shouting for air strikes, replaying the horror of watching friends bleed to death.
"This went on for 2 1/2 months. It just got worse night by night," Mr. Elliott said.
He stopped eating and drank massive amounts of coffee or Mountain Dew to stay awake. Then the nightmares turned to hallucinations. He saw strangers in the neighborhood wearing suicide vests and was certain that nearby cars were tagged with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
"They couldn't come and get me if I was awake and waiting for them," Mr. Elliott said...
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
I did not go to link so asking what the heck is in Chantix.
I did not go to link so asking what the heck is in Chantix.
The new quit smoking “wonder drug”. I know at least five or six people who quit smoking on it. The only thing that they told me was that you have some weird dreams but otherwise have no side effects. I think it is worth taking if you WANT to quit smoking. The few that kill themselves I believe would have anyway with or without Chantix...IMHO.
beta blockers also cause weird dreams, but in some people like my father it caused horrible nightmares. I would assume Chantix does the same kind of thing, and if you have prior mental trauma it might bring those memories to the surface all over again.
"I just thought she really liked stuffed animals," said Mr. Elliott, 38.
An old, old doctor advises people not to take any drug that has not been around for at least five years, and, then check to see what reports are out on it. He recommends 10 years for most safety.
Man, all I ever did to quit was chew on “gum” that tasted like cardboard. The thought of following the instructions and doing THAT for 13weeks was enough to make me quit cold turkey.
I never get any of the good stuff.
Wanna have some fruit loops, out of this world dream sequences?
Try about 10mg Melatonin.
You’ll sleep like a log and dream like a madman!
Children on Singulair will have night terrors and major daytime moodiness (this is now coming out about this drug) - The same med when taken by adults will cause very vivid dreams.
No matter what - people should always look out for odd side effects when taking any prescription med. You should always consult your physician if you are having side effects from any med and stop taking the stuff.
Whatever is in your mind comes out in your dreams in one form or another. For those of us with out a major trauma in our lives, the dreams might be “vivid”, wierd etc. but for those who have experienced major traumas, such as 9/11, violent crime, war, etc. those “vivid” dreams would be quite horrifying, I’m sure.
All you have to do is copy the word. Then put it in a search engine.
i took chantix for a couple of weeks,,,the nightmares made me stop
My wife had bad reactions to the stuff. It was working- for a while- but then sleep disorders started, bad dreams, headaches, nausea. It isn’t for everyone, and those that do try it should be closely monitored.
webtv browser slower than mollassas at times....faster to just ask then wait unless I am running around doing stuff so waiting is no big deal then.
I dont smoke.
But have some really bad nightmares at times so if a vet has Post Trauma nightmares and this induces them I would want to know if I were the vet who smokes and wants to quit.
I can’t type, only hunt & peck.
Seems like a communication blip between him and the fiance.
She should have told him he was getting violent in his sleep.
I have heard about Chantix doing this to people. One guy I know started on the drug and he begin having vivid dreams of killing people with and ax. He describe the dreams as very bloody.
Needless to say he got off the drug.
A good friend of ours took it, the nicest guy you could meet. He was absolutely miserable to be around, had the terrible nightmares as well. He did quit however.
Before he took it I had gone to the doctor to get a script for it, while in the waiting room I was reading a pamphlet about it and changed my mind. I don’t like anything that messes with your brain.
One of my costumer’s daughter started taking it right before a trip to Disney Land with her 4 yr. old. She had a very bad experience. (nightmares, extreme mood swings,etc)
Something about a giant mouse eating her son.
I quit smoking over 6 weeks ago.....COLD TURKEY.
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