"Stop-Smoking" Drug Chantix May Have Caused Psychotic and Suicidal Behavior Leading to Death of Musician
Concerns have surfacedthat Chantix, the stop-smoking drug manufactured by Pfizer,may have led tomusician Carter Albrecht's bizarre and tragic death on September 5, 2007.That rare psychotic and suicidal behavior are possible side effects of Chantix is mentioned in extreme fine print of the original box insert. However, large-print, pharmacy handouts given to users of the drug warning of nausea, changes in dreaming, constipation, gas, and vomiting with the use of Chantix do not mention rare psychotic and suicidal behavior. Albrecht was keyboard player from pop-music group Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians. Albrecht was also a singer, songwriter and guitar player. On the cusp of a solo career with a solo album in the works, the 34-year-old was poised to break out on his own when a doctor warned Albrecht he might lose his soulful voice if he didn't ditch cigarettes. So Albrecht started taking the stop-smoking drug Chantix. Those closest to Albrecht believe the drug contributed to his death.His girlfriend Ryann Rathbone said that almost immediately after starting the drug, he started having vivid, often-frightening dreams - a known side effect of the medication. "Nightmare kind of, hallucination kind of dreams where you don't know if it's real or not," Rathbone said. About a week into taking Chantix, after an evening of cocktails, a hallucinating Albrecht started lashing out at his confused girlfriend physically and verbally. On the night of September 5, 2007, Albrecht was frantically banging on a neighbor's door when the neighbor, concerned for his own safety, fired a shot through the door which struck and killedAlbrecht. Months earlier people had started posting concerns about Chantix online. There were reports of suicide. "I thought I was losing my mind," wrote one poster. Another described a "super depressed meltdown." There are 3 million Americans taking Chantix now, and according to Pfizer there have been no other reports of violence related to Chantix. Pfizer said it is investigating the case and is committed to the safety of the product. If you or someone close to you has been injured or killed by a product that was not properly manufactured, designed or labeled, contact the personal injury lawyers at Levine & Slavit for their help. For 50 years spanning 3 generations, we have obtained results for satisfied clients. We have offices in Manhattan and Long Island, handling cases in New York City, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and surrounding areas.
