Stop Smoking Using Drug, Increasing The Risks of Heart Attack

If you have heart problems, try to quit smoking without the help of medication. Clinical trials showed that certain types of medication that can stop smoking may increase the risk of heart attack.

The drug is Chantix (varenicline) which produced the leading pharmaceutical companies Pfizer. Food and drug regulatory agency or the United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration) concluded that after studying the results of clinical trials conducted an independent group.

The trial of 700 smokers with a history of heart disease showed that Chantix is ​​effective to stop smoking within 1 year. But compared to the placebo group that drank only, smokers who drank Chantix experienced slightly increased risk of heart attack.

Above findings, the FDA require Pfizer to include a warning for patients who have heart problems. This means that the drug is safe in healthy individuals, but should receive special attention or should be avoided altogether in smokers with heart disease.

"The benefits should be compared Chantix really dengna possible risks, particularly opada smokers with heart disease," the FDA wrote in a report quoted by the AP on Friday (06/17/2011).

Chantix is ​​a generic name varenicline was first launched in 2006 and is known to very effectively inhibit the effects of nicotine on the brain. The drug is manipulating the brain to feel uncomfortable if any nicotine into the body.

But since it was first launched, sales of these drugs do experience barriers because it has a less pleasant side effects. The known side effects include triggering nightmares at night and feeling suicidal, especially with a problem of depression.

Meanwhile in 2010, health authorities in Canada re-discovered side effects of Chantix. In some smokers, Chantix could lead to drowsiness, fainting or sudden loss of consciousness, seizures, or difficulty maintaining concentration.

However, the risk of heart attack resulting from the use of these drugs should not be a reason not to quit smoking because smoking itself also trigger heart attacks and even impotence. Moreover, these side effects only experienced perkokok who do have heart disease.