FDA Approved Drugs to Quit Smoking | Suicide Or Vaping? – You Decide

You can call this a kind of rant if you like.

Because quite frankly I am sick and tired of all the negativity around vaping especially from political bodies such as the EU and the FDA.

Especially as the full implementation of the TPD will impact on the UK in the very near future – we shall be doing a piece soon covering this very soon.

The FDA for instance thinks it’s perfectly acceptable to approve drugs that could lead to the user committing suicide – rather than advise then to pick up an e-cigarette.

Think I’m joking?

Read on.

FDA Approved Quit Smoking Drugs and the Dangerous Side Effects

I’ll talk about the EU and the draconian TPD legislation another time because I read something the other day that literally got my blood boiling.

The FDA has two ‘approved’ medicines to help millions of Americans quit smoking – that’s as well as the numerous patches – gums and nasal sprays that allegedly make great smoking cessation aids.

Having been down that route I can honestly say whilst they kind of helped they certainly weren’t the methods that got me off the cancer sticks – that was vaping.

Look the only good thing that came from nicotine patches in my humble opinion was the ‘nightmare’ a strong dose caused when e-cig ‘inventor’ Hon Lik forgot to take his off when he went to bed.

Basically the nightmarish side effect meant he had a dream in which he was drowning. Long story short the ocean turned to vapor and he could breathe – read more on the piece A Brief History of Vaping.

Vaping Industry Under Fire

Now the FDA so called Deeming legislation has had experts – both in vaping and from the world of business – fearing that thousands of businesses will go bust leaving thousands of people out of work such is the impact the new laws will have.

The attack on the e-cigarette industry shows no sign of letting up with only last week New Jersey considering banning ‘flavoured’ e-liquids to protect the children.

Now if I was living in America right now I’d be more than a little confused.

Here in the UK we are kind of [believe it or not] lucky to have a quite liberal view on vaping – considering some countries ridiculously hardcore rules we’re positively free and easy lol.

It was the esteemed Public Health England’s findings that e-cigarettes were 95% safer than smoking than led to the split in the ‘scientific’ community.

None more so than the FDA that has steadfastly buried its head in the sand to any positive scientific findings choosing only to go down the ‘we gotta protect the kids’ road.

*Sighs*.

Approved Quit Smoking Aids

So whilst researching a piece for last week’s Vaping News I came across the article about more smokers switching to e-cigarettes following ‘tobacco related’ illnesses.

Just another set of findings from yet another ‘research group’ looking at the impact e-cigarettes are having on people’s health.

However the article linked to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine – a resource I’ve used before for vaping articles.

I read an interesting article entitled Dual Use of Tobacco Products – something I’m interested in as I try to get my partner to quit the stinkies.

It was what I’d call an ‘OK’ article with not too much bias towards vaping as a stop smoking method.

However I was intrigued by the list of ways they suggest you quit smoking.

The quite rightly point out the FDA do NOT approve e-cigarettes as a way to quit the cancer sticks and list the ones the FDA DO approve of:

Five types of nicotine replacement therapy

• Patch*
• Gum*
• Lozenge*
• Inhaler
• Nasal spray
• *Available without a prescription

Two non-nicotine medications

• Bupropion
• Varenicline

It’s the last two non-nicotine medications that caught my eye.

I mean surely if you’re addicted to nicotine the obvious way to lose that addiction is to gradually wean yourself off?

Or as we ex-smoking vapers have found – take nicotine in another form.

So let’s take a look at the two medications the FDA has approved to be given to smokers looking to quit.

Now I know drug companies have to list ‘possible’ side effects, however, when you see just what these so called ‘safe’ stop smoking drugs are capable of doing to the user – you’ll ask yourself just why they’re ‘approved’ and vaping is not.

I used drugs.com – a reputable website that looks in depth at pretty much every drug known to man.

Bupropion

This is a pretty heavy hitting anti-depressant.

The list of side-effects are pretty hard hitting too including a loss of libido.

Here’s just a few:

Commonly reported side effects of bupropion include: insomnia, nausea, pharyngitis, weight loss, constipation, dizziness, headache, and xerostomia.

Other side effects include: abdominal pain, agitation, arthralgia, chest pain, migraine, skin rash, urinary frequency, anxiety, asthenia, confusion, diarrhea, hostility, hypertension, lack of concentration, myalgia, nervousness, palpitations, pruritus, tinnitus, tremor, vomiting, anorexia, diaphoresis, dysgeusia, flushing, and abnormal dreams.

The FDA say taking this drug – with the chance of those side-effects – is a better option than picking up an e-cigarette.

The drug can also take up to 4 weeks before it has ‘any effect’ – now forgive me for making light of an extremely serious matter – but no nicotine for a month on a medication with those side-effects would send you rushing out for a packet of cigarettes.

Varenicline

With the brand name Chantix this smoking cessation medication has by far the most serious side effects.

Unlike Bupropion which has other uses – Varencicline is only prescribed to patients desperate to quit smoking.

The side effects are quite simply frightening.

Here’s what drugs.com places right at the top of this medications page:

Serious mental or mood problems (including depression, suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempts) and completed suicides have been reported in patients taking varenicline.

Nicotine withdrawal may also have contributed to some of these events. However, these events have also occurred in patients who continued to smoke.

These events have occurred both in patients with and without a history of mental or mood problems.

Safety and effectiveness of varenicline in patients with a history of certain mental or mood problems (eg, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression) have not been confirmed.

Watch patients who take varenicline closely. Stop taking varenicline and contact the doctor at once if new, worsened, or sudden symptoms such as depressed mood, hostility or agitation, or any unusual change in mood or behavior occur.

Contact the doctor right away if any signs of suicidal thoughts or actions occur.

SUICIDAL ATTEMPTS…

Let that sink in for a moment.

And the FDA has approved this but think an e-cigarette is bad?

Other side effects include sleep disorders – vomiting – anger – belching – constipation and flatulence – to name just a few.

Just What the Hell is Going on Here?

I’ve been called a conspiracy theorist many times – indeed I wear that label as a badge of honour nowadays as more and more of them are proved to be correct.

Now ask yourself this question.

Why would the FDA approve medicines that could lead to death – suicide and god knows what else?

Why would the FDA approve and promote smoking cessation methods such as nicotine patches – gums and nasal sprays.

Why would the FDA be so anti e-cigarettes and vaping in general?

Could it be they really don’t give a shit about your health but do need to pander to the big pharmaceutical companies [Big Pharma] that pump billions of dollars into Government coffers through seedy lobbying and lobbyists?

I’ll leave that for you to decide.

Vape On!