Mentally distressed veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are being recruited for government tests on pharmaceutical drugs linked to suicide and other violent side effects, an investigation by ABC News and The Washington Times has found.
If the WT is involved, it means even the wingnuts are pissed-off at this one. Good. This kinda shit crosses party lines.
In one of the human experiments, involving the anti-smoking drug Chantix, Veterans Administration doctors waited more than three months before warning veterans about the possible serious side effects, including suicide and neuropsychiatric behavior.
"Lab rat, guinea pig, disposable hero," said former US Army sniper James Elliott in describing how he felt he was betrayed by the Veterans Administration.
As much as I've been helped by the VA, and they helped me save my own life, it's getting harder and harder for me to respect them. One unconscionable stupid fuck-up after another and so on and so on will do that.
Months after he began taking the drug, Elliott suffered a mental breakdown, experiencing a relapse of Iraq combat nightmares he blames on Chantix.
"They never told me that I was going to be suicidal, that I would cease sleeping. They never told me anything except this will help me quit smoking," Elliott told ABC News and The Washington Times.
On the night of February 5th, after consuming a few beers, Elliott says he "snapped" and left his home with a loaded gun.
Go read the rest of this.
Pfizer maintains that "the benefits of Chantix outweigh the risks" and that it continues to do further studies on the drug.
The FAA has prohibited commercial airline pilots from using Chantix because of its possible side effects.
Just...swear words.
Note to the next President: Barry, you fix this first thing. Clean house over there and get some Veterans in charge of it.
Crossposted at Alternate Brain.
3 comments:
Shit, I'm fucking pissed.
d.
Rightly so, bud.
I was on Chantix for about 5 months last year. It worked great. My dumb ass decided I liked smoking more than I liked not smoking, so I stopped Chantix and started smoking again.
The shit gave me wierd dreams, but not nightmares... made sleeping a little tricky in the first few weeks, too.
Chantix is fine for people with no pre-existing psych stuff, like maybe PTSD...
New state regs require that all substance abuse facilities are tobacco and smoke free come July. I can't even smell like a cigarette. I might quit smoking, and if I do it will be with Chantix.
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