Chantix: Most Commonly Searched Prescription

The data is out and Pfizer’s prescription stop smoking aid
Chantix was the most commonly searched medication on the Internet in the month
of February. According to comScore, an Internet measuring firm, Chantix was
search for more than 500,000 times to top the list. Shire’s Adderall, for ADHD,
and Pfizer’s Viagra rounded out the top three.

Five of the 15 most frequently searched prescription brands
were depression treatments. Those treatments included Lilly’s Cymbalta and
Prozac, Wyeth’s Effexor, Forest’s Lexapro and GlaxoSmithKline’s Paxil.

Most Commonly Searched Prescription Brands

February 2008 Total US – Home/Work/University Locations

 

Brand Name                Search queries (000)

Chantix	507
Adderall	469
Viagra	348
Ambien	334
Lexapro	274
Effexor	264
Cymbalta	235
Lyrica	233
Seroquel	198
Lipitor	181
Prozac	174
Cialis	120
Paxil	119
Crestor	119
Singulair	114

Source: comScore, Inc. 

Almost all of the medications on this list have some sort of
class action litigation in progress. These medications have been linked top
everything from suicide and birth defects to diabetes and death. I hope these
statistics indicate that people are becoming more informed about the
medications they are taking.

Hopefully those who posed a query for Chantix have not only
seen the sunshine and butterflies tales of people who have quit Chantix, but
have also seen some the horrendous experiences that I have seen attributed to
this drug.

The FDA has issued a warning to consumers and health care
professionals for possible nueropsychiatric events, including but not limited
to suicidal thought and behavior, psychotic episodes, and depression,
associated with Chantix. While no causal relationship has been established the
FDA has said that a link cannot be ruled out and that it is becoming
increasingly likely that a link will be established.