Lawmakers: VA meds for smokers may be risky

[unhappycamper]

Lawmakers: VA meds for smokers may be risky
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 18, 2008 6:34:15 EDT

Although the Department of Veterans Affairs says it has done nothing wrong, key lawmakers are demanding an investigation of a research program that involves giving a potentially dangerous prescription medication to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who are trying to quit smoking.

The Washington Times and ABC News say the VA is using a drug in its research that has dangerous side effects — such as mental health problems and the risk of suicide — and is paying a stipend to encourage use of the drug as part of a research program.

In a statement, VA officials said the news reports were “inaccurate and misleading.”

A key point, they said, is that nobody was tricked into anything. Everyone taking part in research on stopping smoking is a volunteer who is closely monitored, VA officials said. And VA said the drug they were using, Varenicline, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a medication for smoking cessation.

Varenicline, sold under the trade name Chantix, is a non-nicotine drug made by Pfizer that blocks nicotine receptors in the brain, according to the drug company. There are several known side effects. The most common is nausea, experienced by about 30 percent of patients. Constipation, vomiting, changes in dreams, and gas are other common side effects.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_smoking_ptsdmedication_061708w/

[Frank Cannon]

1. Something about this seems really strange to me

All the problems that our vets have coming back from the war, and the VA is interested in whether they can stop smoking?

There's more here than meets the eye.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Nothing strange about it at all...

the VA has held anti-smoking as a priority for years and regularly refers smoking vets to the programs. This medication seems to be new and a standard VA fuckup where the different teams and clinics don't spend as much time as they should cross referencing and consulting with each other.

Edit to say--

That's often a problem with with modern medicine in general, not just the VA.