Question for the Flight Physician

Is the FAA aware of a new anti-smoking drug called Chantix? More to the point,
do hey have an official position on it? For most of my career, we always used
Nicoderm patches on those inpatients who smoked... with very uneven results. I
have, within the last few months, become aware of Chantix and its ability to
totally kill the desire to smoke. Before I suggest it to a friend of mine who
flies for a commuter, I want to be able to say one way or the other if it will
affect his ability to fly while he's taking it. If not, I'm just going to keep
my mouth shut; he'd never look into it in that case.

Gentlemen?



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote in message
...
Is the FAA aware of a new anti-smoking drug called Chantix? More to the
point, do hey have an official position on it? For most of my career, we
always used Nicoderm patches on those inpatients who smoked... with very
uneven results. I have, within the last few months, become aware of
Chantix and its ability to totally kill the desire to smoke. Before I
suggest it to a friend of mine who flies for a commuter, I want to be able
to say one way or the other if it will affect his ability to fly while
he's taking it. If not, I'm just going to keep my mouth shut; he'd never
look into it in that case.

Gentlemen?


I prefer Hoyo de Monterrey's to help me quit smoking.

In maduro.
--
Matt Barrow
Performance Homes, LLC.
Cheyenne, WY
--
“Nonscientists generally do not want to bother with understanding
the science. Claims of consensus relieve policy types, environmental
advocates and politicians of any need to do so. Such claims also serve
to intimidate the public and even scientists...there is a clear attempt to
establish truth not by scientific methods but by perpetual repetition.”
- Dr. Richard Lindzen, MIT, (6-26-06)

Here's a link for practitioners:
https://www.pfizerpro.com/product_in...armacology.jsp

I have not checked on the FAA website to see if it is on their list of
approved meds, but if it is new, it probably has not been evaluated. Sounds
like it would be reasonable and logical, but the FAA is very conservative
when it comes to aeromedical issues.

If you're talking about the military, you can completely forget it- they are
so conservative that I'm surprised they've approved Tylenol.



"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote in message
...
Is the FAA aware of a new anti-smoking drug called Chantix? More to the
point, do hey have an official position on it? For most of my career, we
always used Nicoderm patches on those inpatients who smoked... with very
uneven results. I have, within the last few months, become aware of
Chantix and its ability to totally kill the desire to smoke. Before I
suggest it to a friend of mine who flies for a commuter, I want to be able
to say one way or the other if it will affect his ability to fly while
he's taking it. If not, I'm just going to keep my mouth shut; he'd never
look into it in that case.

Gentlemen?



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

Viperdoc writes:

If you're talking about the military, you can completely forget it- they are
so conservative that I'm surprised they've approved Tylenol.

They don't seem to have a problem with amphetamines.

but the FAA is very conservative when it comes to
aeromedical issues.



Why?

They are very liberal when it comes to hiring and promoting
minorities and women who are clueless and unqualified.

Viperdoc wrote:

If you're talking about the military, you can completely forget it- they are
so conservative that I'm surprised they've approved Tylenol.


The same military that gives amphetamines to its crews to prolong
alertness, and forces their troops to get unproven vaccines against
obscure illnesses? I never took them for that conservative with regards
to medicine..

(dont paint me as part of the anti-vaccine crowd, im not.)

rant off.

("Dave S" wrote)
The same military that gives amphetamines to its crews to prolong
alertness...


http://www.modafinil.com/article/soldiers.html
Military use

http://www.modafinil.com/
....modafinil ('Provigil', 'Alertec', 'Vigicer', 'Modalert', etc) is a
memory-improving and mood-brightening psychostimulant. It enhances
wakefulness and vigilance, but its pharmacological profile is notably
different from the amphetamines, methylphenidate (Ritalin) or cocaine.
Modafinil is less likely to cause jitteriness, anxiety, or excess locomotor
activity - or lead to a hypersomnolent 'rebound effect' - than traditional
stimulants. Subjectively, it feels smoother and cleaner than the
amphetamines too. It may even be anxiolytic.


Paul-Mont

I am prescribing Chantix frequently - while Chantix is not the safest
drug ever made, it is head and shoulders better than the risk from
continuing to smoke...


It strongly binds to nicotinic receptors (which is probably a neutral
to the FAA)..
But it moderately binds to 5-HT receptors (which the FAA gets nervous
about)..

Selected (by me) findings are "frequent" chest pain, cardiac
arrythmias, elevated liver enzymes, and edema...
But more importantly, "frequent" anxiety, depression, and
irritability...

My judgement is that the FAA medical staff will not approve it's use
in flight...

http://www.pfizer.com/pfizer/download/uspi_chantix.pdf

denny

I was waiting to see how long it would take for you to chime in with some
stupid moronic comment.

..

Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
Is the FAA aware of a new anti-smoking drug called Chantix?

I believe the FAA aeromedical guys won't make a decision until a
drug has been on the market for a year. The general conclusion
is that Chantix will be approved subject to the patient reports
no adverse side effects...