The blog post discusses the recent stoppage of the production of Bupropion (Zyban) and Varenicline (Champix) due to the detection of impurities that could increase the risk of cancer. Alex, who suffers from chronic depression, argues that the benefits of the antidepressant outweigh the minimal risk of cancer. Alex also criticizes the lack of availability of alternative treatments for depression and smoking cessation, particularly MAOIs and the lack of supply of smoking cessation drugs in the UK. Alex questions the logic of discontinuing acute treatments for smoking cessation due to a small risk of cancer over a few months.

Imagine the scenario. Potential impurities are found in some HIV retroviral drugs that produce a small increase in the probability of contracting cancer over their lifetime. I think the last thing you would expect would be the immediate stoppage of the production of the antiretroviral drugs in question. Leaving a patient vulnerable to imminent death as HIV progresses to AIDS is of greater importance than a tiny increase in lifetime cancer risk.

Yet, in the world of mental health treatment, this type of scenario has recently unfolded with the stoppage of the supply of Bupropion (Zyban) in the UK, leaving me and many others without the drug keeping them out of depression.

Continue reading