U.S. health officials are ordering drug makers to add strong "black box" warnings on their anti-smoking drugs to highlight the risk of serious mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts.

The Food and Drug Administration cited reports of more than five thousand reports of depression, hostility and other behavioral changes, prompting the order to highlight the risks of Pfizer's Chantix and Glaxo's Zyban drugs. But the FDA acknowledged that the risks of smoking far outweighed the risks of the drugs.

"We don't want to scare people off from trying to use the medication to stop smoking. We just want them carefully monitored," said Dr. Curt Rosebraugh, who oversees the FDA office that reviews smoking-cessation drugs.

Additionally, the FDA strengthened its caution about possible accidents and serious injuries with Chantix linked to loss of consciousness, mental confusion, dizziness and muscle spasms. But it stopped short of adding it to the boxed warning as some health advocates had urged.

Stopping many yards short of banning the drugs, Rosebraugh told reporters the FDA could not directly link the reported problems to the drugs, adding that withdrawal from nicotine in tobacco can also cause problems.

However, another scientist, Thomas Moore, with the Drug Safety and Policy Institute for Safe Medication Practices, advised that "Both doctors and patients should carefully weigh the risks and benefits of this drug... and consider alternatives such as nicotine patches and gums.

Credit Card Rules Keep Crushing Consumer

Credit card holders hoping that the new federal credit guidelines would spell relief from crushing debt are facing new obstacles.

Racing ahead of the revisions and reforms slated to go into effect next, banks are raising minimum payments, interest rates and fees despite the fact that cardholders are already falling further behind on their payments.

Statistics from Moody's Investors Services show that the rate at which banks are writing off card debt as unpaid leaped to 10.6 percent in May, up more than 65 percent in a year and the highest rate since 1989.

It’s clear that households are in trouble. But the banks are turning the screws harder to make up for the charge-offs. In recent months, three of the six largest card issuers — Citi, Chase and Bank of America — have hiked the costs for using credit in the past few months. Citi has boosted interest rates on some cards to as high as 29.99 percent; Chase raised rates as high as 23.99 percent, and also increased balance transfer fees to 5 percent of a transaction with a $10 minimum, from 3 percent with a $5 minimum, the report says. Capital One has kept rates steady for now, but warned consumers they will be increasing over the next year.

Some lawmakers are criticizing banks for taking advantage of the time lag before the new law kicks in. 'Issuers during this crisis should be using this period to adapt to the new rules about to take effect, not raising rates and changing terms on those who are already meeting their obligations,' said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the prime sponsor of the bill.

Consumer advocates, however, say the increases continue a trend that began a year and a half ago or more, long before the legislation passed. Some accuse the banks of extracting new revenue from their credit card customers to offset continuing losses overall.

Relief for Repaying Student Loans

Here’s a bit of good news for many folks struggling to repay a student loan. Beginning this week, anyone with a federal student loan can apply for a program that caps monthly payments based on income, and forgives remaining balances after 25 years. Those choosing to work in public service could have their loans forgiven after just 10 years.

Run by the Department of Education, the program determines eligibility for income-based repayment (IBR) by a person's income and loan size.

The new payment option is intended to provide relief for those who earn modest salaries and struggle under the weight of student loans for years on end. By stretching repayment over a longer period, monthly payments are kept at a reasonable portion of income, though most people would not see any savings on the total cost of the loan.

Monthly payments would amount to less than 10 percent of income for most of the estimated 1 million people expected to enroll, experts say. Payments would never exceed 15 percent of any income above about $16,000 a year (or 150 percent of the poverty level). Those who earn less than $16,000 would not have to make any monthly payments.

The program isn't for everyone, however. In some cases, it can actually push payment obligations higher. A calculator at www.ibrinfo.org can help borrowers determine their eligibility for the plan.

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