The FDA has issued health warnings on the use of blood thinners in certain individuals. Warfarin, an anticoagulant agent, is prescribed by doctors in the United States to patients who have heart trouble or irregular heartbeats.Warfarin is popularly marketed under the prescription brand name Coumadin, and has demonstrated severe complications in patients of certain genetic make-up. These...
A new study, approved for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine found that heart risks from the drug Vioxx began much sooner than Merck & Co. stated. The FDA approved Vioxx to treat the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in adults and children.Vioxx was pulled from the market after an FDA-funded study found that the drug doubled the risk of heart attack after 18 months of...
The prescription drug Ambien (genericly named zolpidem) has been reported to cause serious side effects, including disorientation, sleep walking, and more, according to an article published on WorstPills.org. (http://www.worstpills.org/member/newsletter.cfm?n_id=529)A Democratic representative from Rhode Island reported crashing his car near the Capitol building in Washington while disoriented...
The Washington Post reports that popular diabetes drug Avandia has been shown to increase heart risks, according to an FDA study and a report published in a medical journal.The study confirms that 60,000 to 100,000 reported heart attacks from Avandia users may be linked to the drug, which has been on the market for 8 years.Avandia's manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline PLC, a British company, has sold...
The world's second largest drug manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, will pay nearly $64 million to settle claims from parents of minor patients who were taking antidepressant drug Paxil.The plaintiffs claim that the company provided misleading information about giving Paxil to minors, not adequately warning about possible suicidal side effects and withdrawal symptoms. ``The settlement was agreed upon...
A story from The New York Times details a new study that shows an increased risk of mental retardation in children who were exposed to epilepsy drug Depakote prenatally. The authors of the study presented their research at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting this year.Toddlers who had been exposed in the womb to the drug Depakote, from Abbott Laboratories, scored seven to eight...
Thomas A. Sharon, R.N., M.P.H. points out the hazards of using Patient Controlled Analgesics (PCAs) in hospitals and other health care facilities. He says that much of the information available to patients about the supposed safety of PCAs is misleading. On his Forensicare Blog, Sharon reveals the actual dangers and possible side effects patients may experience due to accidental narcotic...
Drug manufacturer Merck & Co. released a new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer called Gardasil, which actually vaccinates against HPV or the herpes virus, a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer. According to the Associated Press, Merck has been quietly pushing a campaign through a third party to encourage schools to require vaccination among 11- and 12-year-old girls....
An announcement from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2006, warned that Lamictal (lamotrigine), a drug used to treat seizures and depression, may cause birth defects. Specifically, if a patient is pregnant and taking Lamictal during her first trimester, birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate are more likely to occur.Findings from the NAAED (North American...
Many doctors recommend their female patients take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for a variety of reasons, including protecting the heart and helping curb mood swings during menopause. However, patients should be aware of the HRT risks and side effects. Many women have reported serious side effects while using HRT, including blood clots or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can be fatal.Like...