Category Archives: Drug Side Effects

Sifting through the search queries of 6 million people turns out to be a better way to discover drug-to-drug interactions than the current gold standard, the Adverse Event Reporting System. People who searched for both of these drugs were twice as likely to also search for hyperglycemia or one of its symptoms. When it comes to scientific research, size matters -- and yes, bigger is better. So it may come as no surprise that scientists at Stanford, Columbia, and Microsoft have used Internet search data to uncover prescription drug side effects faster than the FDA's current gold standard, the Adverse Event Reporting System. After all, the data miners had the activity of some 6 million Internet users at their disposal, whereas the FDA relies on physicians to notice and report problems. Reporting today in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, the researchers write that by analyzing Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo search engine queries, they were able to find a link between the use of the anti-depressant paroxetine and the cholesterol-lowering drug pravastatin. (The link? Using both increases a user's risk of developing high blood sugar.) The team relied on work done at the lab of Russ B. Altman, … Continue reading →

A team of researchers has for the first time found a side effect of a common drug combination by looking at search queries. Andy Piatt/Shutterstock/Rebecca J. Rosen For doctors or patients who notice side effect to a prescription drug (or a combination of several), there's one place to go: the FDA's Adverse Events Reporting System. This is where, once a drug is already on the market, the government can monitor side effects that for one reason or another did not turn up in trials. The problem is that many patients aren't so forthcoming, and may not report -- to their doctors or the FDA -- minor side effects they notice. But they will tell someone something: Google (or Bing or Yahoo). According to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, more than one in 250 people (0.43 percent) searched for one of the 100 best-selling drugs at some point in 2010. And if a whole bunch of those people searching for two of those drugs also search for, say, blurry vision, well, you might have just found out that that particular combination of drugs can cause hyperglycemia. And that's just what researchers from Microsoft, Columbia, … Continue reading →

Medioimages/Photodisc / Getty Images Researchers looking for previously undiscovered drug side effects are turning to web searches for answers. When drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they are vetted for potential side effects, and drug makers are required to divulge these on their products labels. But not all side effects emerge in the short term studies that manufacturers conduct, so many only come to light when hundreds of thousands, and even millions of people start using a medication. And what better way, a group of researchers from theStanfordUniversity School of Medicine and Microsoft Research decided, to suss out some of these unexpected side effects than to turn to where people are most likely to report, share and ask about them the internet. The researchers combed through a year of web search history from 6 million Internet user volunteers. Usingautomatedtools, the scientists were able to to mine anonymous data from 82 million drug-symptom andconditionsearchers made by the participants who agreed to let the users install a Microsoft plug-in to monitor their history. The team was rewarded with a previously unreported interaction between two commonly prescribed drugs paroxetine (Paxil), an anti-depressant, and pravastatin (Pravachol), a statin that lowers … Continue reading →

WEDNESDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Analyzing the search history of Internet users can turn up unreported side effects of drugs or drug combinations, according to a new study. By analyzing a year of search history from 6 million Internet users who consented to share anonymous logs of their online searches, the researchers identified an interaction between two drugs that was unknown when the data was gathered in 2010. The interaction between the antidepressant drug paroxetine (marketed as Paxil) and the cholesterol-lowering drug pravastatin (marketed as Pravachol or Selektine) increases a patient's risk of developing high levels of blood sugar (hyperglycemia). The researchers had previously identified this interaction by using an automated method of analyzing U.S. Food and Drug Administration data. They then decided to find out if they could pinpoint this interaction by mining Internet users' search data. The new study appears in the March 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. "Seeking health information is a major use of the Internet now," study co-author Dr. Russ Altman, a professor of bioengineering, genetics and medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif., said in a university news release. "So we thought people are … Continue reading →

Medioimages/Photodisc / Getty Images Researchers looking for previously undiscovered drug side effects are turning to web searches for answers. When drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they are vetted for potential side effects, and drug makers are required to divulge these on their products labels. But not all side effects emerge in the short term studies that manufacturers conduct, so many only come to light when hundreds of thousands, and even millions of people start using a medication. And what better way, a group of researchers from theStanfordUniversity School of Medicine and Microsoft Research decided, to suss out some of these unexpected side effects than to turn to where people are most likely to report, share and ask about them the internet. The researchers combed through a year of web search history from 6 million Internet user volunteers. Usingautomatedtools, the scientists were able to to mine anonymous data from 82 million drug-symptom andconditionsearchers made by the participants who agreed to let the users install a Microsoft plug-in to monitor their history. The team was rewarded with a previously unreported interaction between two commonly prescribed drugs paroxetine (Paxil), an anti-depressant, and pravastatin (Pravachol), a statin that lowers … Continue reading →

Court records indicate that NuvaRing lawsuits pending in state and federal courts will begin going to trial this spring. Melville, NY (PRWEB) March 06, 2013 Venous thromboembolism (blood clots) Deep vein thrombosis Pulmonary embolism Strokes Wrongful death Alonso Krangle LLP is already representing alleged victims of NuvaRing side effects in a consolidated litigation now underway in New Jersey Superior Court, Bergen County. Court records indicate that Superior Court Judge Brian R. Martinotti has scheduled the litigations first trial for May 2013. (In Re: NuvaRing Litigation, BER-L-3081-09). To discuss a potential claim with one of the experienced and compassionate NuvaRing lawyers at Alonso Krangle LLP, please contact us at 1-800-403-6191 or visit our website, http://www.FightForVictims.com. Brought to market in 2001, NuvaRing is a hormonal contraceptive device that releases a combination of etonogestrel, a synthetic progestin, and the estrogen, ethinyl estradiol. The small, flexible ring is designed to be inserted into the vagina once a month, and is kept in place for three weeks. Since its launch on the market, a number of studies have found an association between NuvaRing and serious side effects, including blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and strokes. For example, research released by the U.S. Food … Continue reading →

(Reuters) - Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Monday recommended the agency reject a drug made by Depomed Inc to reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes associated with menopause. The vote sent shares of Depomed down 10 percent to $5.85 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq. They fell as low as $5.12 immediately after the shares resumed trading following a halt pending the results of the panel. The panel of advisers voted 13-1 that the company had failed to prove convincingly that the drug worked. They voted 12-2 that its efficacy, when balanced against risk, did not warrant approval. The drug, Sefelsa, is a long-acting version of the epilepsy drug gabapentin. A short-acting version of gabapentin made by Pfizer Inc and marketed as Neurontin was approved in 1993. Clinical trials of Depomed's drug showed it only partially reduced the frequency and severity of hot flashes, while side effects included dizziness, sleepiness, headache and nausea. Gabapentin has also been shown to increase the risk of suicide. The FDA does not have to follow the recommendations of its advisory panels but it generally does. Depomed said it would cease spending on Sefelsa. "We recognize and appreciate the concerns … Continue reading →

Your doctor and pharmacist likely know about the medications you're taking, but chances are they don't know everything that you're eating and drinking. Your nutritional habits may not seem like critical information, but just as there are countless combinations of drug-drug interactions and supplement-drug interactions, there are also a number of food-drug interactions that can have serious negative side effects. I spoke with Sal Scaccia, Ph.D. and owner of Total Life Care Pharmacy in Harvey, to find out more about food-drug interactions, and here is his list of the most common food-drug combinations to watch out for: Aged cheeses, chocolate, smoked meats, and wine are high in tyramine, an amino acid that can cause a sudden, dangerous spike in blood pressure when combined with certain antidepressants (particularly those in the class of MAOI antidepressants, like Marplan and Nardil). Black licorice contains a compound called glycyrrhizin that can reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure drugs and diuretics. It can also increase the potency of certain steroids, potentially causing negative side effects. Alcohol can interact with a wide range of over-the-counter and prescription medications, typically decreasing the effectiveness of antibiotics and blood pressure and diabetes medications, and intensifying the potency of pain … Continue reading →

A message to my Subscribers | YouTube problems. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual performance. A penile erection is the hydraulic effect of blood entering and being retained in sponge-like bodies within the penis. The process is often initiated as a result of sexual arousal, when signals are transmitted from the brain to nerves in the penis. Erectile dysfunction is indicated when an erection is difficult to produce. There are various circulatory causes, including alteration of the voltage-gated potassium channel, as in arsenic poisoning from drinking water. The most important organic causes are cardiovascular disease and diabetes, neurological problems (for example, trauma from prostatectomy surgery), hormonal insufficiencies (hypogonadism) and drug side effects. Psychological impotence is where erection or penetration fails due to thoughts or feelings (psychological reasons) rather than physical impossibility; this is somewhat less frequent but often can be helped. Notably in psychological impotence, there is a strong response to placebo treatment. Erectile dysfunction, tied closely as it is about ideas of physical well being, can have severe psychological consequences. Besides treating the underlying causes such as potassium deficiency or arsenic contamination of drinking … Continue reading →

(Reuters) - Celgene Corp's experimental drug apremilast proved to be more effective than a dummy pill for psoriasis patients in a late-stage study, clearing the way for the company to file for U.S. regulatory approval in the second half of 2013. Celgene said 59 percent of patients in the 844-patient trial achieved a 50 percent improvement in symptoms at 16 weeks, using a standard score of the severity and extent of psoriasis, compared with 17 percent of placebo patients. A 75 percent improvement in symptoms was seen in 33 percent of the treatment group and 5 percent of the placebo group. The Phase 3 trial is the first of two pivotal studies of the drug in patients with psoriasis, a disease in which itchy, painful skin plaques are thought to be caused by an inflammatory response initiated by the body's immune system. Apremilast is a pill that inhibits an enzyme known as phosphodiesterase 4, or PDE4, and acts to damp down inflammation. Celgene said previously it planned to file for Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug as a treatment for psoriatic arthritis in the first quarter of this year. Side effects were consistent with those seen in earlier … Continue reading →