Category Archives: Drug Side Effects

SAN DIEGO Imagine taking a drug to cure a nagging condition, only to discover that it has debilitating side effects. A growing number of men say thats the case with the hair loss drug Propecia. Many patients complain Propecia causes depression and a total loss of sexual function. And its not unusual for these problems to continue even after men stop taking the drug. When he turned 40, a man well call John Davis had a hair transplant. His surgeon suggested he take Propecia to fill in his bald spots. Davis did not want his real name used. Two months after he began taking the drug, Davis became extremely depressed. He couldnt figure it out. There was nothing that was lacking in my life at all, so I had absolutely no reason to be depressed," Davis recalled. "But yet, I was sliding down into probably the worst depression imaginable. It just didnt make any sense at all. He said he started suffering from sexual problems. His wife asked him what was wrong. Davis didnt know. He visited a number of therapists and medical specialists. Over the years, the North County resident took six different anti-depressants. Nothing helped. Then, Davis discovered … Continue reading →

(PRWEB) May 16, 2013 Tylenol (acetminophen) is an over-the-counter drug used to reduce pain, fever, and a variety of other symptoms related to allergies and illness. Tylenol was originally approved in 1951 and was first marketed in 1953 (i). It is manufactured by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, which is now a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The FDA has issued warnings that the acetaminophen class of drugs may cause liver damage in some cases and the agency has even taken steps to limit the dosage of these drugs (ii). In January 2011, the FDA limited acetaminophen products to 325 milligrams per dosage unit. The agency also included a black box warning about the potential for severe liver failure (iii). Since its introduction to the market Tylenol has faced challenges in the form of lawsuits. According to The New York Times, McNeil has faced lawsuits for its failure to warn about mixing alcohol with the drug and failing to adequately warn about the risks of taking high dosages of Tylenol (iv). These lawsuits assert that Tylenol caused liver damage. Tylenol like all drugs is removed from the human body by the liver. When Tylenol is taken in high doses or combined with … Continue reading →

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 17, 2013 The prescription drug resource center DrugRisk.com is alerting patients taking the blood thinner Pradaxa of updated news on the site. A federal panel recently advised that the number of claims alleging internal bleeding has nearly tripled in the past few months*. DrugRisk was created to improve the safety of patients taking popular prescription drugs by providing the latest warnings, recalls, studies and legal news. Visitors can see if others are experiencing similar side effects and decide if they need legal advice. Pradaxa was launched in 2010 to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation. Experts have disagreed over whether it presents dangerous risks for internal bleeding. The FDA recently advised that Pradaxa is no more dangerous than traditional blood thinner warfarin**. However, DrugRisk contains information from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, who warned that patients suffering Pradaxa bleeding are nearly 5 times as likely to die than those with bleeding from Coumadin or warfarin. They also named anticoagulants like Pradaxa among the most dangerous drugs available***. The resource center also contains a study from the University of Illinois at Chicago suggesting the data used by the FDA may be flawed, and the risk … Continue reading →

By Deena Beasley (Reuters) - An experimental drug from Gilead Sciences Inc shrank tumors in half of leukemia patients whose cancer had returned, according to an early-stage trial that represents a new foray into oncology by the world's biggest seller of HIV medications. The pill, idelalisib, is part of a new class of medications designed to selectively block a type of protein known to promote tumor growth in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and other types of blood cancer. The "pretty incredible" results illustrate how a growing understanding of tumor biology is helping researchers develop promising new targeted drugs, said Dr Sandra Swain, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which will feature the research at its conference in Chicago later this month. Swain was not involved in the trial. Researchers said idelalisib, also known as GS-1101, produced rapid and long-lasting tumor shrinkage in half of the 54 trial patients treated with the drug alone, stalling disease progression for an average of 17 months. Patients in the trial had previously received a median of five other treatments. CLL, which is typically diagnosed through a routine blood test, is a slow-growing cancer, and many patients do not require treatment … Continue reading →

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 15, 2013 The birth control safety advocates at DrugRisk.com are announcing new information on the site for women using Bayers contraceptive device Mirena. A federal judicial panel recently updated the amount of injury claims that have been filed by patients in a special court*. DrugRisk was created to improve the safety of patients using popular medication devices by providing the latest product news, safety alerts, research and legal news. Visitors can determine if others are experiencing similar side effects and decide if they need legal advice. The resource center has added warnings from health experts about the risk of perforation from IUDs such as Mirena. A study published by the Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons warns patients about migration and perforation of Mirena IUDs after implantation**. With a growing number of patients filing a Mirena lawsuit, federal cases have been consolidated to a special multi-district litigation court in the Southern District of New York (In Re: Mirena IUD Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2434). Now, DrugRisk has learned the latest update from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation shows 46 claims have already been filed in the court*. Anyone who suffered perforation or … Continue reading →

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 16, 2013 The birth control safety center at DrugRisk.com is announcing new information on the site for women who have taken the contraceptives Yaz or Yasmin. A recent court update shows the number of cases filed alleging blood clots has fallen, as Bayer continues to settle claims*. DrugRisk.com was created to improve patient safety by providing those taking popular prescription drugs with the latest research, safety alerts, recalls and litigation news. Visitors can determine if others have experienced similar side effects and decide if they need legal advice. The resource center has added warnings from health experts like the British Medical Journal** and FDA*** that birth control pills containing the hormone drospirenone, such as Yaz and Yasmin, can increase the risk of blood clots, DVT and pulmonary embolism by as much as 74%. After thousands of patients filed a Yaz lawsuit alleging blood clots, cases were consolidated to a special federal Multi-District Litigation court in Illinois (Yasmin and Yaz (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2100, Southern District Illinois)). Bayers latest annual report shows the company had faced claims from over 13,000 patients, but has spent almost $1 billion so far to … Continue reading →

Australian researchers hope to create more specialised cancer treatments with fewer side effects using high-tech equipment. Professor Michael Parker, of the newly opened Rational Drug Discovery Centre, said the new technologies will hopefully help researchers develop more sophisticated drugs that spare cancer patients the toxic side effects of treatments such as chemotherapy. 'If we can turn molecules into drugs, they'll only hit the protein we're interested in ... so we shouldn't have side effects,' he said. The new machines include a robot that creates protein crystals that can be virtually mapped, as well as instruments to test how potential drugs bind to cancer-causing proteins. In an Australian first, there is also a laser scanning cytometer which lets researchers study cancer drug prototypes within the body. Researchers at the new centre, based at Melbourne's St Vincent's Institute, will create three-dimensional images of cancer-spreading proteins. Until recently, computerised images were not detailed enough and researchers were forced to rely more heavily on trial and error when testing drugs. 'This is sort of information we need to go to pharmaceutical companies to develop them into drugs that go into clinical trials,' Professor Parker said. While Lilydale man Steve Harris underwent chemotherapy for an … Continue reading →

Australian researchers hope to create more specialised cancer treatments with fewer side effects using high-tech equipment. Professor Michael Parker, of the newly opened Rational Drug Discovery Centre, said the new technologies will hopefully help researchers develop more sophisticated drugs that spare cancer patients the toxic side effects of treatments such as chemotherapy. "If we can turn molecules into drugs, they'll only hit the protein we're interested in ... so we shouldn't have side effects," he said. The new machines include a robot that creates protein crystals that can be virtually mapped, as well as instruments to test how potential drugs bind to cancer-causing proteins. In an Australian first, there is also a laser scanning cytometer which lets researchers study cancer drug prototypes within the body. Researchers at the new centre, based at Melbourne's St Vincent's Institute, will create three-dimensional images of cancer-spreading proteins. Until recently, computerised images were not detailed enough and researchers were forced to rely more heavily on trial and error when testing drugs. "This is sort of information we need to go to pharmaceutical companies to develop them into drugs that go into clinical trials," Professor Parker said. While Lilydale man Steve Harris underwent chemotherapy for an … Continue reading →

Too Many Seniors are on Risky Drugs According to a study from Brown University that was published in the April issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21% of seniors received a poten... By: DoctorSaputo … Continue reading →

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) May 13, 2013 The medical team behind RxISK.org, today published a checklist to help patients and their health care professionals assess the risks and benefits of prescription medications. RxISK is the first free, independent website where patients, doctors, and pharmacists can research prescription drugs and easily report a drug side effect. RxISK provides an individualized causality report for drug side effects enabling the health care team to act sooner. If your government allows it, your doctor prescribed it, and your pharmacist dispensed it, then it must be safe. Right? Not necessarily! This assumption is wrong. People die because of this wrong assumption. RxISK Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dee Mangin says Prescription drug side effects are now a leading cause of death, disability, and illness along with cancer, heart disease and stroke. RxISK CEO Dr. David Healy adds In mental health care, drug side effects are the leading cause of death. The RxISK medical team estimates that, each year, 10,000 people die in Canada, 100,000 die in the United States, and 150,000 die in Europe from taking prescription medications as directed. Fewer than 5% of serious adverse events (those causing hospitalization, disability, or death) are ever reported. The … Continue reading →