Category Archives: Drug Side Effects

London, Mar 7 (ANI): Scientists including two of Indian origin have developed a hybrid aspirin that has much better cancer-fighting ability than either of its forebears and might even reduce the harmful side effects of taking aspirin daily. The new form is named NOSH-aspirin, as it releases nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Khosrow Kashfi, Ravinder Kodela and Mitali Chattopadhyay point out that NO and H2S are signalling substances produced in the body that relax blood vessels, reduce inflammation and have a variety of other effects. Scientists previously developed designer aspirin that releases NO in an effort to reduce aspirin's potential adverse effects in causing bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Another designer aspirin that releases H2S was developed which also has anti-inflammatory properties and appears safe to the stomach. Since NO and H2S are gases with physiological relevance, and Kashfi's group had previously shown beneficial effects with both NO- and H2S-aspirins, they postulated that a new hybrid that incorporated both of these entities might be even more potent and effective than either one alone. Their hypothesis has proved to be correct. They found indications that the new hybrid inhibits the growth of breast, colon, pancreas, lung, prostate and some … Continue reading →

The first trial in humans of an injectable, once-a-month formulation of an HIV drug has found that drug levels were maintained at a level that should in theory be high enough to protect recipients against infection, and that the drug has so far produced very few side effects. The research was presented at the 19th Conference on Opportunistic Infections (CROI), in Seattle. The small trial at the St Stephens AIDS Trust (SSAT) at Londons Chelsea and Westminster Hospital gave 27 women and six men a single injection of the long-acting formulation of the drug rilpivirine, which was licensed as an oral HIV treatment last year as Edurant and is also in the tenofovir/FTC/rilpivirine pill Complera. Rilpivirine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) drug and is especially suitable to be turned into a long-lasting injectable form because the daily dose of it required to suppress HIV is very small. No other HIV drugs are currently in a usable long-lasting injectable form, which will limit the use of long-acting rilpivirine (RPV-LA) in combination therapy, but it could conceivably make an ideal candidate as a prevention drug, as people would not need to remember to take it every day. Other preventative drugs … Continue reading →

The first trial in humans of an injectable, once-a-month formulation of an HIV drug has found that drug levels were maintained at a level that should in theory be high enough to protect recipients against infection, and that the drug has so far produced very few side effects. The research was presented at the 19th Conference on Opportunistic Infections (CROI), in Seattle. The small trial at the St Stephens AIDS Trust (SSAT) at Londons Chelsea and Westminster Hospital gave 27 women and six men a single injection of the long-acting formulation of the drug rilpivirine, which was licensed as an oral HIV treatment last year as Edurant and is also in the tenofovir/FTC/rilpivirine pill Complera. Rilpivirine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) drug and is especially suitable to be turned into a long-lasting injectable form because the daily dose of it required to suppress HIV is very small. No other HIV drugs are currently in a usable long-lasting injectable form, which will limit the use of long-acting rilpivirine (RPV-LA) in combination therapy, but it could conceivably make an ideal candidate as a prevention drug, as people would not need to remember to take it every day. Other preventative drugs … Continue reading →

Imagine a drug that cuts heart disease by half. Youd probably take it, but before you started youd probably want to know what the side effects are. Hopefully your doctor would mention the most common serious side effects, and the pharmacist could give you a complete list but those can be a mile long. There often are so many possible side effects, you can get dizzy just reading about them. And then theres the Internet, a mixed bag of good information and junk. Before you see these side effects on that list, the drug is vetted by the Food and Drug Administration. Unfortunately, those lists do not always take into consideration the most up-to-date research because one or two studies arent enough. Concrete evidence is needed before that list is updated. So what should you do? If the side-effect list is always two steps behind, how can you make a reasonable choice on whether to take a medication? My answer: health literacy. Read the newspapers, listen to National Public Radio, surf the Internet and talk to your friends. Taken all together, it improves your odds. Now back to that heart-disease drug. New research published in the Journal of the American … Continue reading →

Dr. ZORBA PASTER | family physician, Dean Health madison.com | | Posted: Wednesday, March 7, 2012 8:00 am Imagine a drug that cuts heart disease by half. Would you take it? Probably. But before you started, you would want to know what the side effects were. Your doctor, if good, would mention the most common serious side effects. The pharmacist could give you a list of side effects but those lists can be a mile long. There are often so many possible side effects you can get dizzy just reading it. And then there's the Web. The Web is a mixed bag, sometimes good information and sometimes junk. Every drug has side effects. Before you see these side effects on that pharmacy list, the drug is vetted by the Food and Drug Administration. Unfortunately, those lists do not always take into consideration the most up-to-date research. Why, you ask? Because one or two studies doesn't merit changing that side-effect list. Concrete evidence is needed before that list is updated. So what should you do? If the side-effect profile list is always two steps behind, how can you make a reasonable choice on whether or not to take a medication? My … Continue reading →

CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - The following is a press release from the Chesterfield County Police department. The Chesterfield County Police Department is urging residents to be aware of the dangers of a new designer drug, known as 25i, which has recently surfaced in the drug market. In Chesterfield County in recent weeks, seven people have gone to area hospitals with symptoms consistent with an overdose of 25i, a hallucinogen. In some of these cases, the patients have confirmed taking that drug. The side effects of any drug, including hallucinogens, may vary from person to person and often depend on many factors, including the person's size, weight and health, how much of the drug was taken, how it was taken and whether it was taken with or mixed with any other drug. The effects of a hallucinogenic drug can last for several hours and someone under the influence may exhibit some of these side effects: blurred vision; increased breathing rate; euphoria; hallucinations and distorted sensory processing, including visual, auditory, body, time and space; disorganized thoughts, confusion; anxiety, agitation, paranoia and feelings of panic; dizziness, impaired coordination; increased heart rate and blood pressure; increased body temperature and sweating, which may alternate with … Continue reading →

A class of cholesterol-reducing drugs called statins will now carry labeling noting potential side effects, which include memory loss and higher blood sugar levels The Food and Drug Administration this week officially linked statin drugs a widely prescribed type of cholesterol-reducing medication to risks of memory loss and Type 2 diabetes. Reports of potential side effects have been discussed for years, but this marks the first time health officials have highlighted the potential side effects, and called for warning labels on packaging. Here's what you should know about the FDA's new statin warnings: What are statin drugs? They're a class of medication used to lower patients' cholesterol and fight heart disease. The drugs work by inhibiting a chemical in the liver required to make cholesterol. Popular brands used in the United States include Lipitor (atorvastatin), Crestor (resuvastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), and Vytorin (simvastatin/ezetimibe). SEE ALSO: The web's growing Pinterest 'obsession': By the numbers Do a lot of people use them? Statins are among "the most widely prescribed drugs in the world," says Gardiner Harris at the New York Times. Last year, close to 21 million Americans were prescribed some variation of the drug. Debate of whether statin is over- or under-used … Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Arestatindrugs leading to more problems than just diabetes and memory loss as the FDA says? Following on the heels of the FDA announcing changes to the safety information on statin labels (e.g. Pfizer Inc's Lipitor, AstraZeneca's Crestor and Merck & Co's Zocor) concerning blood sugar and memory problems, a collection of consumer health groups, such as Natural Society, are raising public awareness about thehundreds of additionaladverse health effectsassociated with their use as indicated by the published research from the National Library of Medicine. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120202/PH46512LOGO) A growing body of clinical research now indicates that this cholesterol-lowering class of drugs is associated with an alarming number of serious medical conditions-- research boldly flying in the face of national health policy, medical insurance premium guidelines, statin drug manufacturer advertising claims, and the general sentiment of the public, with approximately 1 in every 4 adult Americans over 45 currently using these drugs to "prevent heart disease." Fundamentally, the research indicates that statin drugs damage the muscles and nerves in the body. There arewellover 100 studiesdemonstrating the myotoxic, or muscle-harming effects of these drugs, andover 80demonstrating the nerve-damaging effects. Since the heart is such a vital muscle innervated … Continue reading →

(CBS/AP) Medicines generally have side effects, but once in awhile the side effects may treat other conditions. Viagra after all, was originally a blood pressure medicine. Amantadine, an old flu medicine approved in the 1960s, was found a few years later to improve symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Now a new study shows the drug may also speed recovery from severe brain injuries. The study, published Mar. 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved 184 patients who had severe brain injuries caused by falls and car crashes. About a third were in a vegetative state (unconscious but with periods of wakefulness) and the rest were minimally conscious. The patients were randomly assigned to receive amantadine or a placebo daily for four weeks. They were treated within one to four months after getting injuried - a period when a lot of patients get better on their own, according to study author Joseph Giacino, a neurologist at Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. The researchers found both groups made small but significant improvements, but the rate of recovery was faster in the group getting amantadine. Changes included the ability to give yes-and-no answers, follow commands or use a spoon or hairbrush. Of the … Continue reading →

MICHELLE COOKE New Zealand doctors may soon have to warn hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders that their cholesterol-lowering medication increases the risk of diabetes and dementia. More than 400,000 people - one in every 10 New Zealanders - are prescribed either Lipitor or Lipex to lower their cholesterol levels. New research shows that statins have been found to lead to memory loss and increase a person's chance of developing diabetes by nine per cent, sparking the United States to issue a mandatory label on the medicine, warning of its side effects. The announcement by the United States Food and Drug Association (FDA) on Tuesday sparked New Zealand's health regulator Medsafe to conduct a review. A New Zealand study in 2007 made links between memory loss and statins, and information about the side effects are available in datasheets for such medicines, Medsafe's protection and regulation manager Chris James says. But the link between statins and diabetes is not included. The review will decide whether the side effect should be included in datasheets, which doctors use as a reference when alerting patients to potential adverse effects. More than 200,000 Kiwis already have diabetes, which is considered an epidemic in New Zealand. … Continue reading →