Adverse Drug Reactions Have Doubled

Over the last decade, reports of adverse drug reactions, including death, have doubled, according to a report published on September 10th in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"We are losing substantial amounts of ground in protecting people against serious injury and death from prescription drugs," said Thomas J. Moore, senior scientist, drug safety and policy, for the Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the lead author of the study.

Tylenol, a commonly used over-the-counter pain killer, is the 5th deadliest drug in America. "Painkillers have always been a problem, especially the opioids, but it seems to be getting worse," Moore says. "They are being used more." Fentanyl patches, for instance, made the list of common offenders, and Moore say they are "hugely powerful and very addictive."

The “Hit List”:

On the list of drugs most commonly identified in fatal events:

1. Oxycodone (OxyContin and others)
2. Fentanyl (Duragesic and others)
3. Clozapine (Clozaril)
4. Morphine
5. Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
6. Methadone
7. Infliximab (Remicade)
8. Interferon beta (Rebif, Betaseron, Avonex)
9. Risperidone (Risperdal)
10. Etanercept (Enbrel)
11. Paclitaxel (Taxol)
12. Acetaminophen-hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab, and others)
13. Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
14. Rofecoxib (Vioxx)
15. Paroxetine (Paxil)

Drugs on the list of those most commonly identified in disability or serious outcomes:

1. Estrogens
2. Insulin
3. Infliximab (Remicade)
4. Interferon beta (Rebif, Betaseron, Avonex)
5. Paroxetine (Paxil)
6. Rofecoxib (Vioxx)
7. Warfarin (Coumadin)
8. Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
9. Etanercept (Enbrel)
10. Celecoxib (Celebrex)
11. Phentermine (Pro-Fast)
12. Clozapine (Clozaril)
13. Interferon alfa (Alferon N, Infergen, Intron A, Roferon-A)
14. Simvastatin (Zocor)
15. Venlafaxine (Effexor)

These data are based on serious adverse drug events voluntarily reported to the FDA though the Adverse Events Reporting System (AERS), known as the "MedWatch" reports, from 1998 to 2005. A serious adverse drug event is defined as one that results in death, a birth defect, disability, hospitalization, was life-threatening, or needed intervention to avoid harm.

Experts caution that the data may only represent the “tip of the iceberg” as patients and doctors often fail to report adverse events to the FDA and many drug related injuries and deaths may not have been recognized as such.

Source: WebMD

Honey I Shrunk the Kids with Ritalin

Researchers report that Ritalin stunts the growth of children. After 3 years on the drug they are a full inch shorter and almost 5 pounds lighter than their peers. The research was published in the August, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Methylphenidate , marketed under the name "Ritalin", is the controversial amphetamine drug used to treat ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Over the years, many voices have been raised accusing the pharmaceutical industry of conducting mass experimentation on children as the dangers of long term use have never been adequately determined. The industry has allowed the drug to be prescribed to millions of children and is only now discovering the effects of long term use by tracking the drugs effects on the children who have taken it.

Ritalin may be destined to follow in the foot steps of so many popular drugs of the past which have been recalled, banned, faced an onslaught of lawsuits only to be replaced by the next "miracle drug".

The following text is reprinted from the National Institute of Health:

Methylphenidate [Ritalin] may cause sudden death in children and teenagers with heart defects or serious heart problems. This medication also may cause sudden death, heart attack or stroke in adults, especially adults with heart defects or serious heart problems. Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking this medication.

Methylphenidate [Ritalin] may slow children's growth or weight gain. Your child's doctor will watch his or her
growth carefully. Talk to your child's doctor if you have concerns about your child's growth or weight gain while he or she is taking this medication. Talk to your child's doctor about the risks of giving methylphenidate [Ritalin] to your child.

Methylphenidate [Ritalin] may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

nervousness
difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
dizziness
nausea
vomiting
loss of appetite
stomach pain
diarrhea
headache
painful menstruation

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

fast, pounding, or irregular
heartbeat
chest pain
shortness of breath
excessive tiredness
slow or difficult speech
dizziness or faintness
weakness or numbness
of an arm or leg
seizures
changes in vision or blurred vision
agitation
abnormal thoughts
hallucinating (seeing things or hearing
voices that do not exist)
motor tics or verbal tics
depression
mood
changes
fever
sore throat
unusual bleeding or bruising
muscle or
joint pain
hives
rash
itching
difficulty breathing or
swallowing

Sources:
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
National Institute of Health - Medline
News Target

Chiropractic is Better and Cheaper- Study Suggests

A study published this May shows that chiropractic patients have lower costs and higher patient satisfaction levels than patients treated by conventional medical doctors!

Researchers found that over the course of the seven-year study, patients visiting chiropractors (and other alternative health care physicians) had 60 percent fewer hospitalizations, 62 percent fewer outpatient surgical cases, and 85 percent lower drug costs when compared with total network HMO utilization rates and costs.

Lastly, the study found that patients seeing chiropractors (and other alternative health care physicians) consistently rated higher levels of patient satisfaction than patients who saw conventional medical doctors.

Study published in the May edition of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.


JMPT

ACA

Pain Relievers Raise Your Blood Pressure

As you know, drugs sold over the counter (OTC) can be just as dangerous to your health as those sold behind it. Common painkillers like aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen are no exception.
This new study, monitoring the health of some 16,000 male health care workers with no history of hypertension, discovered about one out of every eight patients over a four-year span were more prone to elevated blood pressures, with OTC analgesics as the common link, based on the numbers:
Anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen or naproxin presented the highest risk (38 percent) for elevated blood pressures among those who took OTC painkillers virtually every day, followed closely by acetaminophen (34 percent) and aspirin (26 percent).

The most interesting number of them all: Patients who took at least 15 pain-relieving pills each week elevated their risk for hypertension by almost 50 percent, compared to those who took none.

Remember, the best solutions for treating your pain have nothing at all to do with taking a drug, so don't waste your money or your health on them.


Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 167, No. 4, February 26, 2007: 394-399

EurekAlert February 26, 2007

Source: Mercola.com
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