Related Headlines and Studies Regarding the Dangers of Prescription Drugs

Rheumatoid arthritis drug raises cancer risk. Johnson & Johnson
And yet, the FDA won't be banning the drug any time soon. Sure, it causes cancer, but it still generates revenues that are great for the pharmaceutical industry.
Posted 11/08/2006

Angiogenesis heart drugs may worsen heart conditions. Dartmouth Medical School
Here's research showing how yet another prescription drug causes the very condition it claims to prevent. The same is also true of anti-inflammatory drugs (many cause joint pain) and antidepressant drugs (which cause thoughts of suicide and violent behavior).
Posted 11/08/2006

Antipsychotic drugs increase diabetes and heart disease risk for kids. Johns Hopkins Children's Center
Here's more bad news about drugs that mess with kids' brains: in addition to causing increased risks of suicides and violent behavior, it turns out these antidepressant drugs also promote diabetes and heart disease.
Posted 11/08/2006

Anti-psychotic medications may cause diabetes. Yale researchers, American Journal of Psychiatry
Individuals who take certain new anti-psychotic medications have a higher rate of diabetes than the general population, according to a study by Yale researchers. The rate is from 5 to 10 times the incidence found in the general population. That's quite an increased risk.
Posted 11/08/2006

Vioxx blamed for 140,000 Americans' heart problems. U.S, Food and Drug Administration
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has determined that as many as 140,000 American patients may have suffered heart damage from the arthritis drug Vioxx. According to researchers, many of the cases have been fatal. Merck & Co. removed Vioxx from the market after clinical trials linked the drug to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Posted 11/08/2006

Prozac doubles suicide risk. British Medical Journal
Britain's Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency says they used the finding of three studies published in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal when they issued new guidelines for the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in December 2004. The reports showed a strong correlation between use of SSRIs and an increase in suicidal thoughts and behavior. The agency told doctors to use caution in prescribing the drugs to suicidal patients.
Posted 11/08/2006

HRT increases stroke risk by 30%. British Medical Journal
A British medical study indicates that use of hormonal replacement therapy can increase the risk of stroke by almost one third. The analysis looked at 28 trials involving almost 40,000 women. The authors concluded that women at high risk of stroke should stop taking HRT unless there is a strong medical need for the therapy.
Posted 11/08/2006

Heart drug causes kidney failure. University of Michigan
A powerful hormone called nesiritide, used to speed recovery in some patients hospitalized with congestive heart failure, can cause serious kidney problems, according to a new study by the University of Michigan. Researchers say that the common perception that nesiritide was a safe drug, but it actually raises the risk of death by kidney failure in some patients. About 10 percent of the 1 million patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure each year receive nesiritide.
Posted 11/08/2006

Viagra causes blindness in some users. University of Minnesota Medical School
Recently, some men taking Viagra have had partial, permanent vision loss in either one or both eyes, raising questions about a link between the blindness and Viagra. Many of the men who experienced this loss already had other health problems and the number of cases is still relatively small.
Posted 11/08/2006

Antipsychotic drugs increase mortality rate in elderly patients. FDA
Some drugs commonly used to treat schizophrenia and mania should not be taken by senior citizens, the Food and Drug Administration has said. The FDA will require the drugs to carry "black box" warnings strongly advising elderly people to avoid the drugs. The agency cited clinical studies that showed that, when elderly patients used the drugs, they were at least 1.6 times more likely to due of heart disease or pneumonia.
Posted 11/08/2006

Acetaminophen linked to asthma and pulmonary disease. Third National Health and Nutrition - Survey III
Increased use of acetaminophen can lead to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, say British researchers in Nottingham, England. The group found no correlation between lung disease and the use of aspirin and ibuprofen during their study.
Posted 11/08/2006

Asthma drugs make symptoms worse. FDA
The FDA is currently questioning the effectiveness of the asthma drugs Serevent, Advair and Foradil. In some cases these drugs made asthma complications worse. While the F.D.A.'s panel recommends these drugs stay on the market, they ask that a warning to the drug Foradil be put on the package.
Posted 11/08/2006

Statin drugs increase risk of stroke for severely ill diabetics. New England Journal of Medicine
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports cholesterol-lowering statin drugs do not help severely ill diabetics and actually could increase their risk of stroke death, despite previous research suggesting the drugs like Lipitor could be good for patients with less severe cases of diabetes.
Posted 11/08/2006

Birth control pills increase cancer risk. World Health Organization
The World Health Organization has reviewed published scientific evidence on the Pill and HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), and has toughened its classification of both to say they do cause cancer. The WHO says the Pill slightly increases the risk of breast, cervical and liver cancer, and that HRT increases the risk of breast cancer and uterine cancer.
Posted 11/08/2006

Long–term aspirin significantly increases risk for internal bleeding. Journal of the American Medical Association
Although taking pain relievers like aspirin or ibuprofen over a period of at least 10 years can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, it can also significantly increase the risk for stomach or intestinal bleeding, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Posted 11/08/2006

OTC pain relievers double women's risk of high blood pressure. Brigham and Women's Hospital
Regularly taking acetaminophen, or Tylenol, and ibuprofen, popularly sold as Advil, may double a woman's risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Posted 11/08/2006

Steroids shown ineffective for mild asthma. New England Journal of Medicine
A study of 225 adults published in the New England Journal of Medicine asserts that asthmatics who took placebos did just as well as those who regularly took steroids to forestall asthma attacks. The study examined only those with mild asthma; the findings do not apply to those with severe asthma, about three quarters of the total asthmatic population.
Posted 11/08/2006