Unsafe Drugs
By Jim Rue
Attitudes vary about the safety of pharmaceuticals sold in the United States. Legal firms specializing in medical liability suits maintain that a constellation of prescription drugs has been shown unsafe. Medical organizations find imported pharmaceuticals unsafe. Pharmaceutical companies assert that the American drug supply is the safest in the world, and it very well may be true. Some groups, it seems, don't consider a drug unsafe unless it is bought or sold illegally on the streets of our cities, and some consumers think all drugs are unsafe. Judge for yourself.
Some of the drugs lawyers call unsafe are well known because of the headlines they have attracted. Accutane, a treatment for severe acne, has been found by the FDA to contribute to depression, mood swings, weight loss and birth defects. Baycol inhibits the production of an enzyme needed to make cholesterol. It was withdrawn from the market in 2001 after patients experiences such unwanted effects as heart arrhythmia, kidney failure and death. Oxycontin, offered as a painkiller, apparently works too well. It has been found to be very addictive. Actos is a bad one. Used by diabetes sufferers, counter indications include heart failure, rapid weight gain, jaundice and liver damage.
The Power of Advertising
Other unsafe drugs are known because of the volume of advertising used to sell them to a credulous, clueless public. Celebrated Celebrex, offered for relief from arthritis, has been the subject of FDA warnings to the manufacturer about their marketing practices. The small print describes heart attacks, liver damage, stroke and ulcers. Venerated Vioxx is in the same boat. Also for arthritis, it has also been associated with heart attacks, liver damage, ulcers, strokes and deceptive advertising.
Benzodiazepine-based drugs, including Valium (diazepam) were once the darling drugs of the U.S. More prescribed than anything else, they offered relief for sleeplessness, anxiety and muscle spasms. But more recently they have become the defendants in liability suits, since being linked to hallucinations, addiction, acute amnesia and severe respiratory problems even resulting in death. The FDA has sternly ordered the manufacturers of these drugs to change their warning labels.
MAO Inhibitors
Drugs called unsafe by consumers include the whole family called 'serotonin re-uptake inhibitors.' These antidepressants comprise the second most commonly prescribed variety of drugs (following codeine-related drugs) including Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft, Paxil (paroxetine) and several others. In March of 2004 the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against this category of drugs, admonishing medicos and their clientele to be on the lookout for depression and possible suicide as side effects of the drugs, an odd turn of events given that such drugs are commonly prescribed to alleviate symptoms like depression and thoughts of suicide. Anxiety, insomnia, agitation, mania and hostility were cited as other harmful side effects of the drugs. Three other antidepressants, Wellbutrin (bupropion), Serzone and Remeron, were included on the FDA warning list too.
Out of la Pharmacia and into la Botanica
Fen Phen, or Redux, pulled a faster disappearing act than any pharmaceutical since Thalidomide. The idea was that a cocktail comprised of fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine and phentermine would help you lose weight in record time. It worked well enough that it took the country by storm from 1992 until 1997. Then someone at the Mayo Clinic noticed that an inordinate number of those using the drug were experiencing heart disease or damaged heart valves. The drug was withdrawn but the statistics were dramatic enough that if you took it there is a lawyer who wants you to talk to him and then go get a physical.
Needless to say, this is not a complete list. Being a conscientious consumer and health advocate means taking it on yourself to research new drugs you are prescribed with a special eye toward to counter indications and warnings about interactions with other drugs you may be taking - including the over-the-counter potions you take to replace all the minerals you lose by eating at MacDonalds every day.