- Medically prescribed for - Accutane is prescribed for the treatment of severe acne that has not been helped by other treatments.
- Adverse reactions experienced -Some patients taking Accutane have experienced depression, serious mental problems, mood swings, irritability, anger, loss of pleasure, sleeping too much or too little, changes in weight or appetite. Some more severe symptoms include suicidal tendencies and birth defects if Accutane is taken while the patient is pregnant.
- Status of drug - Federal Drug Administration has recognized the link between these adverse reactions and the drug.
See your doctor if you have experienced serious health problems after taking ACCUTANE. In addition, contact unsafedrugs.org for attorney refereal who can help you protect your legal rights and get compensation for your injuries. Call Now 1-800-000-0000
Actos
- Medically prescribed for - Actos is prescribed to patients with type II diabetes to help reduce insulin resistance.
- Adverse reactions experienced - Patients who were prescribed Actos have experienced heart failure and rapid weight gain. In addition some patients have experienced liver damage. Initial symptoms of liver damage are anorexia, nausea, upper abdominal discomfort, yellowing of the skin or eyes and dark urine.
- Status of drug -There have been no conclusive studies linking the use of Actos and liver damage. However, the manufacturer has included warnings in the packaging instructing users to have their liver enzymes monitored consistently during the use of the medication.
See your doctor if you have experienced serious health problems after taking ACTOS. In addition, contact an unsafedrugs.org for attorney referral to help you protect your legal rights and get compensation for your injuries.
Consumer Reports Identifies 12 Unsafe Drugs to Be Used With Caution
January 2006 Edition of Magazine Addresses Drug-safety System Problems
The January 2006 edition of Consumer Reports magazine includes an investigative report entitled, "Prescription for Trouble". This Consumer Reports article identifies 12 prescription drugs taken by tens of millions of people in the U.S. that have rare but serious side effects, including an increased likelihood of heart attack, stroke, cancer, and suicidal tendencies.
In their January 2006 report, Consumer Reports asserts that these serious side effects were undetected or underestimated when the drugs were approved by the FDA. Further, the magazine article states that its list of the 12 prescription drugs identified by the investigative report is not exhaustive. Lastly, Consumer Reports advises that while each of the 12 prescription drugs listed has legitimate medical uses, especially when other treatments fail, each should be used with caution. As stated by Dr. Marvin M. Lipman, Consumers Union's Chief Medical Adviser:
"But the potential risks are sufficiently serious that until more is known, these drugs should be prescribed only when other options have failed, should be avoided by people whose medical conditions make them especially vulnerable to harmful reactions, or should be used only with careful monitoring for adverse reactions."
The 12 prescription drugs are listed in the Consumer Reports article by generic name and trade name. The listed drugs are:
1. Celecoxib (Celebrex), a pain reliever;
2. Estrogen alone (Premarin and others) or with progestin (Prempro and others) to treat symptoms of menopause;
3. Isotretinoin (Accutane) for severe acne;
4. Malathion (Ovide) for head lice;
5. Medroxyprogesterone injections (Depo-Provera), a contraceptive;
6. Mefloquine (Lariam) to prevent malaria;
7. Rosuvastatin (Crestor) for high cholesterol;
8. Salmeterol-- (Serevent) for asthma;
9. Sibutramine (Meridia) for weight loss;
10. SSRIs such as sertraline (Zoloft), and other antidepressants such as venlafaxine (Effexor), particularly when prescribed to young people;
11. Tegaserod (Zelnorm) for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation; and,
12. topical immunosuppressants pimecrolimus (Elidel) and tacrolimus (Protopic) for eczema.