A comprehensive review of the safety
and effectiveness of this drug. If the drug is not a Do Not Use product, information
on adverse effects, drug interactions and how to use the medication are included.
Search results below include drug profiles where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion
Search results below include Disease and Drug Family Information where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion
Sleeping Pills and Tranquilizers
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Older adults have a much more difficult time eliminating benzodiazepines and similar drugs from their bloodstreams and these drugs can thus accumulate in their bodies. Also, older adults are more sensitive to the effects of many of these drugs than are younger adults. For older adults the risk of serious adverse drug effects is significantly increased. Serious adverse effects may include: unsteady gait, dizziness, falling (causing an increased risk of hip fractures), increased risk of an auto accident, drug-induced or drug-worsened impairment of thinking, memory loss, and addiction.
Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter Articles
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results below include Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter Articles where your
selected drug is a primary subject of discussion
Benzodiazepines: Widely Prescribed, Dangerous Sleep and Tranquilizer Drugs
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(April 2015)
This article discusses recent research showing increasing frequency of benzodiazepine use as people get older in the U.S. We also review results of a new study showing a possible link between use of these drugs and an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
All Sleeping Pills Are Still Risky, But Safer Alternatives Exist
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(December 2013)
We oppose the use of all sleeping pills, based on experts’ findings that “nonpharmacological treatments not only cause fewer side effects, but … can sustain long-term improvements more successfully than pharmacological treatments.” Read this article to learn about some suggested nondrug approaches.
Drug-induced Cognitive Impairment: Part 2: Delirium and Dementia
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(April 2009)
This second article about drug-induced dementia or delirium lists and discusses an additional 79 drugs that can cause these reversible kinds of mental deterioration. The two articles collectively review 136 drugs that can cause these serious side effects, especially in older people.
Tizanidine: Watch Out for Drugs Interacting With This Muscle Relaxant
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(October 2008)
Tizanidine (ZANAFLEX) is a muscle relaxant for which more than 3.8 million prescriptions were filled in the U.S. last year. The article lists more than 64 drugs with which it can have dangerous interactions resulting in excess sedation, difficulty breathing or dangerously low blood pressure that can result in falling.
Grapefruit Juice and Drug Interactions
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(June 2002)
Grapefruit juice can interact with a number of therapeutically important drugs that could lead to the possibility of toxicity. These drugs are listed in the article.