Search results below include Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter Articles where your
selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.
March 2024
Metformin is a recommended first-line treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes who are not able to control their blood sugar through diet and exercise alone. Metformin, however, has important drug interactions and can cause a serious condition called lactic acidosis, a buildup of lactic acid in the blood. Learn about metformin’s drug interactions.
August 2021
Patients taking the widely prescribed calcium channel blocker nifedipine (PROCARDIA, PROCARDIA XL) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
September 2020
Although impaired driving usu¬ally is caused by alcohol or marijuana, many commonly used prescription and over-the-counter medications also can impair one’s ability to drive safely. Learn about several classes of medications that can cause this serious problem to protect yourself, your passengers and others who share the road with you.
December 2019
In this first of a two-part series, we review some of the many commonly prescribed medications that can damage your eyes and the steps that you can take to protect yourself from these adverse effects. The second part in this series will appear in our February 2020 issue.
September 2019
Patients taking the commonly prescribed epilepsy drug phenytoin (DILANTIN, PHENYTEK), one of the oldest epilepsy drugs, should be aware that it has clinically impor¬tant interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications. Some of these interactions can lead to phenytoin toxicity, and others can lead to ineffective seizure control.
August 2019
Learn why Public Citizen’s Health Research Group advises against using any central nervous system stimulant drugs for weight loss.
August 2019
Most U.S. adults drink alcohol at least occasionally. Many also take prescription or over-the-counter drugs that have the potential to inter¬act adversely with alcohol. Avoid serious harm by knowing which drugs should not be taken in combination with alcohol.
April 2019
Drugs are the most frequent cause of taste disturbances. In this article, we identify more than 60 commonly used prescription medications that have been linked to problems with taste.
March 2019
Restless legs syndrome is a common neurological movement and sensory disorder that affects 5 to 10 percent of the population. In this article, we identify some of the many drugs that can cause or worsen this disorder.
October 2018
In this article, we summarize the results of a recent research study showing that use of medications that have depression as a potential adverse effect is very common. We also identify some of the many prescription medications that can cause depression symptoms, including suicidal thoughts or behavior.
April 2018
Topiramate is a second-generation antiepileptic drug that was originally approved by the FDA in 1996. In this article, we discuss why topiramate is an appropriate option for treating certain seizure disorders but should not be used for treatment of migraine headaches.
May 2011
Find out why Johnson & Johnson was recently criminally prosecuted for illegally promoting an epilepsy drug that clearly causes birth defects.
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.
April 2008
This article, based on a recent review in Drug Safety, lists 62 prescription drugs that can cause eye disease. The range of drug-induced eye diseases includes diseases of the eyelids, glaucoma, cataracts, retinal damage and optic nerve damage. As is true for drug-induced diseases in other parts of the body, you should consider newly developed eye symptoms beginning shortly after starting a new medication to be possibly drug-induced and consult a physician.
December 2007
A recent drug industry-funded study was widely hailed as showing that TOPAMAX, a drug approved for seizures and migraines, worked well in treating alcoholism in heavy drinkers. However, upon closer inspection, the study does not convincingly prove the safety or effectiveness of the new suggested use of topiramate. The use of the drug produced only a modest decrease in the percentage of days of heavy drinking, compared to placebo. Topiramate can be unsafe if mixed with alcohol. Current FDA labeling for the approved uses of the drug states, “You should avoid drinking alcohol while taking [topiramate]. Alcohol with [topiramate] can make side effects such as sleepiness and dizziness worse.” In addition. the drug can cause metabolic acidosis, a condition that occurs when there is too much acid in your blood. Metabolic acidosis can cause symptoms such as tiredness, loss of appetite, irregular heartbeat and impaired consciousness.
July 2006
The article discusses numerous recent examples of the harm that has been caused by off-label prescribing, including the heart drugs amiodarone (Cordarone), many antipsychotic drugs, topiramate (Topamax)and several antidepressants.
February 2004
Internet advertisements are heavily promoting the use of topiramate (TOPAMAX), a prescription drug approved by the FDA only for the treatment of seizures, as a weight reduction agent, a purpose for which it has not been shown to be safe and effective.
September 2003
A warning was issued in June 2003 about the possibility of potentially serious decreased sweating (oligohidrosis) and elevated body temperature (hyperthermia) with the use of the seizure medication topiramate (TOPAMAX). Topiramate is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adult and child patients ages two to 16 years with certain types of seizures, and in patients two years of age and older with seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
November 2001
Health care professionals were notified on September 26, 2001 about an eye disorder in some patients taking the seizure drug topiramate (TOPAMAX). This condition is characterized by acute myopia (nearsightedness) and secondary-angle closure glaucoma.
March 2001
The editors of the highly respected Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics, for doctors and pharmacists, reviewed evidence from controlled clinical trials of anti-seizure drugs for psychiatric disorders in the December 11, 2000 issue. Controlled clinical trials are the “gold standard” for testing the effectiveness of drugs.
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