Worst Pills, Best Pills

An expert, independent second opinion on more than 1,800 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and supplements

verapamil (CALAN, CALAN SR, COVERA-HS, VERELAN, VERELAN-PM)


DISEASE AND DRUG FAMILY INFORMATION

Search results below include Disease and Drug Family Information where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

High Blood Pressure
A study of nutritional therapy showed that over one-third of people who previously needed drug treatment for high blood pressure were able to adequately control their blood pressure with nutritional therapy alone.Several factors should be taken into account when considering whether your high blood pressure should be treated. One is the benefits of the treatment for your blood pressure, which vary significantly depending on how high it is, your age, and whether you have other risk factors such as high cholesterol or are a smoker or a diabetic, and whether you have had a heart attack, heart failure, a stroke, or have kidney damage. The other consideration is the risks or the adverse effects of the treatment, which will vary depending on what is being considered.

DRUG AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PROFILES

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 and Dietary Supplement Profiles where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.


WORST PILLS, BEST PILLS NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Search results below include Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter Articles where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

Important Drug Interactions for the Type 2 Diabetes Drug Metformin
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.
Important Drug Interactions for Sotalol
January 2023
Patients taking the drug sotalol (BETAPACE, BETAPACE AF, SORINE, SOTYLIZE) should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription medications.
Drug-Induced Sexual Dysfunction in Men
April 2022
Medications are a leading cause of sexual dysfunction in men. Knowing which drugs prescribed or recommended by your doctor can cause sexual dysfunction will allow you to take steps to prevent or minimize this common, often troubling adverse drug effect.
Drug-Induced Constipation
January 2022
Numerous prescription and over-the-counter drugs can cause or exacerbate constipation. Knowing which medications prescribed or recommended by your doctor cause constipation will allow you to take steps to prevent or minimize this common, troubling adverse drug effect.
Why You Should Avoid the Herbal Supplement St. John’s Wort
December 2021
Learn why we have designated St. John’s wort, an herbal dietary supplement that is commonly available in capsules, tablets or teas, as Do Not Use.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antibiotic Erythromycin
June 2021
Patients taking the commonly prescribed antibiotic erythromycin should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Atorvastatin (LIPITOR)
April 2021
Patients taking the commonly prescribed drug atorvastatin, which is a member of the statin family of cholesterol-lowering drugs, should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Simvastatin
June 2020
Patients taking the commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin (FLOLIPID, VYTORIN, ZOCOR) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antibiotic Clarithromycin
April 2020
Patients taking the commonly prescribed antibiotic clarithromycin (BIAXIN XL) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Calcium Channel Blocker Verapamil
March 2020
Patients taking the widely prescribed calcium channel blocker verapamil — which is used to treat high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and certain abnormal heart rhythms — should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
Important Drug Interactions for the Antifungal Drug Fluconazole
December 2019
Patients taking the commonly prescribed antifungal drug fluconazole (DIFLUCAN) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications. Some of these interactions can lead to an increased risk of fatal heart rhythm abnormalities.
An Update on Drug-Induced Parkinsonism
October 2019
Next to Parkinson’s disease, drug-induced parkinsonism is the second most common cause of parkinsonism, accounting for about 8-12% of all parkinsonism cases. Find out which commonly used drugs can cause this condition.
Important Drug Interactions for the Seizure Drug Phenytoin
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.
Taking These Medications With Grapefruit Can Be Dangerous!
June 2019
Read about the many prescription drugs that can interact in dangerous ways with grapefruit or grapefruit products.
Medications That Induce Breast Enlargement in Men
May 2019
For men, abnormally large breasts can be distressing and embarrassing. Find out about the numerous drugs that can cause breast enlargement in men.
Colchicine Interactions with Other Drugs Can Be Life-Threatening
May 2019
Read about the many prescription medications that can interact in dangerous ways with colchicine, a commonly used drug for treatment of acute gout attacks.
Potentially Dangerous Digoxin Drug Interactions
November 2018
Read about the numerous medications that can interact with digoxin, a drug commonly prescribed for heart failure and atrial fibrillation. These interactions can result in either digoxin toxicity or decreased digoxin effectiveness depending on the other drug being used concomitantly.
Drug-Induced Movement Disorders
February 2018
Abnormal involuntary movements (movement disorders) occur as adverse events associated with many widely used medications and can cause substantial hardship for affected individuals. Find out which drugs are associated with these adverse effects.
New Atrial Fibrillation Treatment Guidelines Released
August 2014
Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common heart rhythm disorders, afflicting more than 2.7 million Americans. Learn about the most recent guidelines for treating this disorder, issued by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, and about Public Citizen’s Health Research Group’s assessment of those guidelines.
Update on Grapefruit Juice-Drug Interactions
July 2012
This article updates and expands our earlier list of drugs that can have harmful interactions with grapefruit juice. The list now includes 82 different drugs.
Some Anti-Hypertensive Drugs Increase the Risk of Gout
May 2012
The article lists many drugs that treat high blood pressure but can also increase the risk of gout. If you have gout, ask your doctor whether your dose of any of these drugs could be reduced or whether you should switch to a medication with a lower gout risk. However, hypertension control is of utmost importance.
Corticosteroid Drug Interactions
November 2010
This article discusses 36 drugs that, when used by people also using a corticosteroid, can either cause toxic interactions with the steroid or decrease the steroid's effectiveness.
Drug-Induced Parkinsonism
October 2010
A study discovered that more than 1 out of every 10 people who went to a Parkinson’s disease center was found to have drug-induced Parkinsonism. These people were misdiagnosed as having the more common illness, Parkinson’s disease, which is irreversible and has unknown causes.
The Dangers of Combining Sleeping Pills With Other Medication
September 2010
The article list 34 other medications that can harmfully interact with sleeping pills, increasing their sedative properties and causing excessive sedation. Excessive sedation at night could increase the risk of falls, should the person get up in the night for some reason. Moreover, excessive sedation causing respiratory depression could be dangerous for people with certain disorders, such as lung disease.
Interactions With Cancer Drug Vincristine (ONCOVIN)
August 2010
The article lists 34 prescription drugs that can have harmful interactions with vincristine. Recognizing signs of toxicity from vincristine early, as described in the article, is urgent because most of the side effects are reversible when the interacting drug is stopped and the patient receives corrective treatment.
Oral Drugs for Diabetes: Avoiding Hypoglycemia
May 2010
After explaining the symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) the article lists 42 prescription drugs that can interact with one or more diabetes drugs to increase the chance of hypoglycemia.
Aripiprazole (ABILIFY) Drug Interactions
April 2010
The article lists 53 drugs that can interact with the psychiatric drug ABILIFY to either increase the amount in the body, which can lead to toxicity, or decrease the amount rendering the drug less effective.
Digoxin Drug Interactions
March 2010
The article lists 35 different interacting drugs that can either increase blood levels of digoxin, leading to the serious problem of digitalis toxicity or decrease blood levels, causing the drug to be less effective.
Quetiapine (SEROQUEL) Interactions With Other Drugs
February 2010
Quetiapine (SEROQUEL) can interact with 26 different drugs, increasing its blood levels and causing dangerous side effects such as slowed breathing, dizziness and fainting. The article also lists 10 other interacting drugs that can result in lower blood levels, rendering the drug less effective.
Oxycodone: Be Careful What You Take With It
September 2009
The article lists 24 drugs that can increase the toxicity of oxycodone if taken together with the drug and 11 other drugs that can weaken its effectiveness as a painkiller if they are simutaneously used.
Muscle Damage from Interactions Between Statins and Other Commonly Prescribed Drugs
July 2009
The article lists 38 prescription drugs that can harmfully interact with statin drugs. The article also advises that No matter what statin you are taking and regardless of any interacting drugs, you should notify your prescriber immediately if you develop muscle pain, weakness or a darkening of your urine. .
Alpha-Blockers for Prostate Enlargement: Some Important Drug Interactions
June 2009
Taking alpha-blockers in combination with drugs for erectile dysfunction and with other drugs can cause dizziness and fainting. In this article we will discuss alfuzosin (UROXATRAL), doxazosin (CARDURA), tamsulosin (FLOMAX) and terazosin (HYTRIN) and drugs with which they can have harmful interactions.
Colchicine Interactions with Other Drugs Can Be Life-Threatening
December 2008
This article lists 27 drugs that can have life-threatening interactions with the widely-used gout drug, colchicine, resulting in dangerously elevated levels of colchicine. Too much colchicine in the body leads to toxicity such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and muscle pains. Even worse, it can impair the bone marrow’s ability to make red and white blood cells, causing severe anemia and dangerously low numbers of white blood cells. When the number of white blood cells is reduced, your body may have difficulty fighting infections. Most people who have died from colchicine toxicity have had bone marrow toxicity or had preexisting kidney problems. Every patient on colchicine — whether on other drugs or not — should be alert for evidence of colchicine toxicity as described above.
Calcium Channel Blocker Drug Interactions
May 2008
This article lists more than 60 prescription drugs that can interact with calcium channel blocking drugs such as amlodipine (NORVASC),diltiazem (CARDIZEM, DILACOR XR TIAZAC)or nifedipine (PROCARDIA)to either cause toxicity or to lessen the effectiveness of the calcium channel blocking drugs. Included in the lists are a number of drugs that we list in Worst Pills, Best Pills as DO NOT USE or LIMITED USE drugs. The article also explains the different kinds of toxicity that can ensue from these interactions.
FDA Issues New Warnings For Muscle Spasm Drug Tizanidine (ZANAFLEX)
August 2007
The muscle spasm drug tizanidine (ZANAFLEX) combined with certain other drugs could cause serious complications such as drowsiness and can dramatically lower blood pressure, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The article lists 20 drugs to avoid if you are using Zanaflex so that you avoid these potentially dangerous interactions.
Grapefruit Juice and Prescription Drugs: Some Dangerous Interactions
February 2004
The January 5th issue of the Medical Letter, a widely respected source of independent information about pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements, has a review of the increasingly researched problem of the interaction between grapefruit juice and many prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Like most interactions between chemicals in the body, this one involves the impairment, by grapefruit juice, of the body’s ability to metabolize many drugs, leading to higher than expected — and sometimes dangerous — levels of these drugs.This article lists the drugs.
Drug-Induced Taste Disorders
September 2003
DO NOT stop taking any of the drugs listed in the table without first consulting your physician. You should report any alteration in your sense of taste to your physician if you are taking a drug.
The Calcium Channel Blocker Verapamil (COVERA HS) For High Blood Pressure - Manufacturer Halts Important Clinical Trial
June 2003
This study does provide additional support to what the National Institutes of Health and the Health Research Group have been saying for years: low-dose hydrochlorothiazide should be the first drug used in the treatment of mild to moderate high blood pressure.
Drug Induced Psychiatric Symptoms
October 2002
This is the first of a two part series on drug induced psychiatric symptoms that is based on the July 8, 2002 issue of The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics. Regular readers of Worst Pills, Best Pills News will recognize The Medical Letter as a reference source written for physicians and pharmacists that we often use because of its reputation as an objective and independent source of drug information. The article lists the drugs and their psychiatric adverse effects.
Grapefruit Juice and Drug Interactions
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.
Older Adults Not Getting the Most Effective Drugs For High Blood Pressure
January 2001
“You, or at least many of your colleagues, have failed to provide optimal care to your patients with high blood pressure.” This stinging critique of physician prescribing practices starts off an editorial in the Journal of General Internal Medicine for October 2000 that commented on a Harvard Medical School study of high blood pressure in older adults that appeared in the same issue.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC CITIZEN

Search results below include Additional Information from Public Citizen where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

HRG Citizen's Petition to Require a Warning on All Calcium Channel Blocking Drugs (HRG Publication #1378)
This prescribing continues in the absence of evidence that these drugs [calcium channel blockers] prevent heart attack, heart failure, strokes or death and in the face of mounting evidence of their hazards. The FDA should also require patient package inserts for all calcium channel blockers.