Worst Pills, Best Pills

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

pentazocine (TALWIN)


DISEASE AND DRUG FAMILY INFORMATION

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

Antipsychotic Drugs: Dangerously Overused
Antipsychotic drugs, also called neuroleptic drugs or major tranquilizers, are properly and successfully used to treat serious psychotic mental disorders, the most common of which is schizophrenia. In younger adults, an alarming number of those with schizophrenia who could and often have previously benefited from antipsychotic drugs are not receiving them. They are seen, among other places, on the streets and in homeless shelters. In older adults, the problem is not underuse but, rather, gross overuse by people who are not psychotic.
Depression: When are Drugs Called For And Which Ones Should You Use?
Ironically, one of the kinds of depression that should not be treated with drugs is depression caused by other kinds of drugs. If someone is depressed and the depression started after beginning a new drug, it may well be drug-caused. Commonly used drugs known to cause depression include the following:

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 secondary subject of discussion.

sibutramine (MERIDIA)
  • We list this drug as a Do Not Use drug because it causes very limited weight loss and also causes high blood pressure and increased heart rate.

WORST PILLS, BEST PILLS NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

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

Overusing Medications Can Cause Headaches
March 2013
What kind of headache is not relieved by pain medications but actually caused by their frequent overuse? The article describes which painkillers can cause medication overuse headaches (MOH) when used too frequently over specified durations of time.
Massive Misprescribing of Inappropriate Drugs to Hospitalized Elderly Patients
September 2008
A nationwide study published in spring 2008 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine showed that nearly half (49 percent) of almost 500,000 hospital patients older than 65 have been prescribed one or more of 92 drugs known to be unnecessarily unsafe for older patients. 10,000 of these patients had four or more of these inappropriate medicines prescribed during their hospitalization. Among the most common categories of adverse drug reactions these inappropriately prescribed drugs can cause are excessive sedation, abnormally low blood pressure and bleeding. We list the 92 drugs in the article and give further details about the kinds of side effects these drugs can cause.
Nine Reasons Why Older Adults Are More Likely Than Younger Adults to Have Adverse Drug Reactions
May 2008
Older patients are especially at increased risk for adverse drug reactions because of age-related factors.The article reviews nine reasons why this is the case and discusses what you can do about these often-preventable adverse reactions. Increasing awareness of this problem should result in the prescription of far fewer drugs to older adults, and those that are prescribed will be given at lower doses in most instances.
The Serotonin Syndrome: A Potentially Life-Threatening Adverse Drug Reaction — Fluoxetine (PROZAC), Escitalopram (LEXAPRO), Sibutramine (MERIDIA) And Other Drugs
September 2003
Canadian drug regulatory authorities reviewed reported cases of serotonin syndrome in the July 2003 issue of the Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter. The serotonin syndrome is a potentially life-threatening adverse drug reaction involving an excess of serotonin, a naturally occurring nerve transmitter.
The Same Old Sad Story - Inappropriate Prescribing to the Elderly
February 2002
“Inappropriate medication use is a major patient safety concern, especially for the elderly population.” This is the first sentence of a study published in the December 12, 2001 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The majority of the 33 drugs in this study have been on the market for years........