Drugs/Medical Archive

Heparin Contamination & the FDA in the YouTube Era

July 16th, 2009. By LucyC

Have you thought of contaminated heparin lately? It’s kind of drifted off people’s radar, but it’s still a current topic on YouTube. Deep in the bowels of YouTube you will find an FDA video, which YouTube shows as being 3 months old, that recaps the reasons why heparin was recalled and precautions you should take, in case there’s more contaminated blood thinner still “at large.”

The video itself is dated July, 2008. It’s interesting that it followed a heavily viewed video from Reuters on heparin contamination titled, “FDA feels the heat over heparin”. So it would appear that the FDA, in a belated abundance of caution, chose to finally advise consumers to keep their eyes and ears open for any possible future heparin recalls. That someone chose to post the video only 3 months ago hints at reports that the FDA is apparently still receiving word of adverse events, which may or may not be due to contaminated product. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Heparin
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Personal Injury | No Comments »

Zicam Recall puts new light on Possible Treatment for Smell Loss

July 15th, 2009. By AbiK

Zicam users who’ve allegedly found themselves without a sense of smell have to deal with another “loss”: the loss—or lack—of treatment options.

One thing you immediately realize upon reading a July 10^th article from HealthDay Reporter on loss of smell and a possible new treatment for it is that restoring the sense of smell is not an easy task—few treatment options exist and those that do exist are not a sure bet.

The article, however, points to a potentially new treatment option found in a drug once used to treat asthma. The drug, theophylline, showed some initial promise in a recent study done by Dr. Robert Henkin, director of the Center for Molecular Nutrition and Sensory Disorders in Washington, D.C.

The study looked at 312 patients who were diagnosed with hyposmia (loss of smell) over a seven-year period. After being treated with theophylline, over 50% of the participants in the study reported improved sense of smell; more than 20% reported their smell had returned to normal. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Zicam
Posted in Defective Products, Drugs/Medical, Personal Injury | No Comments »

Acetaminophen Hide and Seek

July 13th, 2009. By AbiK

Interesting how my local Rite-Aid has magnifying glasses on display in the “Analgesics” aisle—the one where you find acetaminophen. It’s either a brilliant marketing ploy or the result of some merchandiser’s sense of humor. Why? If you’re trying to actually read the medication ingredient lists—the ones in mice type—you can’t, so that magnifier can come in mighty handy. 

Now add on the state of mind you’re typically in when you’re tooling down the drugstore aisle in search of acetaminophen. Your eyes are most likely darting across those shelves in search of a red box with maybe some white lettering on a slant (Tylenol). Maybe also a big “E” on a green box (Excedrin). If it’s a bad sinus day, let’s throw in a flash of hot pink (Benadryl). And before you know it there’s an acetaminophen party going on in your little shopping basket. 

It’s a no-brainer to monitor acetaminophen doses when Nurse Betty hands you 2 Tylenol tablets in a Dixie cup during a hospital stay, right? Sure, you want more—or an I.V. drip, and it’s a prayer in you-know-what you’ll get it. But Nurse Betty isn’t with you in the Rite-Aid, is she?

And that’s where the trouble can start. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Acetaminophen, tylenol, Vicodin
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues, Personal Injury | No Comments »

Do you suffer from…Jet Lag Disorder?

July 8th, 2009. By AbiK

Remember when jet lag was this annoying little consequence of jet-setting it over to London for some business meeting or to Paris for that over-hyped romantic getaway? It was something everyone universally experienced. Sure, there were those who’d put on a good face, tough it out, and boast about how great they felt on day one of the trip east. Little did anyone know…jet lag is apparently now a (drum roll, please) DISORDER.

That’s right. There was press release from Cephalon, Inc. on June 30th (prnewswire.com) that I had to read a few times. Seems Cephalon is seeking FDA approval for a new drug, Nuvigil, that’ll serve as the antidote (my word) to Jet Lag Disorder (my initial cap’s).

The press release states that Nuvigil is

for the indication of improved wakefulness in patients with excessive sleepiness associated with jet lag disorder resulting from eastbound travel. Jet lag disorder is an acute condition that occurs when a person’s internal body clock becomes disrupted as a result of rapid travel across several time zones. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Cephalon, Jet Lag, Nuvigil
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A Litany of Side Effects Associated with Levaquin, Cipro and Avelox

July 6th, 2009. By janem

 

According to many sufferers, the antibiotic drugs Levaquin, Cipro and Avelox are causing a lot of damage including tendon tears, ruptures and more.

 

I had the opportunity to interview John Fratti about his experience with Levaquin. As you can see on his youtube video, Fratti has become quite a grassroots activist—passionately voicing his concerns about the possible risks of taking fluoroquinolones, namely Levaquin, Cipro and Avelox (Fratti took Levaquin).

Of course, many lawsuits right now are focusing on Levaquin (distributed by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical) and its association with tendon rupture—not all the effects Fratti talks about here.

However, the antibiotic has come under fire recently for some other adverse effects, including liver damage. The website drugs.com also states that, “in rare cases, Levaquin has caused convulsions and other nervous system disorders… restlessness and tremors to depression and hallucinations… nerve pain, burning or tingling sensations, numbness and/or weakness, or other changes in sense perception.” So maybe Fratti is onto something?

 

Tags: antibiotics, Avelox, Cipro, Levaquin
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 12 Comments »