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Archive for the 'Side Effects' Category

August 11, 2010

Accutane is a medication used for the treatment of severe cases of acne, especially those linked to permanent and disfiguring scarring such as acne vulgaris, acne conglobata and acne fulminans.

This drug is related to vitamin A, which makes it classified as a retinoid. Most dermatologists and physicians prescribe Accutane for management of acne. Since there are high risks for developing side effects, it is often not used as the first course of treatment. Deep facial cleansers, herbal skin care creams and topical ointments are usually the first round of treatments patients will receive. These alternative methods have become more popular due to the side effects one can develop from using drugs such as Accutane.

Physicians have also utilized the drug to treat Harlequin-type-ichthyosis, a rare condition that causes the skin to present plating as thick as armor after birth. Accutane has also been used sparsely to treat certain types of cancers including pancreatic and brain cancer. However, the drug may work throughout the body in killing cells not related to cancers.

Accutane is linked to the development of severe side effects, including inflammatory bowel disease, which has prompted many patients to file an Accutane lawsuit to seek compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering. In a 2006 study conducted by The American Journal of Gastroenterology, treatment with Accutane was noted as a possible “trigger” for inflammatory bowel disease. Frequently referred to as IBD, inflammatory bowel disease is a gastrointestinal disorder that refers to two chronic conditions that cause inflammation of the digestive tract, known as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

According to a 2010 study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, Accutane may nearly quadruple a patient’s risk of developing ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that requires the surgical removal of the colon in 25 to 40 percent of all cases. The study also reported that the risk of developing ulcerative colitis was highest in patients who used Accutane for more than two months.

Despite the fact that a possible association between Accutane and IBD was first discovered in the early 1980s, Accutane contained no warning of an increased risk of IBD for the majority of the time it was available on the market. A number of patients who have suffered these side effects argue that Roche Pharmaceuticals did not adequately warn them about Accutane’s risks. Please be sure to speak or receive a checkup with a dermatologist prior to making a decision.

By providing FDA alerts, drug information and drug side effects about prescription and over the counter medications, we can ensure an environment where patients have the best knowledge on their medical treatment and health. Additional information may be found on DrugWatch.com.

By Elizabeth Landau
CNN.com Health Writer/Producer
Common pain medications are associated with higher risks of heart-related death in healthy people, a Danish study finds.
The research, published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association, is the first to report on specific cardiovascular risks among healthy people.
Study authors looked at the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in Denmark, based on records of more than 1 million healthy people over age 10 from 1997 to 2005. About 45 percent of people in the study took NSAIDs at least once over that time period, and those who did usually took the drug in low doses for about two weeks.
They found that ibuprofen – the main ingredient in Advil and Motrin – was associated with a 29 percent greater risk of fatal or nonfatal stroke, compared with people who did not take a prescription NSAID.
Rofecoxib, which was once sold in the United States as the controversy-mired Vioxx, was associated with a 66 percent greater risk of cardiovascular death in this study. Merck & Co. voluntarily recalled Vioxx in 2004 because of cardiovascular safety concerns, and has not reintroduced it.
Researchers found a two-fold higher risk of heart attack among people taking the highest-level doses of diclofenac and a three-fold risk with the highest does of rofecoxib.
Naproxen, on the other hand, was not associated with heart problem risks in this study. This drug is commonly marketed in the United States as Aleve. Researchers could not conclude anything about the risks of celecoxib, sold as Celebrex in the United States.
Pfizer Inc., maker of Advil and Celebrex, said in a statement that Advil is safe and effective when used according to the label instructions on the package, and the FDA has stated that the benefits of Celebrex outweigh the potential risks in properly selected and informed patients, Pfizer’s statement said. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, maker of Motrin, echoed that “When used as directed, ibuprofen is safe and effective.” Novartis, maker of Cataflam, said in a statement that the company is aware of the study, and that it “does not change the favorable benefit to risk assessment for diclofenac when used as directed.”
“All prescription NSAIDs carry the same cardiovascular warning and may cause an increased risk of serious cardiovascular thrombotic events, myocardial infarction, and stroke, which can be fatal,” Pfizer’s statement noted.
The Danish study has implications for the U.S. population also, researchers said. The American Heart Association advised in 2007 that NSAIDs, except aspirin, for chronic pain upped the risks for heart attack and stroke, which is consistent with these findings.
Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about the medication you are taking.

New research suggests a link between women’s exposure to household insecticides — including roach and mosquito killers — and the autoimmune disorders rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
The scientist did not find a direct cause-and-effect relationship between insecticide exposure and the illnesses, and it’s possible that the women have something else in common that accounts for their higher risk. But epidemiologist Christine Parks, lead investigator of the study, said the findings do raise a red flag.
“It’s hard to envision what other factors might explain this association,” said Parks, an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences who was to present the study over the weekend at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Philadelphia.
Previous research has linked agricultural pesticides to higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, two diseases in which the immune system goes haywire and begins to attack the body. Farmers, among others, appear to be vulnerable.
Parks and her colleagues wanted to find out whether smaller doses of insecticides, such as those people might encounter at home from either personal or commercial residential use, might have a similar effect.
The researchers examined data from a previous study of almost 77,000 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79.
Women who reported applying insecticides or mixing them — about half — had a higher risk of developing the two autoimmune disorders than women who reported no insecticide use. This was the case whether or not they had lived on a farm. Those who used or mixed the insecticides the most — judged by frequency or duration — had double the risk.
Even so, the risk of developing the diseases remained very low. Overall, Parks said, about 2 percent of older adults develop the conditions.
Parks said the insecticides that the women used included insect killers, such as those designed to eradicate ants, wasps, termites, mosquitoes and roaches. They didn’t include insect repellents.
It is hard to avoid the chemicals in our lives. But we should be aware of risks.
Also I would suggest the product we are taking for two years now.

New research suggests a link between women’s exposure to household insecticides — including roach and mosquito killers — and the autoimmune disorders rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

The scientist did not find a direct cause-and-effect relationship between insecticide exposure and the illnesses, and it’s possible that the women have something else in common that accounts for their higher risk. But epidemiologist Christine Parks, lead investigator of the study, said the findings do raise a red flag.
“It’s hard to envision what other factors might explain this association,” said Parks, an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences who was to present the study over the weekend at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Philadelphia.

Previous research has linked agricultural pesticides to higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, two diseases in which the immune system goes haywire and begins to attack the body. Farmers, among others, appear to be vulnerable.

Parks and her colleagues wanted to find out whether smaller doses of insecticides, such as those people might encounter at home from either personal or commercial residential use, might have a similar effect.
The researchers examined data from a previous study of almost 77,000 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79.

Women who reported applying insecticides or mixing them — about half — had a higher risk of developing the two autoimmune disorders than women who reported no insecticide use. This was the case whether or not they had lived on a farm. Those who used or mixed the insecticides the most — judged by frequency or duration — had double the risk.
Even so, the risk of developing the diseases remained very low. Overall, Parks said, about 2 percent of older adults develop the conditions.
Parks said the insecticides that the women used included insect killers, such as those designed to eradicate ants, wasps, termites, mosquitoes and roaches. They didn’t include insect repellents.It is hard to avoid the chemicals in our lives. But we should be aware of risks.

Also I would suggest the product we are taking for two years now.

May 29, 2010

So what do we do?

We do need the sun exposure for vitamin D production but how much sun is too much?

Here are some suggestions from US News and World report.

Coinciding with the first week of summer, a study published today underscores the importance of getting adequate amounts of sunlight for its vitamin D-boosting benefits. The research, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, shows that those with the lowest vitamin D levels have more than double the risk of dying from heart disease and other causes over an eight-year period compared with those with the highest vitamin D levels. The researchers cite “decreased outdoor activity” as one reason that people may become deficient in vitamin D. Another recent study found an increased risk of heart attacks in those with low vitamin D levels.
The sunshine vitamin may protect against a host of diseases, including osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancers of the breast, prostate, and colon. What’s more, sunlight has other hidden benefits—like protecting against depression, insomnia, and an overactive immune system.
Given all the upsides of basking at least briefly in the summer sun, many experts now worry that public-health messages warning about skin cancer have gone overboard in getting people to cover up and seek the shade. U.S. News got in touch with Robyn Lucas, an epidemiologist at Australian National University who led a study published in the February issue of the International Journal of Epidemiology . Her finding: Far more lives are lost to diseases caused by a lack of sunlight than to those caused by too much.
Sun protection messages arose in response to rapidly increasing rates of skin cancers, and they were an essential public-health message. But we now recognize that some sun exposure is important for health, at the very least, to maintain healthful vitamin D levels. (Sunscreen blocks out nearly all UV radiation.) Taking this into account, the Cancer Council of Australia has eased its sun protection message a little over the last few years and now recommends that if you’re out in the sun for relatively short periods, with a UV index less than 3, which indicates a moderate amount of UV rays hitting your area on a given day, then sunscreen and other sun protection (like hats and protective clothing) are not required. Beyond this, I believe we all need a little unprotected time in the sun during the middle hours of the day when the sun is at its highest and UV-B rays can penetrate the atmosphere.

May 13, 2010

By US News and World Report.
Have frequent heartburn? Take Nexium. An advertising blitz for that little purple pill helped it become the No. 2 best-selling prescription drug in the U.S., with sales of $6.3 billion last year–and let’s not forget the billions spent on its over-the-counter cousin, Prilosec. Now, though, researchers are warning that this category of heartburn drugs, called proton pump inhibitors, may do more harm than good, at least for people with garden-variety heartburn. A series of new studies, published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that daily use of these drugs, which suppress the production of stomach acid, increases the risk of infection with an intestinal bacteria and increases the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women. Previous research has shown that they also increase the likelihood of contracting pneumonia.
“About 60 to 70 percent of people taking these drugs have mild heartburn and shouldn’t be on them,” says Mitchell Katz, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health who wrote an editorial that accompanied the new studies. “It’s not just a question of unnecessary costs, but unnecessary side effects.” Where PPI’s do help, he says, is for the treatment of bleeding ulcers, infection with the ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori, or management of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a rare condition that causes the stomach to produce excess acid. They are also warranted in cases of severe reflux, where an endoscopy reveals damage to the esophagus.
1. Avoid heartburn-triggering foods. These vary from person to person, but common offenders include orange juice, chocolate, tomato sauce, spicy foods, mint, garlic, and vinegar. Fatty, greasy foods, like cheeseburgers and fries, are also heartburn instigators.
2. Stay upright for a few hours after you eat. Sitting up works with gravity to keep food and stomach acid from flowing up into your esophagus. Better yet, move about a bit to help speed digestion. “Our grandparents had it right when they headed out for a walk after a large meal,” he says.
3. But abstain from exercise right after eating. Intense workouts slow digestion, making reflux more likely. Better to exercise first thing in the morning or a few hours after a meal. If you still experience heartburn symptoms after a workout, drink extra water. Staying hydrated helps improve digestion to keep symptoms at bay.
4. Eat smaller meals. To avoid heartburn, aim to eat up to six mini-meals a day, as opposed to three large ones. The worst? Eating a large meal right before bed. Try to abstain from food or drinks within an hour or two of bedtime. Even a tall glass of water before lying down can trigger symptoms in susceptible individuals.
5. Go easy on caffeine and alcohol-and avoid cigarettes. All three can relax the esophageal sphincter muscle, which normally keeps stomach acid from splashing up into the esophagus. Carbonated beverages can also cause this problem.
6. Don’t eat too quickly. Try chewing slowly and putting your fork down between bites. Hot soups are a good appetizer because they take longer to consume.
7. Wear looser-fitting clothes. Tight belts, waistbands, and pantyhose constrict the stomach, sometimes triggering reflux.
8. Find ways to relax. Stress may increase stomach acids, raising the likelihood of heartburn.
9. Aim to lose a few extra pounds. The pressure of excess weight-especially around the abdomen-increases the chance that stomach acid will backwash into the esophagus.
10. Try chewing gum. This can boost the production of saliva, which neutralizes stomach acid.
11. Bend with your knees. Bending over at the waist tends to promote heartburn symptoms.
12. Elevate the head of your bed. Place blocks or bricks under your bedposts to raise the head of your bed 6 inches. Elevating your head and chest during sleep helps prevent nighttime reflux. A wedge pillow may also work.
Also in case I get heartburn I drink 2 oz of Aloe Vera juice. In 5-10 minutes the heartburn is gone!

Also in case I get heartburn I drink 2 oz of Aloe Vera juice. In 5-10 minutes the heartburn is gone!

March 30, 2010

Statins, Cholesterol, and Heart Disease
Statins are popular cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs prescribed for patients with high cholesterol levels, which are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Lipitor, Zocor, Lipex, Crestor, Torvast, and Lipostat are some of the more popular statin brands, prescribed currently for high-cholesterol conditions. Over the past two decades, statins have become one of the best-selling drugs in the pharmaceutical history. In fact, a few doctors even suggested starting to use them in drinking water. About 36 million Americans currently seek statin drugs. But some health experts have seriously questioned the harmful side effects of statins and cautioned against its use.
Side Effects
Muscle pain and weakness are the most commonly reported side effects associated with regular statin use. These result due to the depletion of a pro-muscle nutrient, called CoQ10, by statins. In severe cases, this condition can grow into a fatal muscle-wasting condition called rhabdomyolysis. Amnesia (memory loss), fatigue, dizziness, and depression are other common side effects resulting from statin use. Quite a few studies also claim a connection between statins and cancer as well as congestive heart failure

Here is a better way.

What does lifestyle have to do with maintaining a healthy heart?
There are simple, everyday things you can do to help maintain proper heart heath.  Among these are:
 •Not smoking •Maintaining a healthy height-to-weight ratio•Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetable and whole grains•Limiting the consumption of total and saturated fat•Exercising regularly•Working with your physician to monitor cholesterol, blood pressure, homocysteine and C-reactive protein levels•Starting a complete nutritional supplementation program designed to help maintain proper cardiovascular health

March 15, 2010

I do not use cosmetics. I have a beard. That does it for me.It is the information for girls who sometimes overdo it. Just let you natural beauty shine. Here is the good source of information on healthy (and not so healthy) products.I don’t know how accurate the scores are.

Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to one or more ingredients used by this company — not the products — caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility — information not available in Skin Deep.

After an imaging test revealed a small nodule in Dr. Len Lichtenfeld’s lung, his doctor ordered a series of CT scans. But Lichtenfeld turned them down.

As deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, Lichtenfeld knew the tiny nodule probably wasn’t dangerous and that new research has documented an increased risk of cancer from CT scans’ X-rays.

“The reality is, I thought the radiation dose from those follow-up scans represented more of a threat than the nodule,” he said.

As physicians find new ways to use diagnostic imaging to discover and deal with disease, concern is growing about Americans’ increased exposure to potentially cancer-causing radiation. Annual radiation doses from medical imaging have soared sevenfold since the early 1980s, according to a report last year from the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.

Meanwhile, as many as 14,500 people a year may end up dying of radiation-induced cancers caused by CT scans, new research suggests.

Scrutiny is focusing primarily on more than 70 million CT scans performed in the U.S. every year, up from 3 million in the early 1980s. The scans help doctors identify brain tumors, kidney stones and obstructed bowels. They have revolutionized medicine, virtually eliminating exploratory surgery and aiding millions of patients.
Read more>

February 24, 2010

Now, medical experts say some people who are taking aspirin on a regular basis should think about stopping. Public-health officials are scaling back official recommendations for the painkiller to target a narrower group of patients who are at risk of a heart attack or stroke. The concern is that aspirin’s side effects, which can include bleeding ulcers, might outweigh the potential benefits when taken by many healthy or older people.
Aspirin acts as a blood thinner, which is believed to account for much of its benefit of protecting against heart attacks and strokes. But that same action, along with a tendency to deplete the stomach’s protective lining, can lead to a danger of gastrointestinal bleeding and possibly bleeding in the brain.
Not all patients accustomed to taking aspirin will want to stop. Maxine Fischer, 55 years old, recently figured out that under the new U.S. guidelines, she wouldn’t be encouraged to continue with the drug. Using an online calculator, which factored such data as her age, blood pressure and medical history, she learned she had just a 1% likelihood of a stroke in the next 10 years. Under the guidelines, only women in her age group with at least a 3% or higher stroke risk opc3.jpgshould take aspirin.
Full article >

The natural product that we recommend may help. It is OPC-3- the powerful antioxidant that also makes blood cells slippery.

September 22, 2009

running.jpgInstant gratification is not always good for you in the long run 

Healthy life style is good for you.

(HealthDay News) — Before you take a pain reliever for conditions such as headache, sinusitis, muscle or joint pain, make sure you know about the potential side effects.The American Academy of Family Physicians says you should talk to your doctor about these potential risks of pain medications: ·         Liver damage can occur in people who take large quantities of acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol), or in those who already have liver problems. ·          ·         Gastrointestinal problems — such as ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding or upset stomach — can occur in people who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for long periods. NSAIDs include aspirin and ibuprofen. ·          ·         Kidney damage, if NSAIDs are used frequently for long periods. ·          ·         NSAIDs may interact with medicines that people take to combat high blood pressure. NSAIDs can also elevate blood pressure on their own. ·          ·         In rare cases, people can be allergic to pain medications.

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