Drug Side Effects
Learn what others have experienced when taking medications. Which side effects should you be alert for? Share your own experience so others can learn.
Drugs That Can Cause Dry Eyes
It may seem like a minor annoyance to someone who doesn't experience this symptom. But just ask anyone who suffers from dry eyes what it feels like and you will hear some serious woe and misery. Imagi…
Safety of Stomach Medicine? Unanticipated Proble…
They are among the most widely swallowed pills in the world today. "They" are acid-suppressing drugs including: PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS Esomeprazole (Nexium) Lansoprazole (Prevacid) Omeprazole (Prilose…
Generic Switch Triggers Diazepam Side Effects &#…
Q. I had horrific side effects from 5mg diazepam when I was switched to a different generic diazepam. The first time I took the new pills, I woke up feeling like I was being shocked or as if I were ha…
Cornmeal vs. Antifungal Drugs for Nail Fungus
Nail fungus is one of those problems that has a high gross factor. When people go barefoot or wear sandals with their nails showing thickened brown or blackish nails, it is not a pretty sight. This re…
FDA Indecision Puzzles Patients
The Food and Drug Administration is charged with protecting the public health, but some of its recent actions raise serious questions about drug safety. One puzzle is its shifting stance on the diabet…
Warfarin (Coumadin) Side Effects & Interact…
Warfarin remains an important drug for preventing blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes. This anticoagulant is tricky, though. It can interact with dozens of other medications and even …
Simvastatin (Zocor) Side Effects Are Devastating
"I was placed on statin medication in 2004. Shortly thereafter, I had difficulty walking, had a toe that was ischemic and developed terrible leg pain (both calves) that persisted 24/7. "Eventually, …
FDA Flip Flop on Avandia Misses the Point!
If you weren't paying careful attention last week you may have missed a very big FDA brouhaha over the diabetes drug Avandia. An FDA panel of experts did a U-turn and voted to ease restrictions on thi…
Lisinopril Side Effects Can Be Lethal
How do you keep your blood pressure under control? Managing blood pressure is an important pillar for maintaining good health and reducing the risk of strokes or heart disease. Regular exercise, a di…
Statins Linked to Strains and Sprains
Doctors have been uncertain about the side effects of statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs because randomized clinical trials conducted by drug companies have shown relatively few adverse muscle rea…
Coating on Aspirin Slows Action
Q. My doctor has recommended that I take enteric-coated aspirin to protect my heart without damaging my stomach. I have recently read that coated aspirin doesn't always protect the heart as well as re…
Could Your Pain Killer Be Killing You?
The Popularity of NSAID Pain Killer Pills: Physicians, pharmacists and patients love NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.), celecoxib (Celebrex), diclofena…
Corticosteroids Boost Risk of Clots
Blood clots deep in the veins are among the leading causes of death in the U.S. They are called deep vein thromboses or DVTs. When a blood clot breaks loose and lands in the lungs it is called a pulmo…
Statin Side Effects – We Told You So!
Over a decade ago we started hearing from readers that statins interfered with their ability to exercise. One elite athlete paid very careful attention to his ergometer reading. He used a sophisticate…
Naproxen May Damage Kidneys
One of the most popular NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) in the pharmacy is naproxen. It was originally only available by prescription under the name Naprosyn. Now doctors can write presc…
Serious Side Effects Demand Attention
Several important drug studies were just published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine this week. They revealed some serious new complications linked to popular drugs such as: Prednisone Tiotropium …
The Pros and Cons of Statins
Comparing drug benefits to risks is a delicate balancing act. Nowhere is this more apparent than with statin-type cholesterol-lowering medications such as atorvastatin (Lipitor) or simvastatin (Zocor)…
Bleeding Complications Linked to Antidepressants
SSRI-type antidepressants such as sertraline or fluoxetine are linked to an increased risk of post-surgical bleeding. Previous studies signaled such a problem and a new review of more than half a mill…
Antidepressants Linked to Dreadful Diarrhea
Some antidepressants may increase the risk for hard-to-treat gastrointestinal infections caused by bacteria called C. diff. Mirtazepine (Remeron), fluoxetine (Prozac) and nortriptyline (Pamelor) were …
Vitamin D Pills Triggered Acid Reflux
Q. My blood level of vitamin D (16) is very low. A few years ago I was prescribed 50,000 IUs once a week, but I had to quit after just one month. It caused severe acid reflux that took me several mont…
Did Chantix Reaction Lead to Killing?
Q. My husband's best friend, another soldier, started taking Chantix to quit smoking on Wednesday. Sometime Sunday evening or early Monday morning, he murdered a 17-year-old recruit and shot himself i…
Pre-Marathon Painkillers Can Cause Trouble
Long-distance runners should resist the temptation to take pain relievers before a race. Although they may not want their performance to be hampered by pain, taking OTC anti-inflammatory drugs such as…
Anal Itching (Pruritis Ani) Be Caused By Drugs?
Q. Unless you have had pruritus ani, you have no idea how it affects your whole life. Anal itching is absolutely like being tortured. You itch with an uncontrollable desire to scratch, whether on an a…
Ibuprofen is NOT vitamin I
Over-the-counter medicines are seductively available. There is no prescription needed to buy one, usually for a reasonable price. And you don't even have to go to the drugstore. Medicines like ibuprof…
Don’t Dismiss Drugs That Cause Dizziness
Some reactions to medications seem so inconsequential that doctors rarely mention them. Dizziness is just such a side effect. What do you know about drugs that cause dizziness? Blood Pressure Drugs Th…
Zolpidem (Ambien) Side Effects & Heartburn
Visitors to this website alerted us to a surprising side effect of the sleeping pill zolpidem (Ambien) over eight years ago. The unexpected complication is heartburn (acid reflux). Although the offici…
Beware Zombie Drivers in Allergy Season
Driving drowsy may be almost as risky as driving drunk. People who would never get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol frequently drive while impaired and don't even realize it. According to the C…
Amiodarone: Cancer, Thyroid & Other Side Ef…
Irregular heart rhythms can be very scary. So too are the drugs that treat these arrhythmias. That's because anti-arrhythmic medications often come with a long list of serious side effects. This is es…
Doctor Pooh-Poohs Statins As Arthritis Trigger
Q. I took a statin drug to lower cholesterol for 3 months and developed severe joint pain. When I told my doctor about the pain in my joints he pooh-poohed it and said this medication doesn't cause jo…
Is Blood Pressure Pill to Blame for Problems?
Q. I have been taking atenolol for several years and have been troubled with symptoms that have gone undiagnosed despite untold hours in doctors' offices. I have even been hospitalized with extreme di…
Carvedilol Side Effects from Generic Coreg
One of the most popular beta blockers being prescribed these days is carvedilol (Coreg). Even though this class of medication is no longer perceived by most cardiology experts as appropriate first-lin…
Diabetes Drug Causing Digestive Distress
Q. My husband has been on metformin and glyburide to control his blood sugar. After several years on this combination he started getting increasingly severe digestive upset, especially heartburn, gas …
Another Serious Statin Side Effect!
When lovastatin was first approved by the FDA in 1987 under the brand name Mevacor, it was perceived as a breakthrough in cholesterol reduction. Here was a drug that many believed would prevent heart …
Vitamin D Zaps Psoriasis
Q. I have had psoriasis for more than 35 years. A few years ago, my doctor suggested vitamin D, as my blood level was low. Much to my surprise, my psoriasis began to disappear almost immediately. Seve…
Do Diabetes Drugs Cause Cancer?
It all started with Actos (pioglitazone). When the very popular diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) was found to produce serious cardiovascular risks (increased likelihood of heart attacks and strok…
Z-Pak May Scramble Heart Rhythm
A popular class of antibiotics called macrolides can cause a potentially fatal change in heart rhythm. The FDA has just issued a strong warning about one particular drug in this class called azithromy…
Crestor vs. Livalo Side Effects & Fenofibra…
Q. My husband has been taking statins for years and didn't do well with any of them until he took Crestor. After about 6 years on Crestor, however, he developed diabetes which I believe may have been …
Acid-Suppressors Boost Risk of Death
A new study from Italy suggests that powerful acid-suppressing drugs called proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, may increase the risk of premature death in older people who were recently discharged from …
Sleep Aids Linked to Broken Hips
Sleeping pills should be prescribed only with caution to older people. A case-crossover study of more than 15,000 nursing home residents in the US found that those taking "Z-drugs" as sleep aids were …
Heartburn Drug Raises Risk of Pneumonia
Q. I am just recovering from a terrible cough and infection that my doctor diagnosed as walking pneumonia. This is the second time I have come down with pneumonia, and my doctor has warned me to stop …