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.
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 …
Are Calcium Supplements Safe?
Q. Almost all women over 50 are told to take calcium supplements to prevent bone loss. Hip fractures, spine fractures and other bone problems can cause a lot of pain and misery, not to mention early d…
Is Stop-Smoking Drug Worth the Risks?
Q. Taking Chantix was the worst thing I ever did in my life. I wish I could undo the damage it has caused in my life. It triggered a manic episode that lasted 6 months, then a spiraling depression tha…
Prostate Pill Linked to Hearing Loss
Q. I used Cialis several years ago for ED. After using it twice, I lost all the hearing in one ear. I really wonder if the benefits are worth the loss of hearing. What other medications are available …
Lisinopril Side Effect Made Her Miserable
Q. I was on lisinopril for two years without symptoms. Then I developed a cough that woke me up at night. I coughed so hard I urinated. I couldn't laugh without coughing and I irritated all who were n…
Dizziness is Driving Her Towards Suicide
Q. I am in excellent health, but most of the day I lie on my bed praying for death. Why? I am dizzy all day long. My brain feels like it's sloshing in a bucket of water and every move sends waves of d…
Calcium Is Killing Women Too
A week ago we sent out a health alert about the dangers of calcium supplements for men. That was because of an article in JAMA Internal Medicine (online, February, 4, 2013) reporting that men taking m…
Does Nose Spray Addiction Boost Blood Pressure?
Q. I need help with my nasal spray addiction. I've been addicted to Dristan for more than 15 years. It costs me $18 every two weeks for three bottles. I keep one with me everywhere I go: to the movies…
Will Bladder Drug Scramble Your Synapses?
Have you ever had rush to the restroom to keep from wetting your pants? We think of this as a child's problem, but adults can also suffer from what doctors call urinary urgency. Urgency, leaks and fre…
Clonazepam (Klonopin) Side Effects & Compli…
Benzodiazepines like clonazepam have an important role in treating severe anxiety in the short term. Too often, however, people may end up taking these medications for lengthy periods of time. After m…
Doctor Disputes Link between Diuretics and Diabe…
Doctors are faced with a difficult dilemma whenever they prescribe a medication. All drugs may have side effects, so the physician has to weigh the potential of the medicine to help against the possib…
Meloxicam (Mobic) Side Effects & Complicati…
Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most popular drugs in the pharmacy. Millions of people swallow ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, etc) and naproxen (Aleve) that they buy without …
Will Your Aspirin Lead to Blindness?
We are generally pretty enthusiastic about aspirin. Unlike other pain relievers, aspirin has cardiovascular benefits, particularly for those who already have heart disease. In addition, regular aspir…
Scary Generic Coreg (Carvedilol) Side Effects
Q. My wife has been taking Coreg for 10 years and doing well. Last week she was advised that a generic version of the drug (carvedilol) was available. At the advice of the pharmacist (who insisted tha…
Did Cholesterol Drug Cause Man Boobs?
Q. At 65 years old, I've been active all my life. I've been a runner since returning from Vietnam in 1969 and also lifted weights. I stopped lifting weights ten years ago because I was lifting plenty …
Medicine to Lengthen Lashes
Q. My sister has been on Lumigan for glaucoma and her eyelashes are amazing--long and thick! What a nice side effect! I would love to have my eyelashes grow but I think it would be irresponsible to ta…
Do Common Medicines Trigger Diabetes?
Diabetes is a major health hazard. Not a surprise, right? Everyone should know by now that diabetes increases the risk for heart attacks, strokes, nerve damage, kidney damage, dementia, eye damage, er…
Did Blood Pressure Pill Trigger Diabetes?
Q. I read a question in your column from a reader who developed diabetes after taking a water pill for high blood pressure. I think it was furosemide. He wondered if there was a connection between the…
Parkinson’s Disease Drug and Problem Behav…
Medications such as Mirapex and Requip, used to treat Parkinson's disease, have an unusual side effect. People taking these medications may experience disturbing compulsions and addictions. There are …
Long-Lasting Sexual Side Effects from Finasterid…
Finasteride is a drug that is prescribed to slow hair loss in male pattern baldness and reduce symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland. Several months ago, urologists reported that this medication coul…
Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine) Side Effects & Wit…
An antidepressant could be a lifesaver when a person is desperate and hopeless. In less dire circumstances, however, we urge patients to ask questions about the prescription before they accept it. How…
Is There Help for Lasting Sexual Side Effects?
Q. Now that I'm nearing divorce court (in large part due to sexual difficulties), I was dismayed by the response to a person inquiring about finasteride (Proscar). I have every single side effect in y…
Steroid Shots in Joints Weaken Bones
Q. What effect do cortisone shots have on the body? In order to keep playing tennis I have received shots in my hip, knees and shoulders over the last few years. I have read that oral prednisone can l…
Beware Black Box Warnings on Your Drugs
When the FDA determines that a drug has a really serious side effect, it requires the company to highlight the problem in bold type with a black border at the top of the prescribing information. This …
Blood Pressure Pills and Broken Hips
When elderly patients start taking blood pressure medication, their risk of falls and fractures goes up significantly. Canadian researchers analyzed data from more than 300,000 senior citizens newly d…
Are Two Aspirin Tablets Too Risky?
Q. My 70-year-old husband is taking two full-size aspirins a day to prevent heart problems. There are no heart problems in his family. He doesn't believe me when I tell him this is too much. Your take…
Celebrex TV Commercial & Death: Seriously?
If you watch the current commercial for Celebrex (celecoxib) prepare to be amazed. You will find it on the Celebrex.com website. The manufacturer starts with an interesting message about simple physic…
Bump in the Road for Beta Blockers
Beta blockers are among the most trusted and most prescribed drugs in the pharmacy. Medications such as atenolol (Tenormin), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol) and the granddaddy of them all, propranolol …
Scary Side Effects from Steroid Shots
Anyone with back pain deserves lots of sympathy. People with spinal stenosis have less space in their backbones for the spinal cord to pass through. The pain this creates can make people desperate for…
Long-Lasting Sexual Side Effects from Prostate P…
If a side effect might last long after you stop taking the drug, wouldn't you want to know of that possibility before you started on it? Relatively few men are warned about the risk of long-lasting se…
Problems with Atenolol
Q. My father takes atenolol to control his blood pressure. He has had terrible difficulties with respiration in addition to low-grade depression and lack of energy. Is there an alternative class of dr…
Sex No Longer Pleasurable
Q. Has anyone here heard of the prostate and hair loss drug PROPECIA OR FINASTERIDE? It has ruined many lives because of long-term sexual side effects, myself included. Only now, after men have been s…
Olanzepine (Zyprexa) Side Effect Ruins Self Imag…
Q. I was misdiagnosed as having bipolar disorder several years ago and was placed on several mood-altering medications, to no avail. I then went to see another doctor who properly diagnosed me as havi…
Learning About Lactose in Pills
Q. I am extremely sensitive to lactose (milk sugar). My insurance company wants me to switch from Lipitor (which I take with a Lactaid pill) to a generic version, but the generic manufacturer refuses …
Lowering Blood Pressure Without Triggering Gout
Q. I have high blood pressure but my medicine raises my uric acid levels and triggers gout flare-ups. I've heard that the DASH diet could bring my blood pressure down and might be good against gout to…
Be Wary of Unusual Approach to Weight Loss
Q. Last year my doctor prescribed metformin to control my appetite. I lost 20 pounds, but the drug gave me five bowel movements a day as well as gas. My doctor suggested half a pill plus probiotics an…
FDA Eyes Some Scary New Drug Risks
Bad reactions to a medication get reported to the FDA through MedWatch. When the FDA analyzes all the serious drug side effects in that database, it issues periodic reports. The agency thinks it has d…
Head Drug Devastates Love Life
Q. My girlfriend takes paroxetine for anxiety and depression, but this drug has been devastating for our love life. She has lost interest in sex and even when we do make love, she can't reach climax. …
Anti-Anxiety Pills May Cause Confusion
Q. I was a nurse for over 42 years, and I'm alarmed by the staggering increase in the use of anti-anxiety medications like alprazolam or diazepam. There's no doubt in my mind that these addictive drug…
Cymbalta Boosts Eye Pressure
Q. Do you have any information on the effect of Cymbalta on glaucoma? My doctor said that there was none, so I ordered $450 worth of Cymbalta. Three weeks later, my glaucoma pressure has increased 30 …