The FDA has now issued a warning and a list: 72 over the counter weight loss drugs have now been identified as containing undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients - often in dosages that are considered unsafe.
Four of these drugs have not been approved for sale in the U.S. - one because it is suspected of causing cancer. One is a potent diuretic, while one is an anti-seizure medication.
All of these products pose a serious health risk because the pharmaceutical ingredients can cause problems such as high blood pressure, seizures, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), palpitations, heart attack, and stroke. The higher the dosage, the bigger the risk.
This is not a trivial warning: taking too much of any of these products could result in death or permanent disability.
Because these weight loss products have been marketed as dietary supplements, they did not come under the scrutiny of the FDA. Had the manufacturers declared the pharmaceutical drugs contained in them, they would have been regulated and at least 4 would have been prohibited from sale in the U.S.
The FDA is now asking for a recall of these products. If it is not forthcoming, they have the authority to seize goods and initiate criminal charges.
To see the list of 72 tainted weight loss products, and learn more about the drugs they contain, go to http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/weight_loss_products.htm
These products have been sold over the internet, in hair salons, and at other retail establishments. The FDA warns that more and more products tainted with prescription drugs, including drugs for erectile dysfunction, diabetes, and obesity, are finding their way into the U.S. marketplace.
Most of these products are being imported from other countries such as China, Brazil, Malaysia, and Peru.
If you wish to take weight loss products, be very careful to buy from a trusted source and do a search on the product name before you buy.
Meanwhile, if you are taking any weight loss products, go to the FDA website and check to see if its name is on the list of 72 deadly weight loss drugs.
That link is: http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/weight_loss_products.htm
Showing posts with label deadly medications. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deadly medications. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Antidepressant medications may trigger suicide!
Just read the news this morning about a young woman who was experiencing anxiety. Her doctor prescribed Klonopin and then gave her free samples of Cymbalta.
5 days later she was dead.
She started feeling bad the first day, but kept taking the pills; within 4 days she began talking about suicide, and the next day she did it.
According to the newspaper, the package inserts with prescriptions for Cymbalta clearly state that suicidal thoughts can be a side effect, but since she was given samples, neither she nor her family had seen a package insert.
Once again, this is a stark reminder to pay attention to your own body. Just because a doctor hands you something does NOT mean that it is good for you. It may be fine for someone else, but not for you.
Any time a medication makes you feel bad, you should quit taking it! This is true even if you begin experiencing headaches or nausea or any of a host of other side-effects - not just if you become suicidal.
Bad feelings are your body's way of telling you this is not a good thing. When you begin experiencing negative reactions after a change in medication it's a clear sign that the medication is harmful to you.
Go back to the doctor and explain your symptoms. Get a different drug if you must, but always remember that our bodies are all individual - one size does not fit all in clothing, foods, or medications.
5 days later she was dead.
She started feeling bad the first day, but kept taking the pills; within 4 days she began talking about suicide, and the next day she did it.
According to the newspaper, the package inserts with prescriptions for Cymbalta clearly state that suicidal thoughts can be a side effect, but since she was given samples, neither she nor her family had seen a package insert.
Once again, this is a stark reminder to pay attention to your own body. Just because a doctor hands you something does NOT mean that it is good for you. It may be fine for someone else, but not for you.
Any time a medication makes you feel bad, you should quit taking it! This is true even if you begin experiencing headaches or nausea or any of a host of other side-effects - not just if you become suicidal.
Bad feelings are your body's way of telling you this is not a good thing. When you begin experiencing negative reactions after a change in medication it's a clear sign that the medication is harmful to you.
Go back to the doctor and explain your symptoms. Get a different drug if you must, but always remember that our bodies are all individual - one size does not fit all in clothing, foods, or medications.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Allergies and your medications
Every time I read the doctor's column in our local newspaper I marvel at the fact that doctors don't seem to realize that all bodies are not alike!
A medication that may be fine for one person can be deadly for another, and yet they tell patients "It can't be your medication" when they complain of the very real side effects.
Today a lady wrote about using erythromycin for an infection and immediately starting to have heart palpitations and shortness of breath. The doctor didn't believe the medication had anything to do with it.
The newspaper doctor said that yes, some people do die as a reaction. It has to do with having "long QT intervals." You can only know if you have that by having an electrocardiogram, and there is a list of drugs that might be dangerous for you posted at www.qtdrugs.org.
Meanwhile, if you take a drug and experience bad effects, it seems to me that you should stop it immediately, even if the doctor doesn't believe the drug can cause problems.
Each of us has an individual body with individual reactions. "One size fits all" just doesn't apply to our good health.
Seems like they could figure this out, considering that some people can eat gallons of peanuts and others can die from just one.
If you have allergies, consider treatment by a qualified NAET acupuncture practitioner. Those treatments have made a beautiful difference in my life, and the lives of many of my friends and family. If you Google NAET you can learn all about it - and ignore the ones who say it's all nonsense. Because it definitely isn't nonsense.
Yours for good health,
Marte
A medication that may be fine for one person can be deadly for another, and yet they tell patients "It can't be your medication" when they complain of the very real side effects.
Today a lady wrote about using erythromycin for an infection and immediately starting to have heart palpitations and shortness of breath. The doctor didn't believe the medication had anything to do with it.
The newspaper doctor said that yes, some people do die as a reaction. It has to do with having "long QT intervals." You can only know if you have that by having an electrocardiogram, and there is a list of drugs that might be dangerous for you posted at www.qtdrugs.org.
Meanwhile, if you take a drug and experience bad effects, it seems to me that you should stop it immediately, even if the doctor doesn't believe the drug can cause problems.
Each of us has an individual body with individual reactions. "One size fits all" just doesn't apply to our good health.
Seems like they could figure this out, considering that some people can eat gallons of peanuts and others can die from just one.
If you have allergies, consider treatment by a qualified NAET acupuncture practitioner. Those treatments have made a beautiful difference in my life, and the lives of many of my friends and family. If you Google NAET you can learn all about it - and ignore the ones who say it's all nonsense. Because it definitely isn't nonsense.
Yours for good health,
Marte
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Medicines killing people - again
Today's newspaper presented two articles that should bring outrage to parents everywhere.
On the front page was the article saying that now the FDA has decided that cold medicines are unsafe for toddlers and babies - they could even prove fatal. And anyway, they don't do any good. They haven't decided yet if these remedies are safe for older kids. They're pretty sure they aren't safe for anyone under the age of 6. The ruling however, just says not to give them to anyone under 2.
So... will they leave them on the shelf for a few more years until we see? It says they'll make a decision before next year's cold and flu season.
The second outrage was almost buried in the story of a young man (19) who is being tried for the murder of his parents a year ago. I knew his parents, so was interested in seeing what his sister had to say about the whole thing.
She said he was a sweet little boy, but then he was diagnosed with ADD and given medication. He became more and more violent while on that medication. Much later the doctors said he had been mis-diagnosed and he really had Bi-polar disease. They changed his medication, but the violence didn't go away. (According to earlier stories, his parents had been afraid of him for several years.) Then, almost as an off-hand remark, she said that later the family learned that "...it's a common issue if someone is bipolar and was given that medication."
So many questions - Why didn't the doctor stop the medication as soon as the boy became violent? Did it permanently alter his mind? Are the potential side effects of medication worth the risk - just to hopefully get a kid to sit down and pay attention?
I thank God that I never had to make that decision, and I hope that if you have a child on medication for ADD and he or she is showing violent tendencies, you'll do the research and go back to the doctor with it in hand. You might save your child's life - or maybe even your own.
On the front page was the article saying that now the FDA has decided that cold medicines are unsafe for toddlers and babies - they could even prove fatal. And anyway, they don't do any good. They haven't decided yet if these remedies are safe for older kids. They're pretty sure they aren't safe for anyone under the age of 6. The ruling however, just says not to give them to anyone under 2.
So... will they leave them on the shelf for a few more years until we see? It says they'll make a decision before next year's cold and flu season.
The second outrage was almost buried in the story of a young man (19) who is being tried for the murder of his parents a year ago. I knew his parents, so was interested in seeing what his sister had to say about the whole thing.
She said he was a sweet little boy, but then he was diagnosed with ADD and given medication. He became more and more violent while on that medication. Much later the doctors said he had been mis-diagnosed and he really had Bi-polar disease. They changed his medication, but the violence didn't go away. (According to earlier stories, his parents had been afraid of him for several years.) Then, almost as an off-hand remark, she said that later the family learned that "...it's a common issue if someone is bipolar and was given that medication."
So many questions - Why didn't the doctor stop the medication as soon as the boy became violent? Did it permanently alter his mind? Are the potential side effects of medication worth the risk - just to hopefully get a kid to sit down and pay attention?
I thank God that I never had to make that decision, and I hope that if you have a child on medication for ADD and he or she is showing violent tendencies, you'll do the research and go back to the doctor with it in hand. You might save your child's life - or maybe even your own.
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