Search results below include Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter Articles where your
selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.
May 2009
Patients taking a non-selective beta blocker should make sure the provider is aware of this before they receive an injection of epinephrine, as your physician or other health care provider may not be aware that a systemic dose of epinephrine may produce a dangerous spike in blood pressure. The article lists the selective beta blockers that do not cause this problem because they do not interact with epinephrine.
December 2008
This article lists 68 drugs that can cause high blood potassium (hyperkalemia) that can result in nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness or tingling sensations, as well as heart abnormalities (showing up as an abnormal electrocardiogram). In some cases it can be fatal.
If you are taking any of these drugs, be especially careful if you have diabetes or kidney disease. If so, you are at increased risk, and your doctor will have to weigh the risk of giving you these drugs. Also, the older you are, the more likely you are to develop hyperkalemia. Also, make sure you are receiving appropriate laboratory monitoring.
November 2006
You should not use beta blocker eye drops to treat glaucoma if you have pre-existing breathing or certain heart conditions.
February 2003
Beta-blockers, a family of drugs frequently prescribed for high-blood pressure, are also very useful (as eye drops) in controlling elevated pressure in the eye (glaucoma). Because beta-blocking drugs, including the topical products, affect both the heart and the lungs these drugs should not be used in patients with bronchial asthma or a history of that disease
October 2002
This is the first of a two part series on drug induced psychiatric symptoms that is based on the July 8, 2002 issue of The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics. Regular readers of Worst Pills, Best Pills News will recognize The Medical Letter as a reference source written for physicians and pharmacists that we often use because of its reputation as an objective and independent source of drug information. The article lists the drugs and their psychiatric adverse effects.