Search results below include Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter Articles where your
selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.
March 2023
Learn about the numerous prescription and over-the-counter medications that can cause or exacerbate insomnia.
January 2023
Patients taking the drug sotalol (BETAPACE, BETAPACE AF, SORINE, SOTYLIZE) should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription medications.
November 2022
Learn about the numerous prescription medications and some over-the-counter drugs that can cause psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations.
April 2022
Medications are a leading cause of sexual dysfunction in men. Knowing which drugs prescribed or recommended by your doctor can cause sexual dysfunction will allow you to take steps to prevent or minimize this common, often troubling adverse drug effect.
January 2022
Numerous prescription and over-the-counter drugs can cause or exacerbate constipation. Knowing which medications prescribed or recommended by your doctor cause constipation will allow you to take steps to prevent or minimize this common, troubling adverse drug effect.
October 2021
Learn about some of the commonly used medications that may lead to hair loss, also known as alopecia.
August 2021
Patients taking the widely prescribed calcium channel blocker nifedipine (PROCARDIA, PROCARDIA XL) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
December 2020
Patients taking the widely prescribed calcium channel blocker diltiazem (CARDIZEM, CARTIA XT, TAZTIA XT, TIAZAC) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
May 2020
Learn why you should avoid taking metoprolol or any other beta blocker if you have COPD and have not previously suffered a heart attack and do not have heart failure.
March 2020
Patients taking the widely prescribed calcium channel blocker verapamil — which is used to treat high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and certain abnormal heart rhythms — should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
April 2019
Drugs are the most frequent cause of taste disturbances. In this article, we identify more than 60 commonly used prescription medications that have been linked to problems with taste.
October 2018
In this article, we summarize the results of a recent research study showing that use of medications that have depression as a potential adverse effect is very common. We also identify some of the many prescription medications that can cause depression symptoms, including suicidal thoughts or behavior.
June 2018
This article lists practical steps to take to avoid death, hospitalization or other medical problems caused by heat stress. It also identifies over 100 drugs that can impair your response to heat and thereby increase your risk of heat-induced illness and death.
March 2018
Last year, the FDA warned that a drug used to treat high blood potassium levels can interfere with the absorption of many other oral medications. Learn the name of this drug and how to take it safely when using other drugs.
June 2017
Many adverse drug reactions are severe enough to cause serious injury, hospitalization and even death. Find out which outpatient medications are most likely to cause adverse events that necessitate a visit to the emergency room.
February 2017
Beta blockers have long been a mainstay of hypertension drug treatment. While these drugs remain useful for some patients, we now no longer recommend them as the starting treatment for hypertension except in special circumstances. Read this article to find out why our views on beta blockers have changed.
August 2016
Beta blockers, which are widely used and effective in treating high blood pressure, heart disease and heart failure, are often started in patients prior to surgery in an effort to prevent cardiovascular complications. Learn why starting beta blockers immediately before undergoing surgery may be dangerous.
July 2016
For most people with hair loss, the condition usually is age-related or due to the genes they inherited from their parents. But for some patients, the cause of the problem can be found in the medicine cabinet. Learn about some commonly used medications that can cause hair loss.
January 2016
For the approximately 5 million Americans suffering from chronic heart failure, there is a wide array of lifesaving drug treatments. Find out our take on the most recent expert guidelines for treating this disease.
May 2014
If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and suffer or have suffered a heart attack, you should be treated with a beta blocker. Such treatment could save your life. Find out why and learn which beta blockers are safest for COPD patients.
May 2012
The article lists many drugs that treat high blood pressure but can also increase the risk of gout. If you have gout, ask your doctor whether your dose of any of these drugs could be reduced or whether you should switch to a medication with a lower gout risk. However, hypertension control is of utmost importance.
October 2010
Bupropion is used to treat depression (brand name: WELLBUTRIN) and to aid smoking cessation (brand name: ZYBAN). The drug has a number of potentially dangerous interactions, some of which are quite different from typical antidepressant interactions.
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.
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.
January 2001
“You, or at least many of your colleagues, have failed to provide optimal care to your patients with high blood pressure.” This stinging critique of physician prescribing practices starts off an editorial in the Journal of General Internal Medicine for October 2000 that commented on a Harvard Medical School study of high blood pressure in older adults that appeared in the same issue.
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