Search results below include Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter Articles where your
selected drug is a secondary subject of discussion.
April 2024
Learn about a recent clinical trial, conducted in Australia, that adds to the evidence from prior research that opioids are no better than placebo and some nonprescription medications (such as ibuprofen) for acute nonspecific musculoskeletal pain.
November 2023
Lifestyle changes not involving medications appear to offer some relief for people with recurrent migraine headaches. A recent review article assessed the evidence for changes related to stress management, sleep, diet and exercise. The review found that sleep-related issues were the only consistent lifestyle factor associated with migraine frequency.
September 2023
A review study, published earlier in 2023 in The BMJ, found limited evidence of low or moderate quality supporting the effectiveness of antidepressants for several conditions associated with chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain and chronic tension headache.
June 2023
The seizure medication gabapentin (GRALISE, NEURONTIN) is used to treat postsurgical pain, but that approach is controversial because of concerns about effectiveness and safety. Recent research found that such use is associated with an increased risk of delirium, antipsychotic use and pneumonia in the postsurgical period.
January 2023
Given the risks associated with Entresto, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has classified it as Limited Use, to be used only in adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
November 2022
New research reveals that use of certain acetaminophen products that contain significant amounts of sodium is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.
October 2022
In support of our position against the use of duloxetine to treat osteoarthritis patients, a new study fails to show any benefit for adding the drug to usual care in primary care settings among hip or knee osteoarthritis patients with chronic pain.
June 2022
Public Citizen’s Health Research Group recommends that triptans only be used to treat migraine headaches after determining that acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs fail to work or cannot be taken due to allergies or other medical reasons.
August 2021
Learn why we have designated celecoxib, a widely used selective COX-2 inhibitor that belongs to a drug class called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as Do Not Use.
July 2021
In this month’s Question & Answer, we respond to a reader’s question about what steps can be taken to prevent or manage common adverse reactions due to COVID-19 vaccines.
February 2021
In this article, we review four postmarketing studies Purdue Pharma submitted to the FDA that evaluated the alleged abuse-deterrent properties of the company’s reformulated OxyContin and the agency’s independent assessment of the studies’ results. The data failed to show any meaningful reductions in overall opioid abuse or overdoses since the reformulated Oxycontin was approved in 2010.
December 2020
Combining opioids with other central nervous system depressants — mainly alcoholic beverages or benzodiazepines — greatly increases the risk of opioid overdose and death. These dangers are highlighted by new research showing that alcohol and benzodiazepines were commonly co-involved in U.S. opioid overdose deaths in recent years.
November 2020
In this month’s Question & Answer feature, we respond to a reader’s question asking about our recommended alternatives to the opioid analgesic tramadol (CONZIP, ULTRACET, ULTRAM), which we have designated as Do Not Use.
March 2020
Learn why women should avoid using BRISDELLE, the first and only nonhormonal drug approved by the FDA for treatment of hot flashes associated with menopause.
May 2019
Read about the many prescription medications that can interact in dangerous ways with colchicine, a commonly used drug for treatment of acute gout attacks.
February 2019
This article discusses new research linking use of oral diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, to an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and other adverse cardiovascular events.
February 2019
Low back pain is a frequent reason for outpatient and emergency room visits among adults. Read why treatment with corticosteroids is a poor choice for treating this common condition.
February 2019
Aspirin is widely used to prevent heart attacks and strokes in the elderly. Read this article to learn whether such use of aspirin is the right choice for you.
May 2018
When the FDA approved febuxostat in 2009 for treating high uric acid blood levels in patients with gout, we advised readers not to use the drug until at least February 2016 based on our longstanding “Seven-Year Rule.” Read this article to hear results of new research that prompted us to now designate febuxostat as Do Not Use.
November 2017
The injection of corticosteroids into the knee joints of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee is a widespread practice. Find out the results of new research funded by the National Institutes of Health showing that such injections actually may accelerate joint damage.
July 2017
Parents may be tempted to try assorted teething remedies for their infants. Learn about certain homeopathic products for teething that have been recalled because they were linked to a large number of serious injuries in infants.
March 2017
Spironolactone is a diuretic (water pill) that has been used for decades to treat certain patients with high blood pressure, heart failure, swelling (water retention) and other conditions. Find out who is most likely to benefit from using this drug and who should avoid it because of its dangerous adverse effects.
September 2016
Readers of Worst Pills, Best Pills News are aware that all benzodiazepine tranquilizers and sleeping pills, except for alprazolam (XANAX) and clonazepam (KLONOPIN), are now considered Do Not Use drugs. In this article, we explain why combining these drugs with opioid painkillers could kill you.
January 2016
In this month’s Questions & Answers feature, we address readers’ questions about using several non-traditional treatments for osteoarthritis pain, including cetyl myristoleate, s-adenosylmethionine or SAMe, and aloe vera.
June 2014
Learn about new research that provides further evidence affirming our designation of celecoxib (CE¬LEBREX) as a Do Not Use drug and that has prompted us to reclassify diclofenac (VOLTAREN) from Limited Use to Do Not Use. Also find out which NSAIDs are least likely to cause adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes.
November 2012
The recent epidemic of life-threatening and fatal infections from contaminated spinal steroid injections is a reminder of the larger issue of their use, even if not contaminated. The article discusses risks that remain even with properly manufactured medications, describing how patients and physicians should know when not to use steroids, consider the risks and benefits of the procedure, and understand other treatment options before using steroids to treat lower back pain.
March 2012
The article discusses why taking certain antidepressants after a heart attack may increase the risk of bleeding. Find out which ones are the culprits.
June 2011
This article lists 355 drugs with names that are often confused with similar-sounding drug names. Find out what you can do to prevent getting the wrong drug.
March 2010
Although skin application of drugs usually results in lower blood levels than oral use, cases of liver toxicity have been found with topical diclofenac Sodium (VOLTAREN).
The article lists other names of these products and explains the warning signals that may indicate liver toxicity.
November 2008
One of the most common drug interactions occurs when patients take two or more drugs that can each increase blood potassium levels. The resulting condition, hyperkalemia (increased blood potassium levels), can cause 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. The article lists 50 drugs which, especially when used in combination, can cause hyperkalemia.
August 2008
The article discusses 273 drugs that can have harmful interactions with alcohol. Also reviewed are several ways in which these harmful interactions can occur:
1/ Medications Can Increase Alcohol Blood Levels
2/ Additive effects of medications and alcohol. One of the best- known drug-alcohol interactions is when alcohol, a depressant, is taken with other sedative medications, and excessive sedation or depression of respiration can occur
3/Alcohol can increase the blood levels of some medications leading to toxicity of these drugs.
4/ Alcohol also can reduce blood levels of some medications causing them to be less effective.
Although some of the interactions between alcohol and medications mainly occur in people who drink heavily (three or more drinks on one occasion), many of these interactions may occur with much lower amounts of alcohol use, such as one to two drinks on an occasion.
We strongly urge you to tell your physicians and other health care providers how much alcohol you are drinking so they can effectively assess the risks and advise you about the safe use of alcohol and medications.
March 2008
This article reviews evidence for the international epidemic of overuse of proton pump inhibitors (PPI),
drugs used to treat ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). There were 70 million prescriptions filled in U.S. pharmacies in 2006 for the four leading PPI drugs: esomeprazole (NEXIUM), lansoprazole (PREVACID), pantoprazole (PROTONIX) and rabeprazole (ACIPHIX). Find out about several serious side effects of these drugs such as increased community-acquired pneumonia, increased hip fractures and acute kidney inflammation. Learn about alternatives to using PPIs.
January 2008
More than 70 million prescriptions a year are filled for these popular antidepressants, including Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox, Celexa and Lexapro. This article gives details about more than 60 other widely prescribed prescription drugs that can have harmful interactions if used with these antidepressants. The two different kinds of interactions are also discussed.
December 2007
This article explains how to understand the International Normalized Ratio (INR), a test applied to a sample of a patient’s blood to determine how “thin” it is when you are using the blood thinner COUMADIN (warfarin). In addition, the article lists more than 50 drugs or dietary supplements that can interact harmfully with COUMADIN to cause the blood to be too thin (abnormal bleeding) or not thin enough which could result in lessening the effect of COUMADIN in stopping blood clot formation.
November 2007
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has issued new warnings for the painkiller/arthritis drug piroxicam (Feldene). The drug "was singled out for special review because piroxicam-containing medicines are associated with more gastro intestinal side effects and more serious skin reactions than other non-selective NSAIDs." In a series of published studies, in comparison to ibuprofen (ADVIL, MOTRIN), piroxicam was between 2.8 and 7.1 times more likely to be associated with severe gastrointestinal toxicity, defined as bleeding, ulceration or perforation. No other NSAID was as consistently as high in gastrointestinal risk as piroxicam. We continue to recommend that this uniquely dangerous drug be classified as Do Not Use.
January 2007
An estimated 701,547 patients were treated for adverse drug reactions in emergency rooms each year in 2004 and 2005, totaling 1.4 million visits to the emergency room. Of these, an estimated 117,318 patients were hospitalized each year. According to the study. 18 drugs were each, either independently or in combination with other drugs, implicated in one percent or more of the estimated adverse drug events. These drugs are listed in the table that accompanies this article along with the annual estimates of adverse drug events.
June 2006
On Feb. 28, 2006, the Health Research Group petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to immediately begin phasing out the sale of the dangerous painkiller propoxyphene (DARVON). The reason for the petition is that propoxyphene has been associated with over 10,000 confirmed deaths and 2,110 reported accidental deaths in the U.S. from 1981 through 1999. There are many generic versions of propoxyphene on the market, as well as a number of products that combine propoxyphene with acetaminophen (TYLENOL). These products are sold as DARVOCET and are also widely sold as generic drugs. A phased withdrawal, instead of an immediate ban, is necessary because of the addicting properties of the drug and the need to switch patients to other painkillers.
May 2006
In the most rigorous study to date, there was no evidence of effectiveness for glucosamine, chondroitin or the two together. We continue to recommend against the use of these unregulated supplements.
May 2006
New research published in the March 2006 edition of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine indicates that the popular arthritis and painkilling drug celecoxib (CELEBREX) may double the risk for heart attacks compared to older arthritis medications.
June 2005
If you are currently taking celecoxib (CELEBREX)you should contact your physician to consider alternative NSAID treatment.
March 2005
There is no medical reason why you should be taking meloxicam rather than an older, equally effective NSAID such as ibuprofen to manage arthritis.
February 2005
This article will look at the potential savings for the individual consumer if the alternative treatments recommended in Worst Pills, Best Pills were used for six DO NOT USE drugs. All six are listed in the Drug Topics Magazine Top 200 selling drugs in U.S. in 2003. The drugs are: celecoxib (CELEBREX) used for arthritis and pain; the Alzheimer’s disease drug donepezil (ARICEPT); drospirenone with ethinyl estradiol (YASMIN 28), an oral contraceptive; esomeprazole (NEXIUM) the “new purple pill” for heartburn; montelukast (SINGULAIR), a drug approved for both asthma and hay fever; and valdecoxib (BEXTRA), an arthritis drug very similar to celecoxib.The combined sales of these six DO NOT USE drugs was $8.1 billion with more that 75 million prescriptions dispensed in 2003.
November 2004
Vioxx is the ninth prescription drug to be taken off the market in the past seven years that Worst Pills, Best Pills News readers were previously warned DO NOT USE. The average time between warning readers not to use these drugs and their removal from the market was one year and eight months.
September 2004
Public Citizen filed suit in the District Court for the District of Columbia on February 25, 2004 against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking that they make public complete copies of the agency’s scientific reviews of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) valdecoxib (BEXTRA).
March 2003
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), with the knowledge of the FDA, issued an alert about methotrexate overdoses that occur when the drug is incorrectly prescribed or used daily rather than weekly.
January 2003
There is an additional similarity (aside from our listing both as DO NOT USE drugs) between valdecoxib and celecoxib, both are sulfa drugs and individuals who are allergic to sulfa drugs should not use them. Although celecoxib came on the market with a warning about sulfa drug allergy, valdecoxib did not. We previously wrote “It may be a dangerous oversight on the part of the FDA not to have required the same warning for valdecoxib.” Unfortunately, because uninformed patients have been needlessly harmed, our prediction has come to pass.
December 2002
Investigators from Vanderbilt University in Nashville TN, in a study published in the October 5, 2002 issue of The Lancet, found that patients taking 50 milligrams per day of the arthritis and painkilling drug rofecoxib (VIOXX) for longer than five days are 70 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease (CHD) than nonusers of the drug.
March 2001
In light of the above discussion, we continue to advise the patient-protective five-year-rule for these drugs, as we do for all other new drugs that are not breakthroughs. Do Not Use.
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