Are Your Prescription Drugs Safe? Maybe Not!
September 27th, 2007 by Linda JenkinsonI’ve always been amazed that the side effects of many advertised prescription drugs are worse than the original condition. For instance, one of the side effects of a drug prescribed for indigestion is diarrhea. Oh yeah! I’d rather spend the day on the throne or in an adult diaper than contend with a little heartburn! Puh-lease!
Some drugs advertise even worse side-effects… lately I’ve seen more than one drug-hawking commercial that adds the quiet disclaimer that “in rare cases” the drug may cause heart attack, stroke or death. That’s the time I wouldn’t choose to take a one in a million chance.
These days Americans are pummeled with advertisement after advertisement that tells us to ask our family doctors about this drug or that one. However, this CNN.com report suggests that even our doctors may not be fully aware of the safety of the drugs they prescribe.
Apparently, all a drug needs to be released is a ten-digit FDA number and these numbers are issued before the drugs are FDA approved.
But don’t take it from me… read the CNN Report “Many drugs slip through regulatory ‘black hole’”
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Linda Jenkinson
September 27th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
I’m not one to jump on the “Drugs Iz Bad” bandwagon, but I can tell you that SSRIs are commonly prescribed in the place of anxiolytics, that an HIV+ friend was given a herpes med to treat a sinus infection (in spite of warnings about the med for those with a compromised immune system), and that, because of an allergic reaction to a particular med, my mom was diagnosed with lupus, which promptly went away once the med was stopped. I won’t even start about daibetes meds. While drugs may not be bad, drugs, and their uses, can definitely be scary.
Sorry for the rant, Linda. It’s that kind of day.
September 28th, 2007 at 8:54 am
No problem with the rant Sam. I’m glad to hear from you!
Even more scary though is the fact (or at least the report) that many prescription drugs are untested and not FDA approved. So one has to wonder… when your doctor hands out the sample meds, is he doing so because you are the guinea pig?
Just last night I heard another commercial where “in a three week test” some or other results indicated… blah, blah, blah. One three week test and they are allowed to distribute it to the public?
Although I am not a promoter of homeopathic medicines, I find it odd that even though they are not prescription drugs, when advertised, they are obliged to tell the public that they are untested and not FDA approved. Seems to me it would be much more important to require prescription drug companies to divulge this information.