The number of people treated in United States’ hospitals for illnesses and injuries from taking medicines jumped 52 percent between 2004 and 2008 – from 1.2 million to 1.9 million – according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. These medication side effects and injuries resulted from taking […]
Tag Archives | Side Effects
FDA Adverse Drug Reports Swelled In The Past Decade
In recent years, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports of adverse events related to drugs have increased dramatically. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy revealed in a new study of adverse events linked to medications ─ compiled by the FDA since 1969 ─ that 55 percent have been reported to the […]
Acupuncture For Pain Is No Better Than Placebo And Can Lead To Serious Side Effects
Although acupuncture is commonly used for pain control, some questions remain about its effectiveness and safety. Investigators from the Universities of Exeter & Plymouth (Exeter, UK) and the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (Daejeon, South Korea) critically evaluated systematic reviews of acupuncture as a treatment of pain in order to explore this question. Reporting in […]
Tardive Dysphoria Is A Potential Long-Term Side-Effect Of Antidepressant Medication
In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, a new important side effect of antidepressant drugs is described: tardive dysphoria. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) may be related to inadequate dosing of antidepressants or antidepressant tolerance. Alternatively, there are reasons to believe that antidepressant treatment itself may contribute to a chronic depressive syndrome.
Over The Counter Weight Reducing Products Can Cause Harm And May Even Kill
The desire for a quick-fix for obesity fuels a lucrative market in so-called natural remedies. But a study of medical records in Hong Kong revealed 66 cases where people were suspected to have been poisoned by a “natural” slimming therapy. In eight cases the people became severely ill, and in one case the person died. […]
Drugs Encased In Nanoparticles Travel To Tumors On The Surface Of Immune-System Cells
Clinical trials using patients’ own immune cells to target tumors have yielded promising results. However, this approach usually works only if the patients also receive large doses of drugs designed to help immune cells multiply rapidly, and those drugs have life-threatening side effects. Now a team of MIT engineers has devised a way to deliver […]
Researcher Concludes That Pharmaceuticals Are A Market For Producing ‘Lemons’ And Serious Harm
The pharmaceutical industry is a “market for lemons,” a market in which the seller knows much more than the buyer about the product and can profit from selling products less effective and less safe than consumers are led to believe, according to an analysis by sociologist Donald Light that will be presented at the 105th […]
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