InjuryBoard Houston Archives

• SSRIs prescribed to patients for off-label use

  Christen Wiese | February 26, 2007 5:08 PM | 0 Comments
  Category: Miscellaneous

  In 2005 a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Paxil, Lexapro, Prozac and Zolfoft are often prescribed for treatments not approved by the FDA.This then exposes the consumer to the side effects that has not been tested for their condition. For example, patients have been prescribed SSRI's for pain, shyness,...

• Warning! What you buy is not necessarily what you'll get

  Tiffany Farr | February 16, 2007 9:52 AM | 0 Comments
  Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs

  The FDA has issued an alert regarding buying certain prescription drugs over the Internet. Many Americans who ordered Ambien, Xanax, Lexapro, and Ativan were shocked to learn the pills they received actually contained the anti-psychotic drug, haloperidol, more commonly known as Haldol.Used primarily to treat schizophrenia, common side effects of haloperidol include muscle stiffness, spasms,...

• Just In Time For Valentine's Day--Drug Eluting Stents and The Risk Of Heart Attack

  John Ghezzi | February 14, 2007 5:02 PM | 0 Comments
  Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs

  The New England Journal of Medicine recently published several original articles, an editorial and two perspectives pertaining to the risk of stent thrombosis and heart attacks in patients who have drug-eluting and bare-metal stents. Heart patients who have been advised by their cardiologists that they should have a drug-eluting stent implanted should review this research and professional...

• FDA Adds Black Box Label for Ketek

  Allison Snoddy | February 12, 2007 5:20 PM | 0 Comments
  Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs

  Monday the FDA announced that it was changing the label for the popular antibiotic drug Ketek. It has striped away two previously approved indications and added a black box warning. A black box warning is the FDA's strongest warning. The drug can no longer be used for treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis and acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. The FDA determined that the...

• FDA restricts use of antibiotics

  Tiffany Farr | February 09, 2007 10:24 AM | 0 Comments
  Category: Miscellaneous

  The FDA has imposed a "black box" warning for the use of the antibiotic, Ketek. The drug has been shown to cause severe liver problems, even death. The FDA now believes that Ketek should only be used to treat pneumonia and not other, less serious bacterial infections such as bronchitis. Patients with myasthenia gravis, a disease causing muscle weakness, should also not take the drug. Visual...

• FDA Weighs In on Diet Pill Industry

  John Ghezzi | February 07, 2007 4:00 PM | 0 Comments
  Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs

  Just in time for summer 2007, the FDA has approved the first diet pill for sale without a prescription. Until now, the diet pill market has been dominated by companies selling unregulated over-the-counter supplements. The effectiveness of diet supplements is unproven and their use can be dangerous. The FDA's stamp of approval for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare's product, which will be sold...

• Broken bones could be side effect of antidepressants in people over fifty

  Christen Wiese | February 05, 2007 5:36 PM | 0 Comments
  Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs

  A study conducted in Canada has found that people over fifty who take antidepressants could have an increased risk of broken bones. The study concluded that people who take antidepressants over fifty faced double the risk of a broken bone compared to those who did not use the drugs. One of the researchers stated that more research needed to be done to link the two components but the study...

• Cancer risk higher near Houston Ship Channel

  Lindsay Bauer | February 02, 2007 8:12 AM | 0 Comments
  Category: Miscellaneous

  A study conducted by the city of Houston and paid for with tax dollars has finally confirmed what most of us have long suspected. Living near all the chemical plants around the Houston Ship Channel increases the risk of cancer in children. More specifically, children living within a two-mile radius have a higher risk of developing certain types of leukemia. The chemical in question around the...