FDA Orders Lower Doses in Prescription Pain Killers
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According to YahooNews :
Washington-Federal health regulators are limiting a key ingredient found in Vicodin, Percocet and other prescription painkillers that have been linked to thousands of cases of liver damage each year.
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it will cap the amount of acetaminophen in the drugs at 325 milligrams per capsule. Current products on the market contain doses of up to 700 milligrams.
Acetaminophen is a ubiquitous pain reliever found in Tylenol, Nyquil and thousands of other medicines used to treat headaches, fever and sore throats. The ingredient is also used at larger doses in prescription combination drugs that mix it with narcotic drugs like oxycodone.Those products are not dangerous by themselves but can cause toxic overdoses when patients combine them with a second acetaminophen-containing drug like Tylenol." -The Associated Press
Patients suffering from migraine headaches,arthritis and other diseases that have the symptoms of headache usually uses first over the counter pain relievers before going to their doctors.This can contribute to the drug overdose because the patient wouldn't know which drug can react with other drugs.
Doctors, in their desire to help their patients,prescribe the medicines.The prescription always contain the name of the medicine,how many milligrams,quantity,form of the medicine ex.tablet or syrup, the duration and the time interval to which the medicine is to be taken.Any drug or medicine taken in excess will surely have side effects,a fact that doctors always stresses to patients when giving instructions.Hoping that it will make the patient realize the importance of following the doctors' orders.
January 14,2011
FDA Warns of Liver Damage Reports with Sanofi Drug
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''WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials are warning doctors and patients that a recently-launched heart drug from Sanofi-Aventis SA has been linked to liver damage in a handful of patients.
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it has received several reports of liver damage with Multaq tablets, including two cases in which patients had to have their livers removed. Both patients were women and roughly 70 years old. They had been taking the drug for 4.5 months and 6 months, respectively.The FDA approved Multaq in July 2009 to treat atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation which are irregular heart rhythms that can reduce blood flow and lead to stroke. More than a half-million prescriptions for Multaq have been written since the drug was approved.
In an online notice, the FDA said it would add a new warning about the risk for liver damage to the label of Multaq. The agency said patients should contact their doctor if they experience signs of liver injury, including nausea, vomiting and fever. If doctors suspect a toxicity issue they should discontinue use of the drug and test the patient's liver enzymes.Sanofi said in a statement it has already issued a letter about the liver injuries to doctors and other health care professionals who prescribe Multaq. The letter recommends prescribers consider giving liver enzyme tests during the first six months of treatment.''
To read more go to http://news.yahoo.com/s
Drugs will always have side effects.Each differs only in their intensity.That is why when doctors prescribe drugs,they see to it that the benefits of the drug out weights the side effects to the patient.
January 15,2011
Smoking causes gene damage in minutes
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WASHINGTON (AFP) – Those first few puffs on a cigarette can within minutes cause genetic damage linked to cancer, US scientists said in a study released.
In fact, researchers said the "effect is so fast that it's equivalent to injecting the substance directly into the bloodstream," in findings described as a "stark warning" to those who smoke.
The study is the first on humans to track how substances in tobacco cause DNA damage, and appears in the peer-reviewed journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, issued by the American Chemical Society.
Using 12 volunteer smokers, scientists tracked pollutants called PAHs, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, that are carried in tobacco smoke and can also be found in coal-burning plants and in charred barbecue food.
They followed one particular type -- phenanthrene, which is found in cigarette smoke -- through the blood and saw it form a toxic substance that is known to "trash DNA, causing mutations that can cause cancer," the study said.
"The smokers developed maximum levels of the substance in a time frame that surprised even the researchers: just 15-30 minutes after the volunteers finished smoking," the study said.
"These results are significant because PAH diol epoxides react readily with DNA, induce mutations, and are considered to be ultimate carcinogens of multiple PAH in cigarette smoke," the study said.
Lead scientist Stephen Hecht said the study is unique because it examines the effects of inhaling cigarette smoke, without interference from other sources of harm such as pollution or a poor diet.
"The results reported here should serve as a stark warning to those who are considering starting to smoke cigarettes," Hecht said.
Lung cancer kills about 3,000 people around the world each day, and 90 percent of those deaths are attributable to cigarette smoking.
The research was funded by the National Cancer Institute.
After reading this ,does any one still want to pick up a cigarette?There are other ways to relieve stress if stress makes you smoke.Exercise and sports are healthier alternatives.What ever is your reason for smoking,find a better, healthier, alternative to cigarette.There must be one.
