Darvocet is a powerful painkiller that combined the opioid drug dextropropoxyphene with acetaminophen. It was removed from the market due to a variety of unforeseen side effects.
One of the primary risks of Darvocet was the fact that it contained acetaminophen. Overdose of acetaminophen could happen all too easily, leading to potentially fatal liver toxicity.
Cylert (pemoline) was a drug used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder for thirty years before it was discontinued.
In some patients pemoline has been suspected of causing hepatotoxicity (liver toxicity), so the FDA recommended that regular liver tests should be performed on those treated with it.
Despite attempted efforts to make doctors and patients aware of the risk, the drug has been linked with a number of cases of liver failure, of which 13 resulted in liver replacement or death.
Crestor is a powerful drug used to treat high cholesterol. However, it can have some unexpected side effects that patients may not be aware of.
The FDA is providing up-to-date information about the risk of serious muscle damage, called rhabdomyolysis, in patients taking Crestor as well as similar drugs, called statins. This is a well-known, rare side effect of all statins. Rhabdomyolysis is a condition in which muscle cells break down. This floods the blood with muscle proteins, sometimes leading to fatal kidney failure.
Celebrex belongs to a special class of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) called Cox-2 inhibitors.
Some of these types of drugs were noted to lead to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. In fact, other NSAIDs were pulled from the market after these findings came to light.
Bextra (valdecoxib), which was manufactured by Pfizer, belongs to a special class of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) called Cox-2 inhibitors. It was primarily prescribed for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and dysmenorrheal until it was pulled from the market due to side effects.
The FDA based its decision on studies showing that Bextra puts patients at an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and also higher risk of a serious skin reactions than if they take other Cox-2 inhibitors, and do not receive greater benefits.
Baycol (cerivastatin) is a cholesterol-lowering drug distributed by Bayer Pharmaceutical, which was prescribed to hundreds of thousands of Americans. Baycol is one of an extraordinarily popular family of drugs called statins that dramatically lower cholesterol and reduce patients' risk of heart attacks.
However, every statin has been linked to very rare reports of the muscle side effect called rhabdomyolysis. Baycol has been pulled from the market after it was linked to dozens of deaths worldwide.
Ambien (zolpidem tartrate), the nation's best-selling prescription sleeping pill, is showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests, sometimes involving drivers who later say they were sleep-driving and have no memory of taking the wheel after taking the drug.
Concerta, Ritalin and other drugs widely used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may lead to the possibility of hallucinations and suicidal tendencies in patients taking the drugs.
Angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors belong to the class of medicines called high blood pressure medicines (antihypertensives). High blood pressure/hypertension affects millions of people worldwide. ACE inhibitors are used for controlling blood pressure, treating heart failure, and preventing kidney damage in people with hypertension or diabetes.
Actiq is a formulation of fentanyl citrate that is in the form of a ‘lollipop’ that is most effective when consumed in 15 minutes. The main ingredient, fentanyl citrate, is intended to be used as a painkiller for people who have trouble swallowing, and this synthetic opiate can be 80-times to 100-times more powerful than morphine. Having a berry flavored taste, the lollipop painkiller comes in gray, blue, orange, purple, green, and burgundy plastic handles to indicate the different dosages.