Consumer Reports Identifies 12 Unsafe Drugs To Be Used With Caution

January 2006 Edition of Magazine Addresses Drug-safety System Problems

The January 2006 edition of Consumer Reports magazine includes an investigative report entitled, "Prescription for Trouble".  This Consumer Reports article identifies 12 prescription drugs taken by tens of millions of people in the U.S. that have rare but serious side effects, including an increased likelihood of heart attack, stroke, cancer, and suicidal tendencies. 

In their January 2006 report, Consumer Reports asserts that these serious side effects were undetected or underestimated when the drugs were approved by the FDA. Further, the magazine article states that its list of the 12 prescription drugs identified by the investigative report is not exhaustive.  Lastly, Consumer Reports advises that while each of the 12 prescription drugs listed has legitimate medical uses, especially when other treatments fail, each should be used with caution. As stated by Dr. Marvin M. Lipman, Consumers Union's Chief Medical Adviser:

"But the potential risks are sufficiently serious that until more is known, these drugs should be prescribed only when other options have failed, should be avoided by people whose medical conditions make them especially vulnerable to harmful reactions, or should be used only with careful monitoring for adverse reactions."

The 12 prescription drugs are listed in the Consumer Reports article by generic name and trade name.  The listed drugs are:

1. Celecoxib (Celebrex), a pain reliever;
2. Estrogen alone (Premarin and others) or with progestin (Prempro and others) to treat symptoms of menopause;
3. Isotretinoin (Accutane) for severe acne;
4. Malathion (Ovide) for head lice;
5. Medroxyprogesterone injections (Depo-Provera), a contraceptive;
6. Mefloquine (Lariam) to prevent malaria;
7. Rosuvastatin (Crestor) for high cholesterol;
8. Salmeterol-- (Serevent) for asthma;
9. Sibutramine (Meridia) for weight loss;
10. SSRIs such as sertraline (Zoloft), and other antidepressants such as venlafaxine (Effexor), particularly when prescribed to young people;
11. Tegaserod (Zelnorm) for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation; and,
12. topical immunosuppressants pimecrolimus (Elidel) and tacrolimus (Protopic) for eczema.

The full January 2006 investigative report by Consumer Reports is available for free on its web site.  In addition, a related story published in the Consumer Reports Medical Guide is available for free on the magazine's site.

(Posted by: Tom Lamb)