Drugs that Do more Harm than Good

drugs

Every pharmaceutical drug can cause an adverse reaction, but sometimes the effects are so significant---or the drug just doesn't do what it is supposed to---that the risks far outweigh any benefits. Here's a list of some of those drugs.

ADHD drugs. Many parents watch with relief as their ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) child takes a drug such as Ritalin and his behavior improves almost immediately. However, this usually means that the child then takes the drug for the remainder of his adolescence and possibly even into early adulthood. Yet, one study has discovered that the drugs have a beneficial effect only for the first 14 months; thereafter, any improvement is down to natural causes. The researchers tracked two groups of ADHD children: one group was taking a drug such as Ritalin, Adderall or Concerta, and the other group had never taken a drug. After 14 months, the non-drug group suddenly displayed marked improvement, while the drug group maintained the same level of inattention and hyperactivity (J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 2009; 48: 240--8).

Alzheimer's drugs. A family of drugs known as 'cholinesterase inhibitors' are commonly prescribed for dementia and Alzheimer's disease. However, several studies have questioned their effectiveness in slowing cognitive disorders, and a later study from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto discovered that they also cause a range of serious side effects. These drugs---Aricept (donepezil), Exelon (rivastigmine) and Razadyne (galantamine)---increase the risk of fainting, bradycardia (slowing of the heart rate to dangerously low levels) and hip fracture. Patients may also need a pacemaker as a direct result of taking one of these drugs (Arch Intern Med, 2009; 169: 867--73).

Antibiotics. Although antibiotics have been lifesavers, they are so overprescribed---and often inappropriately for viral conditions--- that they are now considered to be one of the most dangerous families of drugs around today. About 20 per cent of all drug-related visits to accident and emergency units are due to an antibiotic. Over a two-year period, 142,000 Americans reacted so badly to an antibiotic that they had to be admitted to hospital (Clin Infect Dis, 2008; 47: 735--43). The drugs can also make bacterial infections worse. In a study of 119 children, 71 were given amoxicillin, a moderate spectrum penicillin. Within two weeks, many of the children had developed antibiotic-resistant bacteria (BMJ, 2007; 335: 429).

Antidepressants. People with clinical depression are not helped by antidepressants. The new generation of drugs is not targeted at the cause of most depression---a brain protein called 'monoamine oxidase A' (MAO-A)---and time is the best healer, say researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto (Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2009; 66: 1304--12). Not only are they ineffective, but they also dramatically increase the risk of suicide. The worst culprit was Effexor (venlafaxine), one study discovered (BMJ, 2007; 334: 242). Antidepressants also increase your chances of stroke and of death by any cause if you are a postmenopausal woman (Arch Intern Med, 2009; 169: 2128--39).

Aspirin. Around 100 billion aspirin pills are taken every year, usually as part of a health regime to ward off heart disease. Although it's recognized that the NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) causes gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, the extent---and severity---has only recently come to light. Researchers now reckon that the drug is killing around 20,000 Americans and sending another 100,000 to hospital every year.
Worldwide, aspirin is killing around 100,000 every year due to GI reactions (Proceedings of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, 15 October, 2007). It also increases the risk of stroke in the over-75s, according to a study that looked at population clusters during 1981--1986 and 2002--2006 (Lancet Neurol, 2007; 6: 487--93).

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Around 2 billion ($2.86 billion) is spent each year around the world on these indigestion drugs. Studies reveal that they don't work, and that most people who take them don't need them in the first place. PPIs stop the backflow of stomach acid, thus stopping heartburn. If they don't work, the view is that they won't harm you, but this is also not the case. They can cause stomach infections, and can double the risk of Clostridium difficile infection (JAMA, 2005; 294: 2989--95).
This is because PPIs block the production of gastric acid, the body's natural defense against harmful bacteria. The drugs can also increase the risk of pneumonia (Arch Intern Med, 2007; 167: 950--5) and hip fracture (JAMA, 2006; 296: 2947--53).

Statins. These cholesterol-lowering drugs are among the most popular drugs on the market. Around 36 million Americans take one every day, and annual sales revenues total $15.5 billion. Two statins---Lipitor and Zocor---are the two best-selling drugs in the US. Although there is evidence that people with an existing heart condition derive benefit from the drugs, which accounts for only 8 per cent of users. The rest are taking the drug as a just-in-case remedy, but the evidence doesn't suggest that the drugs are doing any good for healthy people. Harvard researchers analyzed eight studies and concluded that statins don't save lives--- and even their benefits for heart patients are marginal. Worse, the drugs can have a paradoxical effect, causing the very heart conditions they are supposed to protect against. They have also been cited as a cause of Parkinson's disease (Lancet, 2007; 369:268--9).

The person who takes medicine must recover twice, once from the disease and once from the medicine." William Osler, M.D

Stress and Comfort Food

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have found a feedback system in rats that may explain the craving of so called “comfort foods” in people who are under stress. A steroid hormone, called corticosterone, is produced in...

Lyme Disease Part 2

Diagnosis I recommend starting with the following tests:CD57 Panel (cellular stress) (HNK-1) (LabCorp: 505026) and Complement C4a (complement stress) (LabCorp: 004330) The CD57 is not so much a test to detect Lyme disease as it is an immune marker...

Leaky Gut and the Auto-Immune Connection

Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) is a major cause of disease and dysfunction in modern society, accounts for at least 50% of chronic complaints, as confirmed by laboratory tests.In LGS, the epithelium on the villi of the small intestine becomes inflamed and...

Lyme Disease Part 1

Lyme disease is an infectious illness commonly caused by a tick bite infected with the spiral-shaped bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. Of special interest, the disease is named after the towns of Lyme and Old Lyme, Connecticut. There are...

The Drug that Ruined our Lives

Ciprofloxacin is a ‘last resort’ antibiotic—but doctors are treating it as a routine drug, with terrible consequences Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride—marketed as Cipro in the US—is a ‘last resort’ antibiotic, or should be. It’s usually...

Regular Mini-Fasts can Help you Live Longer

Doing a mini-fast every so often—such as skipping a meal or eating less—could help you live longer and reduce your chances of developing a chronic disease, researchers say. Although most of us couldn’t live like that every day, the occasional...

Is there a Link Between Antihistamines and Cancer?

Research published in Science News (1994;145:324) raises the question of whether the antihistamines we take for allergies can be linked to cancer. Studies in mice have shown that antihistamines promote the growth of malignant tumors. Scientists at...

Alzheimer's: Why is the Brain Deteriorating?

After considerable research it is interesting to bring you up to speed on documented evidence of things which answer the question. "Why is the human brain deteriorating faster than the rest of the body?”There are a multitude of factors and today's...

What's in Your Vitamins?

Dietary supplement fans got a big "buyer beware" warning this week when the New York attorney general's office ordered GNC, Target, Walgreens and Wal-Mart to pull a number of store-brand products from their shelves, following an investigation that...

Antibiotics Failing in up to 50 percent of Patients

One in six courses of antibiotics fails to treat infections - and sometimes it’s as bad as one out of every two - suggesting the age of the ‘superbug’ is getting ever closer.The antibiotic failure rate now stands at 15.4 percent, which means...

Living in a Sea of Estrogen

Estrogen is not a single hormone. It is a class of hormones and hormone like compounds that have estrogenic properties.There are human estrogens, animal estrogens, synthetic estrogens, phytoestrogens, and xenoestrogens.The three human estrogens are...

Chemicals in Our Bodies

The average American now has 116 synthetic compounds in his or her body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. These compounds include dioxin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides....

The Power of Apple Cider Vinegar

Most of you have probably heard about Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV), however, did you know that it has been used for many hundreds, if not thousands of years. In fact, Hippocrates ( the father of medicine) used AVC back in around 400 B.C. for its health...

Are you Missing the Sunshine Yet? The Next Best Thing

The Importance of Natural Sunlight - According to numerous studies, poor light poses a serious threat to health. Many firmly believe that the best light for maintaining health must contain the full wavelength spectrum found in natural sunlight. Most...

The Power of Bone Broth Soup

Many studies now confirm what Grandma always knew–that broth made from bones is a great remedy, a tonic for the sick, a strengthener for athletes, a digestive aid, a healing elixir. And unlike bitter medicines, broth can be incorporated into...

The Organ that Likes to Get People Around the Holidays

As a direct result of the Standard American Diet (SAD), gallbladder problems are rampant in modern society. Traditionally, many practitioners have supplemented those with gallbladder issues with products containing bile salts. While bile salts...
Page: 12345 - All