FDA Announces 20 Dangerous Drugs You Should NOT Be On

FDA Announces 20 Dangerous Drugs You Should NOT Be On

A 2007 federal law requires the FDA to disclose all its investigations into reports of possibly drug-related adverse events. The first of this series of quarterly reports has been released. It includes adverse events reported between January 1 and March 31, 2008. Here's the list of drugs and the adverse events that have been reported: Arginine Hydrochloride Injection (R-Gene 10) -- Pediatric overdose due to labeling and packaging confusion Desflurane (Suprane) -- Cardiac arrest Duloxetine (Cymbalta) -- Urinary retention Etravirine (Intelence) -- Hemarthrosis (blood in a joint) Fluorouracil Cream (Carac) and Ketoconazole Cream (Kuric) -- Adverse events due to name confusion Heparin -- Anaphylactic-type (life-threatening allergic) reactions Icodextrin (Extraneal) -- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) Insulin U-500 (Humulin R) -- Dosing confusion Ivermectin (Stromectol) and Warfarin -- Drug interaction Lapatinib (Tykerb) -- Hepatotoxicity (liver toxicity) Lenalidomide (Revlimid) -- Stevens-Johnson syndrome (a deadly drug reaction) Natalizumab (Tysabri) -- Skin melanomas (deadly skin cancer) Nitroglycerin (Nitrostat) -- Overdose due to labeling confusion Octreotide Acetate Depot (Sandostatin LAR) -- Ileus (bowels not moving) Oxycodone Hydrochloride Controlled-Release (OxyContin) -- Drug misuse, abuse, and overdose Perflutren Lipid Microsphere (Definity) -- Cardiopulmonary reactions (lung/heart problems) Phenytoin Injection (Dilantin) -- Purple glove syndrome (discoloration, pain, and swelling of the hand that may lead to amputation) Quetiapine (Seroquel) -- Overdose due to sample pack labeling confusion Tebivudine (Tyzeka) -- Peripheral neuropathy (tingling or numbness in the extremities) Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Blockers -- Cancers in children and young adults Sources: FDA September 5, 2008 WebMD.com September 5, 2008