The side effects of prescription drugs should not cause harm to people who take them by advisement of the medical community. SideEffectsRx.com is committed to providing the US public with information regarding the possible harmful, and sometimes life-threatening, side effects of prescription and over-the-counter drugs can carry. Along with advising the public of potential dangers of medication, Side Effects Rx.com works to shed light on how these major side effects are not properly brought to the attention of the American people. These medications should bring about relief and healing to persons needing it, not create new illness or harm to those that take them, unknowing of the dangers that lurk behind the pill.
In order to measure the true value of a medication in the treatment of a particular condition, the possible benefits of the treatment will often be weighed against the potential risks involved. With adequate information about the potential side effects of prescription drugs, consumers and healthcare professionals can reach a decision together about whether or not a certain medication is worth the possible risks. For example, a medication that may cause life-altering birth defects among infants who are exposed to the drug during pregnancy may not be considered an appropriate treatment for a pregnant woman whose condition poses little risk to mother or child, such as migraine headaches. Unfortunately, some drug companies actually conceal the more serious side effects of their medications in an attempt to make their product more appealing to the public. This deceptive practice puts millions of consumers at risk of suffering severe injury and even death, which may have been avoided if the drug company had taken the necessary steps to avoid consumer harm.
You Must Weigh The Benefits of a Drug Against its Side Effects
Side Effect News
Liver Failure Side Effects of Tylenol Overdose 
One of the most common misconceptions about pharmaceutical drugs today is that over-the-counter meds like Tylenol are completely safe, putting consumers who take the medications at no risk of side effects. On the contrary, Tylenol, or its active ingredient...
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17 May 2012
One of the most common misconceptions about pharmaceutical drugs today is that over-the-counter meds like Tylenol are completely safe, putting consumers who take the medications at no risk of side effects. On the contrary, Tylenol, or its active ingredient...
Life-Threatening Risks of Liver Toxicity Side Effects Pharmaceutical drugs have surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health officials have warned that, while vehicles are becoming safer and...
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09 May 2012
Pharmaceutical drugs have surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health officials have warned that, while vehicles are becoming safer and...
Pulmonary Embolism Side Effects Prompt NuvaRing Birth Control Lawsuit A California woman has filed a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer of the birth control ring, NuvaRing, claiming the device caused her to suffer a pulmonary embolism. Dobson is one of a growing number of women who have filed a NuvaRing...
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03 May 2012
A California woman has filed a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer of the birth control ring, NuvaRing, claiming the device caused her to suffer a pulmonary embolism. Dobson is one of a growing number of women who have filed a NuvaRing...Medical Device News
Study Suggests St. Jude Riata Defibrillator Lead Failures May Be Widespread 
A new study indicates that many patients who have received a recalled St. Jude Riata defibrillator lead may experience failure of the small wires, potentially resulting in them not receiving life-saving electrical stimulation to the heart if necessary....
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14 May 2012
A new study indicates that many patients who have received a recalled St. Jude Riata defibrillator lead may experience failure of the small wires, potentially resulting in them not receiving life-saving electrical stimulation to the heart if necessary....
Trial Dates Set to Begin for Recalled DePuy Hip Implants The first DePuy hip implant trial date has been scheduled for the end of this year, as thousands of product liability lawsuits have been filed throughout the United States against Johnson & Johnson after patients experienced problems with the company's...
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07 May 2012
The first DePuy hip implant trial date has been scheduled for the end of this year, as thousands of product liability lawsuits have been filed throughout the United States against Johnson & Johnson after patients experienced problems with the company's...
Studies Find Knee and Hip Replacements Fail at Higher Rate in Smokers Smoking may be a contributing factor in the long-term success or failure of hip and knee replacement systems, two new studies have found. At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons held last week, researchers presented...
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30 April 2012
Smoking may be a contributing factor in the long-term success or failure of hip and knee replacement systems, two new studies have found. At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons held last week, researchers presented...Pharmaceutical News
New Study Confirms Blood Clot Risk Linked to NuvaRing and Ortho Evra Birth Control 
According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal, the NuvaRing birth control ring and Ortho Evra birth control patch may significantly increase the risk of blood clots in patients, when compared to some older forms of oral contraception....
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14 May 2012
According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal, the NuvaRing birth control ring and Ortho Evra birth control patch may significantly increase the risk of blood clots in patients, when compared to some older forms of oral contraception....
New Warnings in Canada for Lexapro Heart Rhythm Problems Drug regulators in Canada have announced new warnings about a dose-related risk of abnormal heart rhythms associated with the antidepressant Lexapro, which is marketed as Cipralex in that country. According to Health Canada, the risk of the heart rhythm...
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07 May 2012
Drug regulators in Canada have announced new warnings about a dose-related risk of abnormal heart rhythms associated with the antidepressant Lexapro, which is marketed as Cipralex in that country. According to Health Canada, the risk of the heart rhythm...
Study Finds Risks of SSRI Antidepressants Outweigh Benefits of Treatment A new study has questioned the safety and effectiveness of SSRI antidepressants like Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft, as researchers involved in the study suggest the popular medications do more harm than good. SSRI antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake...
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30 April 2012
A new study has questioned the safety and effectiveness of SSRI antidepressants like Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft, as researchers involved in the study suggest the popular medications do more harm than good. SSRI antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake...Prescription Drug Side Effects
Before a new pharmaceutical drug can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration and made available to the public, the drug company responsible for manufacturing the medication must conduct extensive research and perform long-term clinical trials in order to ensure the drug's safety and effectiveness. For the most part, the FDA depends on this data to measure the value of a medication and to make sure the drug will not cause any unnecessary harm when taken by consumers, since the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research doesn't actually test drugs. Consumers, in turn, depend on the FDA's approval of pharmaceutical drugs, as well as FDA warnings concerning medications, in order to make educated decisions about whether or not certain drugs are right for them.
This transfer of critical drug information is key to constantly monitoring medications on the U.S. market and protecting consumers from suffering unnecessary pharmaceutical drug-related injuries; any break-down in this process, intentional or not, can severely affect the safety of consumers and the reputation of drug companies. Pharmaceutical companies are responsible for producing safe medications, providing accurate and up-to-date drug information to the FDA and healthcare providers, and marketing their drugs only for FDA-approved purposes. Unfortunately, some big drug companies take it upon themselves to deviate from these responsibilities, sometimes employing misleading and even illegal practices to benefit their own best interests. Even the FDA has come under fire by experts who fear the agency may not be enforcing adequate safety regulations against deceptive drug companies. Not only are these actions immoral, but they may actually lead to injuries and even fatalities among adults, adolescents and children alike.
Marketing Practices of Drug Companies
Although all prescription medications are approved by the FDA for the treatment of specific conditions, some healthcare providers make the decision to prescribe certain drugs for off-label uses, or uses they haven't been approved for, if they consider the treatment safe and effective. In order to do so effectively, doctors must receive accurate drug information from pharmaceutical companies, which isn't always the case. Furthermore, while healthcare professionals are sometimes able to take certain liberties when prescribing medications, drug companies are only legally permitted to market their medications for the purposes the FDA has approved. Unfortunately, some pharmaceutical companies use off-label marketing to garner public favor, an illegal practice which leads to the influence of drug companies over physicians, and ultimately, the gross over-prescription of some prescription drugs.
In some cases, pharmaceutical companies may actually pay doctors to recommend certain drugs to their patients, significantly increasing the chances of drugs being prescribed for inappropriate and unapproved treatments. In fact, according to a recent government report, 22% of Massachusetts nursing home residents had been prescribed anti-psychotic medications for conditions they did not have. According to other reports, more than 60% of American adults report taking at least one drug every day for a chronic health problem, and more than 50% of seniors take at least three medications daily. Experts fear that this over-prescription and over-medication of American consumers, fueled by aggressive, uncontrolled marketing by drug companies, may actually lead to more serious long-term side effects among patients, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, obesity and cancer.
Side Effects RX - Drug and Medical Device Lawsuit Information
Side Effects RX is an informational website that educates consumers on side effects that could have been caused by drugs and medical devices. This website has no relationship with any of the aforementioned drugs, pharmaceutical companies or medical device companies. SideEffectsRx.com was not written by medical professionals and should not be mistaken for medical advice. The purpose of this site is to inform consumers of the potential for side effects in certain drugs and medical devices.
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