Harmful effects from prescription drugs is growing, according to Donald Light, professor of comparative health policy at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He says this is because new drugs are tested against placebos rather than existing drugs. Hel also believes that new drugs are twice as likely to harm patients than provide benefits superior to existing drugs, and that the Food and Drug Administration's accelerated review process of new drugs has tripled the number of drugs with safety warnings.
Undetected Health Risks
An article titled "Prescription for Trouble" published in "Consumer Reports" in 2006 says that tens of millions of people in the United States are unknowingly exposed to rare, yet harmful side effects from prescription drugs. These risks include heart attack, stroke, cancer and suicide that were unknown, undetected and underestimated during drug trials prior to FDA approval. Many drugs are still on the market. Only some have a "black-box" warning on product labels that communicate the risks.
Examples of these drugs and their harmful effects include Celebrex, a pain reliever that can cause heart attack and stroke; Elidel, a drug for eczema that can cause cancer; Efexor and Zoloft, antidepressants that can cause suicide; Accutane, a drug for acne that can cause birth defects, psychosis and suicide; and Crestor, a cholesterol lowering drug that can cause muscle breakdown and kidney damage.
Toxic Effects
Prescription drugs can be toxic to the body, particularly chemotherapy and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Research conducted by N. Kamil titled "Toxic Effects of Multiple Anticancer Drugs on Skin" published in the "Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Science" in 2010, evaluated the toxicities associated with chemotherapy. The research concluded that toxic effects of chemotherapy cause hair loss, changes in skin pigmentation, dry skin, photosensitivity of skin and wound infections. According to research conducted by G. Thiefen titled "Toxic Effects of Non-Steroidal Anti- Inflammatory Drugs on the Small Bowel, Colon, and Rectum," published in "Joint Bone Spine" in 2005, NSAIDS causes toxicity throughout the gastrointestinal tract and increases risk of chronic bleeding, iron deficiency, small bowel ulcers and inflammation of the colon.
Teratogenic Effects
Prescription drugs can increase the risk of birth defects when taken by pregnant women. M.M. van Gelder published research in "Human Reproduction Update" in 2010 that states teratogenic risks may exist in more than 90 percent of drugs approved in the United States. The research identified six teratogenic mechanisms of medicines that include antagonism of folate, a nutrient involved with production of the fetal nervous system; oxidative stress that results from increases in cellular toxins; and disruption of blood vessels, nerve cells, hormones and cellular receptors or enzymes.
Antiepileptic drugs, when taken alone or in combination with other drugs, can double or triple, respectively, the risk for major congenital malformations, according to research conducted by D.S. Hill published in "Expert Reviews of Neurotherapeutics" in 2010. Antiepileptic drugs are taken by pregnant or pregnant bearing women to treat epilepsy, neuropathic pain or migraines.
References
- American Sociological Association: Toxic Drugs, Toxic System: Sociologist Predicts Drug Disasters
- ConsumerReportsHealth.org: Prescription for Trouble
- Consumer ReportsHealth.org: Drug Risks the System Missed
- "Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Science"; Toxic Effects of Anticancer Drugs; Kamil, N.; Jan 2010
- "Joint Bone Spine"; Toxic Effects of Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs, Colon, and Rectum; Thiefin, G.; Jul 2005
