The Drug Report

The Drug Report highlights recent problems with medications that have been reported in research journals.

A report in the January, 2001 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry reports that SSRI antidepressants are hazardous for patients who experience complex mental illness such as bipolar disorder. Out of 553 patients admitted to Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital in Connecticut, 43 were due to psychosis or mania related to the use of antidepressants. 70% (30) of the 43 patients were taking SSRI drugs such as Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox and Prozac.

The March, 2001 issue of Epidemiology reports on a study of 202,000 people who use inhaled steroids for the treatment of their asthma. People over the age of 40 who were heavy users of the steroids were 80% more likely to develop cataracts than those who had not used steroids.

A statement issued on March 12, 2001 by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) reports that a significant number of patients treated with the new rheumatoid arthritis drug Arava have experienced adverse liver reactions. The agency reports a total of 296 reactions ranging from cirrhosis to liver failure to death. Approximately 200,000 patients have used the drug since it was introduced in 1998.

The March, 2001 issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood reports that the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine can cause a rare bleeding disorder in children known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). ITP causes bleeding under the skin, giving the appearance of a purple bruise spreading over the body.

This publication has previously reported on the link between the rotavirus vaccine used for diarrhea and a rare form of bowel blockage known as intussusception. The February 22, 2001 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine confirms that the vaccine did indeed cause the problem which requires surgery to correct. The rotavirus vaccine was pulled from the market in 1999.