Monday, January 5, 2009

Schering's Levitra, Others, May Lead to Dangerous Side Effects if Combined With Any of 56 Common Medicines, Consumer Advocates Say. . . .


Bloomberg is pushing a story, tonight, that highlights the serious side-effect risks associated with the entire currently-approved class of so-called "erectile dysfunction" drugs: they shouldn't be taken with any blood pressure medicines -- and 56 other commonly-ingested drugs (and many home redmedies). Let's listen in:

. . . .The Washington-based group Public Citizen posted a list online today of prescription drugs and herbal remedies to avoid when taking. . . Levitra. The 56 products range from treatments for high blood pressure and chest pain to grapefruit juice and St. John’s wort.

. . . .Levitra work[s] by relaxing muscles in blood vessels, which increases blood flow to the penis and spurs an erection. This may be amplified when taken with certain medicines for hypertension, causing a dangerous drop in blood pressure that may lead to a heart attack or stroke, Public Citizen said.

Other drugs prevent the body from appropriately breaking down erectile dysfunction pills, leading to either a toxic buildup of medicine or a less effective treatment, Public Citizen said. . . .




Drugs That May Cause ED Drug
Toxicity by Decreasing CYP3A4 Activity

Generic Name;
BRAND NAME


Amprenavir
AGENERASE

Aprepitant
EMEND

Atazanavir
REYATAZ

Clarithromycin**
BIAXIN**

Conivaptan
VAPRISOL

Cyclosporine
NEORAL, SANDIMMUNE

Darunavir
PREZISTA

Dasatinib
SPRYCEL
Generic Name;
BRAND NAME


Delavirdine
RESCRIPTOR

Diltiazem**
CARDIZEM, CARDIZEM CD,
DILACOR XR, TIAZAC**

Erythromycin
EES, ERYTHROCIN

Fluconazole
DIFLUCAN

Fluvoxamine**
LUVOX**

Fosamprenavir
LEXIVA

Grapefruit Juice

Imatinib
GLEEVEC

Indinavir
CRIXIVAN
Generic Name;
BRAND NAME


Itraconazole*
SPORANOX*

Ketoconazole
NIZORAL

Lapatinib
TYKERB

Mifeprestone
MIFEPREX

Nefazodone*
SERZONE*

Nelfinavir
VIRACEPT

Posaconazole
NOXAFIL

Generic Name;
BRAND NAME


Quinupristin
SYNERCID

Ritonavir
NORVIR

Saquinavir
FORTOVASE, INVIRASE

Telithromycin*
KETEK*

Troleandomycin
TAO

Verapamil
CALAN, CALAN SR, COVERA-HS,
ISOPTIN, ISOPTIN SR, VERELAN

Voriconazole
VFEND

Zafirlukast*
ACCOLATE


The full Public Citizen listing is now online, free. A press release may also be accessed here.

Be careful under those sheets.

Or maybe -- just maybe: "Why take the risk, for a vanity drug, at all?"

No comments: