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?"