Think Twice Before Taking A Prescription For Gout

Doctors sometimes prescribe NSAIDs (which present a risk of stomach bleeding), corticosteroids (which can compromise your immune system) or other anti-inflammatory medications as “rescue medications” during a gout attack, but for long-term treatment, they prescribe drugs that help prevent the buildup of uric acid.

These drugs only work as long as you take them, and they carry the risk of some potentially harmful side effects:

• skin rash or sores, hives, or itching
• bleeding sores on lips
• blood in urine or stools
• chills, fever, muscle aches or pains
• nausea, or vomiting
• difficult or painful urination
• pinpoint red spots on skin
• shortness of breath
• troubled breathing
• tightness in chest
• sores, ulcers, or white spots in mouth or on lips
• sore throat and fever
• sudden decrease in amount of urine
• swelling in upper abdominal area

It seems like you might be trading relief of one symptom for some other problems. Are you prepared to take that risk?

Think Twice Before Taking A Prescription For IBS!!

#1) Zelnorm (for IBS with constipation)

You may have heard about a prescription drug called Zelnorm. It is designed ONLY for people suffering from IBS with constipation and produced by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis, and you’ve probably seen many television commercials touting its benefits (they’re the ones featuring attractive people with words written on their stomachs). What Novartis won’t tell you unless you read the small print…there are so many questions about the benefits of this drug versus the risks that the the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) decided in March 2006 not to recommend Zelnorm for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

That’s the European equivalent of being denied FDA approval.

Why?

Perhaps the CHMP read this information in Zelnorm’s own prescribing information for physicians, taken from the FDA website (definitions in italics):

“Serious consequences of diarrhea, including hypovolemia (low blood volume), hypotension (lowered blood pressure), and syncope (lightheadedness or fainting) have been reported in the clinical studies and during marketed use of Zelnorm. In some cases, these complications have required hospitalization for rehydration…Ischemic colitis (decreased blood flow to the colon, which causes high fever, pain, bloody diarrhea, and sometimes toxic shock) and other forms of intestinal ischemia have been reported in patients receiving Zelnorm during marketed use of the drug (see ADVERSE REACTIONS: Post-Marketing Experience). A causal relationship between Zelnorm use and these events has not been established.”

That’s some serious stuff. Is it worth the risk? The CHMP doesn’t think so.

#2) Lotronex (for IBS with extremely severe diarrhea)

This product has the potential for such severe side effects each patient is required to sign a statement that they understand the potential risks involved.

Here’s the quote from the Lotronex Product Guide, again on the FDA website:

“Because of serious bowel side effects, including some deaths, seen with use of this drug, LOTRONEX is only for women who have very bad irritable bowel syndrome and whose main problem is diarrhea (diarrhea-predominant IBS). To decide if you want to use LOTRONEX, you need to know about possible side effects of LOTRONEX and how LOTRONEX may help your IBS. Very few patients have diarrhea-predominant IBS that is bad enough to consider using LOTRONEX.”

Some DEATHS? What???