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Most consumers believe dietary supplements are safe. That's a dangerous assumption. Although prescription drugs must be proved safe by their makers, under federal law the burden falls on the FDA to prove that supplements are not safe. The FDA last week got a prod when Consumers Union (CU) warned Americans that they should avoid a "dirty dozen" that may cause cancer, kidney or liver damage, even death. The list: aristolochic acid (birthwort), comfrey, germander, androstenedione, chaparral, kava, bitter orange, organ or gland extracts, lobelia, pennyroyal oil, scullcap and yohimbe...
...FDA didn't tell people taking the drugs to stop cold turkey--that can be dangerous. Nor did it tell doctors to stop writing prescriptions for depressed patients. What the agency did say was that in the first few weeks after a patient starts taking an antidepressant, or when the dose is increased or decreased, care-givers and family members should watch closely for signs of increased anxiety, irritability, hostility, impulsivity or restlessness. The combination of severe depression and restlessness is especially dangerous, according to Dr. Adelaide Robb of the Children's National Medical Center. In the first weeks under...
...FDA has urged the manufacturers of 10 popular antidepressants to issue new, more stringent warning labels. The drugs named in the advisory are Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Zyban, Paxil, Celexa, Effexor, Serzone, Luvox and Remeron. Together these pills racked up sales of about $12 billion worldwide in 2002. Some experts believe that it was their very popularity that concerned the FDA. Many doctors, the agency apparently fears, are giving out the pills too freely, without adequate monitoring...
...FDA action follows gut-wrenching hearings last month filled with stories of teen suicides. The agency took pains last week to say there are no studies showing that antidepressants actually cause people to take their lives, but decided to err on the side of caution. Given the risks involved, that's probably not a bad idea. --With reporting by Saundra Young/Washington...
...perfect vision for their first 40 years will almost inevitably develop presbyopia (from the Greek for "aging eye"), a loss of elasticity in the lens that makes it difficult to focus on close objects, like a magazine. But it may be possible to avoid reading glasses now that the FDA has approved ViewPoint CK (conductive keratoplasty) as a treatment...