Quit-Smoking Drug Linked to Heart Trouble, Dizziness

Anti-smoking drug linked to more seizures, accidents

(NEWSER) - The FDA may beef up its warning for the anti-smoking drug Chantix after an increase in the number of serious incidents linked to the drug, the Wall Street Journal reports. A drug-safety group tallied 1,001 reports of patients suffering seizures, blackouts, and loss of motor control—some while driving—in three months. The figure is more than the combined total of incidents linked to the top 10 prescription drugs. More»

Smokers with mental illnesses should avoid them, agency says

(NEWSER) - The Food and Drug Administration is warning smokers about serious mental-illness risks of two smoking-cessation drugs, as reported suicides among their users increase. Chantix and Zyban must now carry the agency’s strongest warning label, the New York Times reports. The FDA isn’t trying to scare patients, an official says: “You should just be careful.” More»

FDA-approved medications pass clinical trials, but the real world uncovers more

(NEWSER) - Despite rigorous testing, some drugs have side effects that only rear their ugly heads when introduced to the general population. Forbes catalogs some of the weirdest:

1. Anti-smoking drug Chantix can cause insomnia and nightmares.
2. Diet drug Alli can have unforeseen gastrointestinal side-effects; these can be counteracted by eating a low-fat diet, of all things.
3. Mirapex, prescribed for Parkinson's and restless-leg-syndrome patients, can lead to compulsive-eating and gambling urges.

Agency received over 130 reports of loss of smell sense

(NEWSER) - The Food and Drug Administration is calling on consumers to stop using Zicam nasal treatments because they can permanently kill the sense of smell, the Wall Street Journal reports. Zicam is an over-the-counter cold and allergy medication sold in several forms; customers should reject internasal products that contain zinc. The initiative comes after the agency received more than 130 reports of loss of smell. More»

Widely advertised Lyrica treats fibromyalgia, but some docs raise red flags

(NEWSER) - The first drug approved by the FDA to treat fibromyalgia is raising questions, but not the typical ones about whether the medication works. They're questions about whether the disease even exists. Lyrica sales are up and climbing, but critics say giving a name to the chronic pain that characterizes fibromyalgia lends the diagnosis undeserved legitimacy, the New York Times reports. More»