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Prescription Meds Can Put on Unwanted Pounds

Posted 2 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 2 – Medications taken by millions of Americans for mood disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic conditions can have an unhealthy side effect: weight gain. While other choices exist for some types of drugs, adjusting medications is not simply a matter of switching, said Ryan Roux, chief pharmacy officer with the Harris County Hospital District, in Houston. In the late 1990s, Dr. Lawrence Cheskin conducted early research on prescription medicines and obesity. "Some medicines make an early, noticeable difference, causing patients to become ravenously hungry, while changes are subtle for others. A few months taking them and you've gained 10 pounds," said Cheskin, now director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, in Baltimore. To help increase awareness, Roux and his pharmacist group have compiled a list of "weight-promoting" and "weight-neutral or ... Read more

Epilepsy Drugs Don't Raise Suicide Risk, Study Shows

Posted 5 Aug 2010 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 4 – In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required epilepsy medications to bear a warning label about an increased risk of suicidal behaviors. The move came after an agency review of 199 studies that found patients taking the drugs showed about twice the risk of suicidal behavior. But now a study of more than 5 million patients contradicts the FDA's findings. It suggests that the increased risk of suicide has more to do with the conditions for which these drugs are prescribed than the medications themselves. For the study, researchers in Spain and the United States evaluated the health records of primary care patients in England. They found that people with epilepsy who currently use an antiepileptic drug are at no greater risk of suicide-related events than those who aren't taking the medications. "In our opinion, in the long term, it is not the drugs ... Read more

FDA Medwatch Alert: Antiepileptic Drugs

Posted 5 May 2009 by Drugs.com

[UPDATE 05/05/2009] FDA notified healthcare professionals that it approved updated labeling for antiepileptic drugs used to treat epilepsy, psychiatric disorders, and other conditions (e.g., migraine and neuropathic pain syndromes). FDA also required development of a medication guide, to be issued to patients each time the product is dispensed. Since issuing safety alerts on December 16, 2008 and January 31, 2008, FDA has been working with the manufacturers of drugs in this class to better understand the suicidality risk. Eleven antiepileptic drugs were included in a pooled analysis of placebo-controlled clinical studies in which these drugs were used to treat epilepsy as well as psychiatric disorders and other conditions. The increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior was generally consistent among the eleven drugs, with varying mechanisms of action and across a range of ... Read more

FDA Medwatch Alert: Zonisamide (marketed as Zonegran, and generics)

Posted 23 Feb 2009 by Drugs.com

[Posted 02/23/2009] FDA notified healthcare professionals that updated clinical data has determined that treatment with zonisamide, indicated as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial seizures in adults with epilepsy, can cause metabolic acidosis in some patients. Patients with predisposing conditions or therapies may be at greater risk for developing metabolic acidosis and the risk of zonisamide-induced metabolic acidosis appears to be more frequent and severe in younger patients. FDA recommends that healthcare professionals measure serum bicarbonate before starting treatment and periodically during treatment with zonisamide, even in the absence of symptoms and is working with the makers of zonisamide to revise the product labeling to reflect this new safety information. The notification includes recommendations for healthcare providers, information for patients, and a data ... Read more

Related support groups: Zonegran

FDA Adds Suicide Warning to Epilepsy Drugs

Posted 16 Dec 2008 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Dec. 16 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it was adding a label warning on heightened suicide risk for users of antiepileptic drugs. The move, which follows the advice last summer of an FDA advisory panel, stops short of slapping the strongest "black box" warning on this class of drugs, which includes widely used medications such as clonazepam (Klonopin), phenytoin (Dilantin) and topiramate (Topamax). "Patients being treated with antiepileptic drugs for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, or any unusual changes in mood or behavior," Dr. Russell Katz, director of the division of neurology products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release. But, he added, "patients who are currently taking an antiepileptic medicine should not make ... Read more

Related support groups: Klonopin, Lyrica, Lamictal, Topamax, Depakote, Keppra, Trileptal, Carbatrol, Tranxene, Zonegran, Di-Phen, Zarontin, Mysoline, Gabarone, Gabitril

FDA Medwatch Alert: Zonegran (zonisamide)

Posted 15 Jul 2002 by Drugs.com

FDA and Elan Pharmaceuticals added a bolded WARNING to inform healthcare professionals that pediatric patients appear to be at an increased risk for zonisamide-associated oligohidrosis and hyperthermia. Patients, especially pediatric patients, treated with Zonegran should be monitored closely for evidence of decreased sweating and increased body temperature, especially in warm or hot weather. The safety and effectiveness of zonisamide in pediatric patients have not been established. Zonisamide is not approved for use in pediatric patients.[June, 2002 Letter - Elan Pharmaceuticals][June, 2002 Full, revised label and Patient Information leaflet - Elan Pharmaceuticals] Read more

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Seizures, Migraine Prevention, Migraine Prophylaxis, Parkinsonian Tremor, Benign Essential Tremor