FDA drug warnings

[phooph]

The FDA is now required to periodically publish a list of drugs that have caused adverse reaction. You can see the most recent list here. Very short on details, however.

[Braggi]

The FDA is now required to periodically publish a list of drugs that have caused adverse reaction. ...

Wow. Who defines "adverse reaction?"

Do you suppose the "supplement" industry would be so brave as to do this?

-Jeff

[phooph]

Wow. Who defines "adverse reaction?"

The patient? The doctor? As I said, this was short on details. We don't know how severe.

From what I saw working in a medical office, I assume anything that makes it to the FDA is the tip of the iceberg.

Do you suppose the "supplement" industry would be so brave as to do this?

-Jeff

The page on reporting adverse reactions also included supplements:
https://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html However, I doubt most people would know that there is a place to report and what to report.

Reports are made, however:
https://www.in.gov/isdh/21746.htm
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/nu...nts/safety.php
One of the supplements on this list is kava, the national drink of the South Pacific which is used like coffee and tea is in other cultures. They must have developed a resistant population.

I would like to see standardization and testing in the supplements industry, and I would like to see warnings on packaging that reflects reality instead of the general warning to consult your health professional before you take a vitamin, especially directed to pregnant and nursing women regardless of the supplement. Most doctors are lost when it comes to supplements unless they've taken the time to learn on their own.

There are problems with a number of supplements and warnings should be included on their labels. Some people think that because it's not a drug it doesn't matter how much you take or if there are interactions with other substances.

A lot of herbal medicines imported from Asia are high in toxic metals. The word 'organic' there doesn't mean the same as it does here. There is no such thing as organic in areas where air and water are polluted and the same probably applies to foods imported from the same areas. (WalMart is now in the 'organic food' business and is having some of it grown in China.)

I am on lists where people with health problems discuss various natural alternatives. Some on the lists think one can cure lots of things with copious doses of kelp tablets. Algae of all sorts are notorious for their ability to uptake toxic metals from, arsenic to uranium, and are sometimes used in bioremediation to remove toxins from bodies of water for this reason. The result is that many seaweeds are contaminated with toxins and people trying to cure one thing end up with something else.

The FDA does not set limits on toxins inadvertently incorporated into a product whether it goes inside or outside the body unless the level is so high it causes general alarm, and especially if it comes from China.

Back when I was seeing warnings on vitamin bottles there used to be no warnings on a bottle of aspirin, a product that sends around 30,000 people a year to the hospital. The one I have now warns against Reye's syndrome in children and if you take three or more alcoholic drinks every day, if you have salicylate allergy, and to consult your doctor if you have asthma, ulcers, bleeding problems, stomach problems, diabetes, gout, arthritis, are taking anticoagulant drugs, are breast feeding and are pregnant. The one warning that is missing, although the pregnancy warning may intend to cover it, is that aspirin has long been known as a teratogen.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can have marked effects on certain drugs that can lead to adverse reactions or ineffectiveness, but when did you ever see a warning on a grapefruit or a container of juice? It should accompany the drug but how often is that done?