The latest report from the FDA says that for decades chickens have consumed feed contaminated with Arsenic, a known poison and carcinogen.  The FDA backpedals on this finding by saying that chicken is still safe to eat because the amount of Arsenic that has found its way into edible portions [...]

Ambien is the most common sleeping medication at the present time.  Unfortunately, although Ambien is usually quite effective at facilitating sleep, it also has been found to have several disturbing side effects, including tolerance, addiction, and somambulism.  Recently the FDA has revised its dosing guidelines on how the medication should [...]

Ambien (zolpidem) is currently the most commonly used sleeping medication on the market. Most physicians believe, unknowingly, that it can be prescribed with impunity.  This is not the case.  Ambien has many side effects that have resulted in a big increase in visits to emergency departments. Emergency department (ED) visits [...]

The FDA finally approved a new drug which ameliorates the severe constipation that accompanies the use of Opiates.  Constipation is one of the main side effects that causes individuals to stop Opiate medication prematurely without any other option for their pain.  This addition to treatment with opiates is a notable [...]

Recent research has demonstrated that chronic steroid use increases the risk of deep venous thrombosis in the legs and pelvis. The use of glucocorticoids may be associated with an increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to the findings of a population-based case-control study. Sigrun A. Johannesdottir, BSc, from Aarhus [...]

At one time or another, most of us have taken the antibiotic, Zithromax.  It is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for conditions such as bronchitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, and others.  The discussion that follows has to do with one of Zithromax's side-effects, potentially life-threatening cardiac arrest.  Recently, I have [...]

Food poisoning is relevant to toxicology and public health largely because of adulterant contamination.  Food poisoning is usually caused by infectious agents but other ingested toxic compounds can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain as well.  It also has direct relevance to community acquired disease, assessments for such diseases, and [...]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning against use of alcohol and central nervous system depressant drugs (CNS), such as benzodiazepines and opioids, with sodium oxybate ( Xyrem, Jazz Pharmaceuticals) because of the risk for impaired consciousness and respiratory depression leading to a respiratory arrest. The drug, used [...]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added several drugs to its list of products to monitor because of possible signs of serious risks or new safety information. The drugs treat conditions that include cancer, epilepsy, hypertension, and malaria. The agency spotted yellow flags for these drugs in the [...]

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is the most commonly consumed medication in the United States.  Most people just assume that it is benign and can be taken with impunity.  The truth, however, is that acetaminophen is toxic when taken in excess both acutely and chronically.  The following blog discusses a recent study out [...]

The following information piece was recently sent to medical toxicology physicians regarding the effect of grapefruits on medication metabolism and blood levels.  It is worth noting. Drugs That Interact With Grapefruit on the Rise The number of drugs that can be risky when taken with grapefruit is on the rise, [...]

The first consensus guidelines on how to evaluate, treat, and prevent carbon monoxide poisoning has recently been released and published in the American Journal of Repiratory and Critical Care Medicine.  These guidelines standardize management of carbon monoxide poisoning for clinician, toxicologist, and public health worker, and offer a road map [...]

Deaths due to narcotic abuse typically occur by overdose, and consequent respiratory failure.  New data demonstrates a novel cause of death associated with narcotic abuse.  On October 12, 2012 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that individuals who abuse the prescription pain medication oxymorphone hydrochloride extended-release tablets (Opana [...]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added 8 drugs to its list of products to monitor because of possible signs of serious risks or new safety information. The drugs treat conditions that include cancer, epilepsy, hypertension, and malaria. The agency spotted yellow flags for the 8 drugs in [...]

FDA Adds 8 Drugs to Watch List The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added 8 drugs to its list of products to monitor because of possible signs of serious risks or new safety information. The drugs treat conditions that include cancer, epilepsy, hypertension, and malaria. The agency spotted [...]

Children undergoing computed tomography (CT) scans with cumulative radiation doses of about 50 mGy had about triple the risk for leukemia, and those who received doses of about 60 mGy had nearly triple the risk for brain cancer, according to the results of a retrospective cohort study published online June [...]

Bacteria has a proclivity for finding any medium that can support its growth.  That includes the gel that is used by ultrasonographers to perform routine ultrasounds.  Normally the skin acts as a decent barrier against microbials but not always.  Klebsiella and Pseudmonal organisms have a tendency to find their way [...]

A recent study published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality weekly report, 2011; 60:1487 addresses the epidemic of overdoses associated with prescription narcotic medication.  Physicians unwittingly prescribe too much opioid medications and often turn their patients into narcotic addicts.  The abstract follows: Abstract Background: Overdose deaths involving opioid pain relievers (OPR), [...]

The US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to healthcare professionals and the public underlining the appropriate storage, use, application and disposal of fentanyl patches, including Duragesic (Janssen Pharmaceutical Inc) and generic patches, to prevent life-threatening harm from accidental exposure to fentanyl, particularly by children. The toxicology of Fentanyl [...]

Opiates are dangerous substances that can cause overdose, death and disability, and lead to toxicology malpractice lawsuits. Most narcotics have a narrow range of therapeutic benefit.  Outside this range, they become dangerous because they can cause CNS effects and respiratory depression.  When physicians change a patient from one opiate to [...]

Yes folks, those pills that everyone is taking, the lipid-lowering statins, have now become toxicologically controversial.  Efficacy is now in question, risk/benefit analyses are shifting, and cardiologists and toxicologists are re-evaluating value.  I came across this interesting interview with the FDA's Amy Egan, MD, MPH who discusses the story behind [...]

Opiates are prescribed regularly by physicians in all medical specialities for pain.  Patients frequently request opiates from their physicians when they are in pain.  Recent studies show a trend of increasing prescriptions.  Opiates, when taken in excess, or when they are taken on a regular basis, create addiction, by causing [...]

Several times during the past year, contaminated shellfish has been discovered in restaurants and people's homes.  The source for this contamination is Alaska where public health authorities have discovered that batches of noncommercially harvested shellfish have been contaminated by saxitoxins, a family of neurotoxins produced by certain marine algae and [...]

"Bath salts" are the latest designer drugs sending patients to the emergency department (ED). Unlike traditional bath salts that are added to bath water for a relaxing soak, these drugs, which can be ingested, inhaled, or injected, contain cardiovascular and central nervous system (CNS) stimulants such as 3,4 –methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) [...]

Drug shortages in the United States have been on the rise. The FDA recognizes the significant public health consequences that can result from drug shortages and makes tremendous efforts within its legal authority to address and prevent drug shortages.  The danger of drug shortages is apparent:  children will die because [...]