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Hardly a day goes by that I don't hear about some "newly discovered" risk of prescription drugs. Well, there's certainly nothing new about them -- the only "new" part is that the mainstream is finally waking up to the fact that drugs have health risks. And with risks like these, it's hard for even the most skeptical to turn a blind eye. Take a look. The first in the flood is the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Three studies in less than a year have linked NSAIDs to heart risks. Most recently, a British study of patients between the ages of 60 and 84 found that NSAIDs raise older patients' risk of first hospital admission for heart failure by 30 percent. Another study points an accusing finger at two rheumatoid arthritis drugs -- Humira and Remicade. The analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that these two drugs may increase patients' risks of cancer threefold and double their risk of getting serious infections. And it's no wonder, considering these drugs are tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-blocking medications designed to suppress the body's immune system. (Remicade is also used to treat Crohn's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, ulcerative colitis, and psoriatic arthritis.) But I've saved the heaviest hitter for last -- Vioxx. A 107-page report given to the Food and Drug Administration by Merck in May showed that the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other complications fromVioxx begins after only four months of use -- much earlier than the previously announced threshold of 18 months. Critics say that the previous data analysis was performed in such a way as to minimize the risks of the drug and that the company should have made that clearer in its first published report outlining the clinical trial results that ultimately led to the drug's withdrawal from the market. But it gets worse -- a lot worse -- and I'll tell you how in Thursday's Health e-Tip. Don't sweat it Q: Do you have any helpful information about hyperhidrosis? Is there any remedy for it? JVW: Sage has been shown to reduce sweat production in a number of clinical studies involving hyperhidrosis patients. (For a definition of hyperhidrosis, see the "What is..." section below.) Try taking around 1,000 to 1,500 mg of sage per day. What is...hyperhidrosis? Hyperhidrosis is a disorder characterized by profuse sweating. The condition can affect the palms of the hands, armpits, or feet and can occur either spontaneously or can be brought on by physical or emotional stress. Source: "Physicians worried about drug safety: survey," Reuters Health, 5/18/06
"Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of first hospital admission for heart failure in general population," published online in Heart, 5/22/06
"Anti-TNF antibody therapy in rheumatoid arthritis and the risk of serious infections and malignancies: Systemic review and meta-analysis of rare harmful effects in randomized clinical trials," Journal of the American Medical Association 2006; 295: 2,275-2,285 | 
