Category Archives: Drug Side Effects

Zinbryta Side Effects: Liver and Immune System Problems

Zinbryta Side Effects. Last May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Zinbryta (generic name: daclizumab) to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

zinbryta side effects - liver problems

Is the drug effective? Well, its effectiveness has been proven after two clinical trials which involved more than two thousand patients. More from the FDA media release:

The effectiveness of Zinbryta was shown in two clinical trials. One trial compared Zinbryta and Avonex in 1,841 participants who were studied for 144 weeks. Patients on Zinbryta had fewer clinical relapses than patients taking Avonex.

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Tecentriq Side Effects

Tecentriq Side Effects: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the thumbs up to Tecentriq (atezolizumab) as a treatment medication for urothelial carcinoma, the most common type of bladder cancer.

What are the side effects of the newly approved prescription medication? The most common Tecentriq side effects are feeling tired, decreased appetite, nausea, urinary tract infection, fever, and constipation.

Meantime, less common but serious side effects are as follows:

  • Lung problems (pneumonitis)– signs and symptoms may include new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain
  • Liver problems (hepatitis)– signs and symptoms of hepatitis may include yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes, severe nausea or vomiting, pain on the right side of your stomach area (abdomen), drowsiness, dark urine (tea colored), bleeding or bruising more easily than normal, and feeling less hungry than usual
  • Intestinal problems (colitis)– signs and symptoms of colitis may include diarrhea (loose stools) or more bowel movements than usual, blood in your stools or dark, tarry, sticky stools, and severe stomach area (abdomen) pain or tenderness
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Steroid Gynecomastia: Corrective Surgery for Guillermo Eiland – Before and After

Steroid Gynecomastia Corrective Surgery for Guillermo Eiland. Did you know that use of steroids can lead to “manbreasts”? This is the case for 1990s rapper Guillermo Eiland, of the rap group Bone Thugs n Harmony, who was recently featured on the E! television show, Botched, about patients who have to undergo corrective procedures for their previous botched surgeries.

According to the show, Eiland began to develop breasts after years of steroid use. He underwent surgery to reduce the size of his chest but his original surgeon was not up to the task as the procedure left him with a lot of loose skin and sagging breast tissues. Fortunately for Guillermo, he was able to participate in the Botched reality show where Dr. Terry Dubrow managed to rectify the rapper’s condition.

Here’s a pic of the procedure courtesy of E!

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Generic Copaxone Side Effects: Weight Gain, Painful Urination, Double Vision

Is generic Copaxone as good as brand name Copaxone? The answer is a big fat yes according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

Health care professionals and patients can be assured that FDA-approved generic drugs have met the same rigorous standards of quality as the brand-name drug. Before approving this generic product, given its complexity, we reviewed additional information to make sure that the generic product is as safe and effective as the brand name product. — Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

Ms. Woodcock issued the above statement following her agency’s approval of the first generic version of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) which is used to treat patients with multiple sclerosis.

The generic version is expected to sell at a significantly lower price than the branded version. According to the Wall Street Journal, quoting a drug executive, “the list price for the older version of Copaxone is about $72,000 per patient a year”.

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Andro Side Effects: Cancer, Body Hair, Stunted Growth

In 2004 then U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson launched a crackdown against companies selling bodybuilding products containing androstenedione or “andro” because of the health risks these products pose to its users.

Back then the ex-HHS Secretary had this to say about the dangers of andro: “Young people, athletes and other consumers should steer clear of andro because there are serious, substantial concern about its safety. Young people should understand that there are no short cuts to a stronger body and that the best way to get faster and stronger is through good diet, nutrition and exercise.”

Other government officials weighed-in on the bad negative effects of andro. Here’s John Walters, then Director of National Drug Control Policy: “Athletics benefit young people’s health and give them a lesson in the value of hard work. Androstenedione and other performance-enhancing drugs undercut these benefits by endangering our children’s healthy development and teaching them that cheating is an acceptable component of pursuing excellence.”

And here’s then Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Mark McClelan’s take on the issue: “While andro products may seem to have short-term benefits, the science shows that these same properties create real and significant health risks. While the products are advertised to athletes, they have the potential to get into the hands of our impressionable youth who may believe these products will help their development.

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