Oxymoronic Medications

When a medication is given to treat a problem that has a potential side effect of causing the same problem, that's what I call an oxymoronic medication. A classic example of an oxymoronic medication is tylenol which is typically taken to alleviate a headache, but does have a potential side effect of causing a headache! For tylenol and many others, the oxymoronic side effect is typically due to a rebound effect, but for some others, it may be a more direct effect. Here's a list o…

6/05/2015 0

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Chronic Cough Due to Statins

Statin drugs (simvastatin for example) are commonly used to treat high cholesterol and have many known side effects... but here's another. Statins are now believed to potentially cause a chronic dry cough according to a recent report ! This chronic cough side effect is common in other types of medications such as ACE-Inhibitors (lisinopril) and angiotensin receptor blockers (losartan) to treat high blood pressure. Statins were not previously known to cause a chronic dry cough. Ref…

7/30/2012 1

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TV Show SMASH Portrays Ivy With Vocal Issues

In last night's episode (Episode 106: Chemistry) of the new hit TV drama SMASH , the main character Ivy who plays Marilyn Monroe in the show developed laryngitis that affected her ability to sing clearly, especially in the high registers. However, her speaking voice did sound normal. To treat this condition, she was given prednisone which did help her voice, but suffered unfortunate side effects of mood lability, hallucinations, insomnia, etc. Did the show accurately portray what act…

3/13/2012 0

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Age Influences Botox Response in Patients with Spasmodic Dysphonia

Dr. Chang recently published a book chapter discussing how age influences response to botox injections in patients suffering from spasmodic dysphonia . Introduction Spasmodic dysphonia is a dystonia (muscle spasms) involving the muscles of the voicebox resulting in involuntary attacks of a strangled sounding voice. Treatment is botox injection to the involved muscles resulting in a decrease of such spasms thereby resulting in a more smooth-sounding voice. Unfortunately, there are si…

9/14/2010 0

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Taking Tylenol and Ibuprofen Also Has A Potential Risk of DEATH!

The New York Times in July 6, 2009 published an interesting article regarding the potentially fatal risk of taking tylenol and ibuprofen. The story titled " Reasons Not to Panic Over a Painkiller " states that tylenol (due to liver damage) kills about 400 people and hospitalizes about 42,000 every year in the United States. Ibuprofen is even worse. More than 100,000 Americans are hospitalized each year with complications associated with ibuprofen and an additional 15,000 to 20,000 di…

11/18/2009 0

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Possible Dystonia (Rare Neurological Condition) After Flu Shot

Desiree Jennings, a former Redskins cheerleader, received a seasonal flu shot on Aug 23, 2009 and has suffered from a possible dystonia reaction from the flu vaccination resulting in difficulties in eating, talking, and walking. Here is a link to a video where Dr. Stephen Grill (neurologist) is interviewed by Fox News regarding Desiree's condition. Here is a video/article of the initial story. This story is a case of a VERY unfortunate EXTREMELY rare side effect (if true) of the fl…

10/26/2009 1

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