Online Pharmacy Medicine Blog

Johnson & Johnson became the target of the FDA’s wrath on Friday due to a delayed recall of approximately 500 lots of drugs like Tylenol, Motrin, and Benadryl.

Apparently J&J had received many complaints from consumers early in 2008 stating that some of there medications had a moldy, mildew-like odor. J&J chose to overlook these complaints, until late in 2008 when the FDA issued a warning letter to J&J stating that failure to rectify the problem could result in legal action and seizure.

Despite knowing that they were selling sub par products, a recall was not initiated until last month, drawing public criticism from the FDA on Friday.

McNeil (sub company of J&J) should have acted faster,” said Deborah Autor, director of the FDA’s Office of Compliance, of the arm of Johnson & Johnson that manufactures Tylenol products, adding “When something smells bad, literally or figuratively, they must aggressively investigate and solve the problem.”

The FDA further criticized J&J for not adequately responding to complaints, noting the extremely long length of time from when they had first received complaints of the odor, to when action was taken to remedy the problem.

The recall has been made on the Tylenol Arthritis medication that was the original source of the problem, as well as Tylenol Extra Strength, Rolaids, and a number of children’s medicines that appear to have the same problem.

If the tainted medicine is taken, individuals may experience a number of side affects including nausea and vomiting.

If you have purchased any of these tainted J&J medications, the company advises consumers to stop using them and contact McNeil for information about how to get a refund or a replacement. The company provided the address for its Web site, www.mcneilproductrecall.com, as well as a toll-free number: (888) 222-6036.

Until recently, it was more common for celebrities to die from illegal drugs than from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. But as prescription drug abuse has become a larger problem for our society as a whole, we have seen an increasing number of celebrities die as a result.

Just since 2007, we have lost Heath Ledger, Anna Nicole Smith and now, possibly, King of Pop Michael Jackson because of prescription drugs.

“This is not something that has been unexpected… because of the medications which Michael was under,” Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman said shortly after the singer’s death. Jackson reportedly was taking Xanax, Zoloft and Demerol at the time of his death.

Which drugs are the most likely to cause accidental drug deaths? In many cases, it’s not one drug — it’s a combination of drugs that can be deadly when taken together.

Here are 10 of the most famous accidental celebrity prescription drug deaths and the medications that caused them. You’ll notice several no prescription drugs that have played a role in multiple celebrity deaths, including Valium, Xanax and Vicodin.

1. Marilyn Monroe: Nembutal, chloral hydrate

2. Elvis Presley: Placidyl, Dexedrine

3. Judy Garland: Seconal

4. Howard Hughes: Valium, codeine

5. Heath Ledger: OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax, Valium, Restoril

6. Dorothy Dandrige (1940s/50s actress): Imipramine

7. Dana Plato (Diff’rent Strokes): Vanadom, Vicodin

8. Keith Moon (The Who): Heminevrin

9. Rob Pilatus (Milli Vanilli): methadone

10. Robert Walker (1940s/50s actor): sodium amytal

Lipitor is the best-selling drug in the United States, and is generally considered safe and effective in treating high cholesterol.

But if you are one of the millions of Americans — especially seniors — who are taking multiple drugs for chronic conditions, you may be unaware of the interaction risks you face by taking Lipitor in combination with other drugs.

Lipitor interacts with more than 600 drugs, including erythromycin, niacin (vitamin B3), simvastatin, and metronidazole. In some cases, the interactions can produce serious complications and side effects.

As the Gloucester Daily Times reports, physicians should be aware of, and should inform you of, such interactions. But if an individual is being treated by a number of specialists, sometimes these warnings can slip through the cracks.

As the paper reports:

Consumers should know the name of every medication the doctor has prescribed, what each medication looks like, and be sure to look at every medication before ingesting it. Patients should not be afraid to ask questions if a medication looks unfamiliar. Sometimes, it’s just that a generic substitution has been made, but it’s always best to be sure before swallowing.

Keeping a written list of all medications taken, including dietary supplements, herbal preparations and non-prescription drugs can help the doctor prescribe more safely. Ask the doctor, as each prescription is written, what the name of the drug is, the correct strength or dosage, what it is being prescribed for, and if there are any interactions or side effects to watch for. Write the information down, as many drug names sound alike. If you are in the hospital, and unable to do this yourself, pre-arrange to have a family member or friend do this for you, if possible.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, medication errors injure more than one million people per year in America, and while there are still far too many medication errors in hospitals, there has been a recent upsurge in home settings, so being one’s own advocate is important in preventing errors, and saving lives.

By becoming a member of ePharmacies.com, you can gain access to Web tools including a pill identifier — which helps you identify medications based on photographs of the drugs — and a drug interaction checker, which allows you to input your current drug regimen and learn the potential interaction risks.

These tools act as an important safety net should your doctor or pharmacist neglect to catch a potential risk. We encourage you to join ePharmacies.com today!