Two commonly prescribed drugs, when taken together, can cause a rare type of heartbeat abnormality that may lead to a heart attack. One of the drugs is terfenadine (trade name Seldane), which doctors prescribe to clear up congestion. The other is ketoconazole (Nizoral), an antifungal agent.
In 1990, after reviewing reports of cardiac problems in people using both drugs, the Food and Drug Administration warned physicians about the risky combo. However, doctors continued to prescribe this potentially fatal combination, says Peter K. Honig of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.
Honig and his colleagues have now confirmed the heart jeopardy posed by this drug duo. In the March 24/31 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, they report that terlenadine is not metabolized properly when taken with the oral form of ketoconazole. The result: a buildup of a substance in the bloodstream that can cause a potentially fatal heart-rhythm disturbance in otherwise healthy people.
COPYRIGHT 1993 Science Service, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
Contact
Home
A
Oxytetracycline