RIYADH, 21 August — The King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center has denied the contents of an article published in Arab News on Saturday under the headline “Public warned against dangerous medicines”.
The report, the KFSH said, has caused public concern and it fears some patients may as a result stop taking their medication, which can potentially be life-threatening.
“A great deal of information in the report was incorrect. For example, I never mentioned that the medicines listed could cause heart, kidney or liver complications,” said Dr. Saleh Al-Dammas, consultant for chest diseases and intensive care at the KFSH.
The report quoted Dr. Al-Dammas as saying that a total of 14 medicines presently available are likely to cause heart, kidney and liver complications and negatively affect the respiratory system.
The tablets listed were: Pseudoephedrine, Propadine, Cortizon, Prozac, Tenormine, Inderal, Theodore, Etiphan, Xanax, Rivotril, Halison, Valium, Seroxate and Paxel.
Dr. Al-Dammas clarified that “certain medical conditions like heart failure, kidney or liver failure can be among different causes of insomnia (difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep). The medications listed above are among the possible causes of insomnia. But they are prescribed and used widely for conditions like bronchial asthma, high blood pressure and depression. One of the side effects of the medications is insomnia.”
He added that Pseud-oephedrine is not used to treat asthma or rheumatic inflammation, as mentioned in the report.
“Pseudoephedrine is used to treat nasal congestion in patients with a common cold and one of its potential side effects is insomnia,” he noted.
He added that he has received hundreds of phone calls from patients after the incorrect report appeared.
