english.prescrire.org > Spotlight > Archives : 2017 > In the November issue of Prescrire International: immunoallergic reactions with nifuroxazide; adverse effects of levothyroxine

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In the November issue of Prescrire International: immunoallergic reactions with nifuroxazide; adverse effects of levothyroxine

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Nifuroxazide: serious immunoallergic reactions

  • Nifuroxazide is used as an intestinal "anti-infective" agent in cases of diarrhoea, although its efficacy has not been demonstrated.
     
  • It is unacceptable to leave patients exposed to severe immunoallergic disorders and other adverse effects from a drug used to treat non-serious conditions and without proven efficacy.

Levothyroxine: panic attacks

  • In mid-2017, the Uppsala Pharmacovigilance Centre analysed 187 reports of panic attacks attributed to levothyroxine, recorded in the pharmacovigilance database of the World Health Organization (WHO).
     
  • Patients should be made aware of these adverse effects so that they can make the connection between experiencing these problems and taking levothyroxine.
     
  • Careful titration of the dose is essential, and given its long half-life, a time interval of 6 to 12 weeks should be allowed after each dose adjustment.  

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 ©Prescrire 1 November 2017

Prescrire Int 2017; 26 (187): 268. (Pdf, free)
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See also:

Lévothyrox° (levothyroxine):
a change in formulation
results in thousands of
reports of adverse effects
(September 2017)
Free