Search This Blog

Wednesday 2 October 2013

MIMS Announces yet another Banned Drug. Ketoconazole.

Ketoconazole, or Nizoral is (or perhaps was?) an anti-fungal medication. Similar drugs are fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), and miconazole (Micatin, Monistat). These drugs are supposed to prevent the growth of fungi by preventing production of the membranes that surround fungal cells. The FDA approved Ketoconazole in June 1981. So once again we have a drug, now known to be dangerous, being taken by patients for over 30 years - and only after all these decades have the Conventional Medical Establishment decided that it is unsafe or dangerous. The MIMs article states the following:

          "The antifungal ketoconazole (Nizoral) should no longer be prescribed as an oral treatment as the risks no longer outweigh the benefits, the MHRA has advised. The risk of hepatic injury with oral ketoconazole is thought to be higher than that associated with other available antifungal treatments".

The drug has been known to cause serious 'side-effects', or disease-inducing effects, for most of this time. This has been taken from the Drug.com website, which called them 'unwanted effects', and that they were 'rare'. Clearly they were not sufficient 'rare' to avoid the ban being imposed by the MHRA!
  • Back, leg, or stomach pains
  • black, tarry stools
  • bleeding gums
  • blood in the urine or stools
  • blurred vision
  • burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles," or tingling feelings
  • change in color vision
  • change in the ability to see colors, especially blue or yellow
  • chest pain
  • chills
  • confusion
  • cough
  • dark urine
  • difficulty breathing
  • difficulty seeing at night
  • difficulty swallowing
  • dizziness
  • fast heartbeat
  • fever
  • general body swelling
  • headache
  • hives
  • hoarseness
  • increased sensitivity of the eyes to sunlight
  • irritation
  • itching
  • joint pain, stiffness or swelling
  • light-colored stools
  • loss of appetite
  • mood or mental changes
  • nausea or vomiting, severe
  • nosebleeds
  • painful or difficult urination
  • pale skin
  • pinpoint red spots on the skin
  • puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips or tongue
  • redness of the skin
  • shortness of breath
  • skin rash
  • sore throat
  • sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
  • swelling of the eyelids, face, lips, hands, or feet
  • swollen glands
  • tightness in the chest
  • trouble sleeping
  • troubled breathing or swallowing
  • unusual bleeding or bruising
  • unusual tiredness or weakness
  • vision changes
  • wheezing
  • yellow eyes or skin
  • Change in number of sperm and their ability to move
  • decreased interest in sexual intercourse
  • diarrhea
  • hair loss or thinning of hair
  • inability to have or keep an erection
  • loss in sexual ability, desire, drive, or performance
  • sleepiness or unusual drowsiness
  • swelling of the breasts or breast soreness for both female and male
Quite a list of ailments in return for preventing the growth of fungi!

There is no indication in this list that the drug can also cause birth defects - but this website goes over the evidence for this.

I have no information that the drug has been banned anywhere else in the world, and on that basis, the drug companies will no doubt continue to sell it wherever they can, and deny, or play down the damage that the drug can cause to patients.

Click here for more information on Banned and Withdrawn Pharmaceutical drugs.