Articles: "Off-Label" Prescribing
Is it safe for your teenager to take Prozac for depression? What about Paxil for ADD? Can your wife continue to take Lipitor if she is pregnant?
What does it mean if a drug prescription is "off-label"?
Americans trust their doctors to write prescriptions that will safely and effectively treat their conditions. But did you know that one in five prescriptions are written for conditions that the drug has not been approved to treat?
Read MoreWhat are the dangers of using an “off-label” prescription?
“Off-label” is the term used when a drug is prescribed (or a device is used) to treat a condition for which it is not intended. Such devices and drugs have not been approved for use by the FDA because there is no evidence shown to the FDA that it works for that condition. It may be alarming, but almost 20% of all drugs are prescribed are “off label."
Read MoreOff-Label Prescribing: Part 1
Off-label: The prescription of a drug to treat a condition other than that for which it is approved. The results of this prohibited practice can be devastating, causing severe side effects and even death.
Read MoreOff-Label Prescribing: Part 2
Here, we continue to review the dangerous and reckless practice of off-label prescribing. In this article, we take a closer look at Vioxx, a painkiller that was marketed as treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
Read MoreOff-Label Prescribing: Part 3
Risperdal was a heavy-duty, anti-psychotic drug produced by Johnson & Johnson. It was approved by the FDA in 1993 for the treatment of schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder in adult patients. However, Johnson & Johnson felt this was much too small a marketing population, so they branched out.
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