Do you have a prescription for a certain medical condition? You are one of many then. In fact, more than 50% of Americans take at least one type of prescription medication regularly, and a staggering more than 80% of Americans take some type of pharmaceutical medication, such as Tylenol, regularly. However, as incredible as it sounds, there are some recipes that should have been eliminated in the first place, some that we have a hard time believing that the FDA actually approved. Are you taking one of them?

The first worst prescription pharmaceutical drugs are Vicodin and Oxycontin. These are listed here not because they have the worst side effects, but because they are the most widely available and abused. In fact, Vicodin and Oxycotin account for more deaths than ALL illegal drugs, like cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, LSD, etc., combined. The reason is because alcohol should never be mixed with Vicodin or Oxycontin. However, almost everyone who abuses these drugs combines them with alcohol. The number of pills taken should not be more than 1 or 2 at a time. There are those who will take 4 or more pills at a time. Combine those 4 pills with alcohol and you have a recipe for disaster.

There are certain classifications used by research centers that classify drugs based on their benefit-risk ratio. What’s hard to understand is why there are certain drugs rated as “worst drugs,” meaning there’s very little benefit and very high risk, and yet some of them are still approved by the FDA. The drug Vioxx, an arthritis pain reliever, was recently withdrawn from the market. People who took Vioxx had a significantly increased risk of heart attacks, or rather, many people died from it. It is one of several banned pharmaceutical drugs, most of which are weight-loss drugs. The FDA has banned these medications, however they can still be purchased illegally online.

Third, we will cover drugs with the worst side effects. For example, one drug that has been approved by the FDA and is still on the market is called Mirapex, which is used to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Many people who take this drug develop amnesia. Amnesia is also common among those taking cholesterol medications. As recounted by one man, Duane Graveline, a former astronaut, reported that he returned from a short walk and did not recognize his wife while he was taking Lipitor. He then lost his memory of any events beyond his high school graduation. A medication that is designed to help deal with the symptoms of menopause is called EvaMist. However, its side effects include cancer, stroke, heart attack, blood clots, and even dementia. How bad does your menopause have to be for you to be willing to take those kinds of risks? Chantix, a drug used to help quit smoking, makes people commit suicide. Lariam is a drug given to soldiers and tourists to help stop the spread of malaria, but often time will cause those who take it to have intense hallucinations and psychotic behavior. Many who take Plavix, a drug that is supposed to help prevent heart attacks, vomit blood as a side effect. How is it that the FDA considers these drugs to be acceptable to the public?

Fourth, we will cover the worst drugs that are now so common that we stop to consider how horrible it is for you, for example, Prozac. Depression has become such a common illness and the conventional pharmaceutical drugs used to treat it are so publicized that when we hear about them we assume they are reasonably safe. This is far from the truth. Side effects of Prozac are insomnia, nausea, weakness, headache, diarrhea, loss of appetite, drowsiness, anxiety, nervousness, tremors, dry mouth, decreased sex drive, yawning, indigestion, dizziness, sweating, impotence, problems of ejaculation, flushing (flushing of the skin, especially on the face), abnormal dreams, constipation, wind, vomiting, fever or chills, weight loss, vision changes, chest pain, high blood pressure (hypertension), increased appetite and weight gain and changes in taste. Many who take Prozac will experience many of these side effects. However, more than all of these combined is the way Prozac affects a person’s mind. The person becomes, probably more accurately described, a zombie.

The fifth worst drugs are the most addictive. Vicodin and OxyContin again appear on the list, perhaps this is part of the reason why there have been so many deaths from taking these drugs. Despite these facts, the FDA still rules that these drugs are okay. What is the difference between weed and other drugs from Vicodin? Perhaps just because those in charge can’t control the production of illegal drugs where, like Vicodin, they do control, meaning all the profits go to them? Drugs such as Demerol, Percocet*, Darvocet, Ritalin** and any amphetamine, are extremely addictive and are the number one drug sold on the black market to our children in their schools. Don’t you remember high school? How important was peer pressure to you then? We all had to fit in. What if your 13-year-old daughter is pressured by her peers to take this thing that will destroy her life?

So is there an alternative to these evils? Is there any way we can stop this? I don’t know how to stop this but I know there are alternatives. Alternative methods exist to treat the problems of many of the diseases that these drugs treat. As for her 13-year-old daughter, my best advice is to talk to her and tell her that you know about these drugs and how bad they are for her.

* Also commonly causes death
** Also causes severe mental side effects