WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials issued an alert on Tuesday about reports of life-threatening side effects and deaths among patients, including children, who took UCB SA's prescription cough medicine Tussionex.
The reports indicate doctors sometimes are prescribing, and patients sometimes taking, more than the recommended dose of Tussionex Pennkinetic Extended-Release Suspension, the Food and Drug Administration said.
Some also are taking the drug more frequently than every 12 hours, the recommended time interval, or giving it to children under age 6, the FDA said. Tussionex is not approved for children younger than 6.
Here's what the RX List has to say about Tussionex. It's technical, so I'll leave all the links in -- and I've highlighted the frightening stuff you should pay attention to!
Serious overdosage with hydrocodone [Tussionex] is characterized by respiratory depression (a decrease in respiratory rate and/or tidal volume, Cheyne-Stokes respiration, cyanosis), extreme somnolence progressing to stupor or coma, skeletal muscle flaccidity, cold and clammy skin, and sometimes bradycardia and hypotension. Although miosis is characteristic of narcotic overdose, mydriasis may occur in terminal narcosis or severe hypoxia. In severe overdosage apnea [stopped or decreased breathing], circulatory collapse, cardiac arrest and death may occur.
Be careful with this and ALL prescription drugs!
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