Medications & Supplements

Key Facts: 
  • You may be dependent on medicine to manage a health condition such as diabetes, epilepsy, or depression.
  • Some medicines that are used for pain, or to help you sleep can be addictive.
  • If you find that you need more and more of a medicine to feel good, or can’t cope without it, this is a sign of addiction.
  • Speak with your doctor or get help if you have a problem with using medicines.

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Many drugs can alter a person’s thinking and judgment; and can lead to health risks, including addiction, drugged driving, infectious disease, and adverse effects on pregnancy. Information on commonly used drugs with the potential for misuse or addiction can be found here.

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Medically Reviewed by James Beckerman, MD, FACC on September 04, 2023 Written by Hope Cristol

Abstract: Heart failure is often caused by other health problems, like heart disease or diabetes. But common medications can also bring it on. This condition isn’t what it sounds like: Your heart doesn’t stop. It just doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. That means you may be short of breath, feel weak, and have swollen legs and feet, among other symptoms.

Some drugs and natural supplements cause or worsen heart failure because they:
  • Are toxic to your heart
  • Affect the strength of heart muscle contractions
  • Make high blood pressure worse
  • Prevent heart failure medications from working well
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Abstract: The connection between calcium and cardiovascular disease is plausible. Calcium deposits are part of artery-clogging plaque. They also contribute to stiffening of the arteries and interfere with the action of heart valves.

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Abstract: The FDA admitted in 2007 that SSRIs can cause madness at all ages and that the drugs are very dangerous; otherwise daily monitoring wouldn’t be needed: “Families and caregivers of patients should be advised to look for the emergence of such symptoms on a day-to-day basis, since changes may be abrupt” ... “All patients being treated with antidepressants for any indication should be monitored appropriately and observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the initial few months of a course of drug therapy, or at times of dose changes, either increases or decreases. The following symptoms, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, and mania, have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants”.

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Abstract: Drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) is the second-most-common etiology of parkinsonism in the elderly after Parkinson's disease (PD). Many patients with DIP may be misdiagnosed with PD because the clinical features of these two conditions are indistinguishable.

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Abstract: To investigate whether calcium supplements increase the risk of cardiovascular events.

Conclusions: Calcium supplements (without coadministered vitamin D) are associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction. As calcium supplements are widely used these modest increases in risk of cardiovascular disease might translate into a large burden of disease in the population. A reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in the management of osteoporosis is warranted.

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Abstract: On March 22, 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a health advisory informing the public that manufacturers of several popular antidepressants have been asked to include a warning statement on product labeling. This warning statement recommends that antidepressant-treated patients—both children and adults—should be closely monitored for worsening of depression or emergence of suicidal behavior.


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