The journal Prescrire has published its blacklist of drugs to avoid in 2019, because deemed “more dangerous than useful”. Among them, several are familiar, such as Humex or Toplexil.
For the seventh consecutive year, the magazine Prescribe has just published its list of drugs to avoid, because considered “more dangerous than useful, with the aim of helping to choose quality care, not to harm patients and to avoid disproportionate damage”.
Décontractyl and its risks of dependence
“This analysis identified 93 drugs (including 82 marketed in France) whose benefit-risk balance is unfavorable in all the clinical situations for which they are authorized in France or in the European Union”. Among the “newcomers”, figure Decontractyl, used in tablets or balm to relieve pain related to muscle contractures. According to the analyzes carried out from 2010 to 2018 on these drugs and published in the review, this muscle relaxant would cause drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, serious allergic reactions and addiction. Adverse effects due to mephenesin, the active ingredient of the drug.
“Mephenesin is a muscle relaxant of poorly evaluated and limited clinical utility, with long known sedative effects”, already alerted the journal in 2013. “In France, during the 2010s, an increase in cases of abuse and dependence on mephenesin was observed. (…) Patients describe the effects sought as sedative, euphoric and “high” effects, or relief from physical or psychological pain. In three cases, withdrawal was followed by withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, anxiety and aggression.”
Toplexil and Humex
The cough suppressant based on oxomemazine, which is found in many products (Toplexil and generics including Humex dry cough oxomemazine) also has neuroleptic properties. In total, “6 drugs have been added: mephenesin (Décontractyl°, Décontractyl balm°); oxomemazine (Toplexil° or other); glyceryl trinitrate in local application (Rectogesic°); obeticholic acid (Ocaliva° ); cimetidine (Cimetidine Mylan° or other); ulipristal 5 mg (Esmya°)”.
Three drugs have been removed from this list compared to 2018: “one because withdrawn from the market (telithromycin, Ketek°), another because new data is being analyzed by Prescrire (selexipag, Uptravi°) , and a third because new data have shown that its benefit-risk balance is not clearly unfavorable (olaparib, Lynparza°)”.
Nevertheless, the review recalls that certain cold medicines such as decongestant vasoconstrictors (oxymetazoline, phenylephrine, ephedrine, naphazoline, pseudoephedrine which is contained in a dozen medicines and tuaminoheptane) pose a risk of cardiovascular disorders. serious, even fatal (stroke, heart rhythm disorders, etc.).
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