8 out of 10 prescription drugs taken off the market due to side effects in 1997-2001, had greater side effects in women than men.
For every 10 prescription drugs taken off the market due to health risks from side effects in 1997-2001, 8 had greater side effects in women than men. Current well-known differences are:
– ACE inhibitors: are more effective in reducing cardiovascular disease in men than women.
– Alcohol: In men, the liver-metabolising enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase (ADH) is in the stomach lining and liver, whereas in women, there’s little to no ADH in the stomach and it’s less active in the liver. This means it takes half as much alcohol to get a woman drunk.
– Aspirin: reduces risk of ischaemic stoke in women, but not heart attacks – which is the opposite for men.
– Digoxin: It seems less protective in women than men and women experience the side effect of a cough more.
– Lipid-lowering meds (Statins): some studies suggest that women were afforded a 3% reduction in cardiovascular events as opposed to 6% in men.
– Zolpidem (Ambien/Stilnox): Used to treat insomnia, the serum concentrations in women the morning after taking the meds were twice as high than in men on the same dose – meaning women have been “overdosing on Ambient for 20 years, leaving them at greater risk for everything from impaired driving to addled-decision making. As it turns out, the FDA , and makers of Ambient, Sanofi-Aventis, were aware of the issue.”-Elisabeth Armstrong.
The next post will look at the differences in health management between the sexes.
