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Subscribe to RSSWASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use an over-the-counter drug called Intestinomicina because the anti-diarrhea treatment contains a drug linked to life-threatening injuries.
The El Salvador-manufactured drug comes in pills and liquid forms and is sold as a treatment for infectious diarrhea at international grocery stores and specialty stores in the U.S.
Regulators say Intestinomicina contains the drug chloramphenicol, which can interfere with the production of red and white blood cells. People with anemia and other low blood cell counts are at greater risk of injury or death from using the drug.
The FDA recalled all oral forms of chloramphenicol in July due to safety risks. The agency is asking consumers who purchased the product to stop taking it and consult a health care professional.
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Intestinomicina? Really? They called it that and expect people to want to buy it?
sounds really crappy.
FDA endorses the sale of cigarettes to white trash - it must be healthy!
Chloramphenicol is a broad spectrum antibiotic. It is prescription only in the US. Taken short term, it is pretty safe. It shouldn't cause any problems. If it is being sold over the counter at these "tiendas" it could be dangerous because people might take too much and/or take it for too long. Besides, most diarrhea in the US is not bacterial. It is either viral, or due to gastrointestinal inflammation caused by certain foods or drugs, or it is idiopathic (cause unknown.) This drug would be ineffective against most cases of diarrhea in the US.
Wow when you are overseas and you get sick, you buy what you can to help yourself get well. I know years ago I was in Ching Mai, Thailand on vacation with my wife and 10 month old son. We were walking down the street looking for a place to eat and these two young men probably in their teens had their own cookery set up in an open air place with a Mercedes Benz parked inside the eatery. I figured it must be a first class place since the Mercedes was parked in the place so we sat down to eat. The boy asked me if I wanted a Sing Ha beer. I asked him Tori? and he said so many baht. I said that's a little too much to pay for a beer. He went back to his brother and they were arguing. My wife said the one brother told the other one he should have told me that was the cheapest beer you could find in Ching Mai. So I said OK give me one. It was warm. I said "This beer is warm." He then brought some ice cubes out and put them in the beer. Don't do that. The next day I had Montezuma's revenge and missed out on a chance to go see the Hill tribe. My wife stayed with our baby in the hotel and I went out in the city located in the Golden Triangle looking for drugs (the diarrreah kind). The lady at the counter in the hotel said there was a pharmacy across the street. So I went into this multistory building across the street and found nothing. I then went back outside and saw a place saying "Tours" so I figured there was someone there who spoke English. A young boy about 12 said he'd show me where a pharmacy was. I paid him a quarter. I walked into the pharmacy and I figured the lady would not be able to speak English so I made an illegal motion sign and pointed to my stomach. She said "Diarreah?" I said yes and she gave me a pill. I have no idea what it was, but it seemed to work.
ludwig: You must have been a first time traveler. I don't know anyone who leaves the US without a box or 2 of Imodium.
I don't need a warning from the FDA to know not to take a drug manufactured in El Salvador.
ANY PHarma is a bad choice when you have a choice ?
weed CAN make alot of things more tolerable
It wont fix it some times but , makes it easier to deal with !
And is always a safer choice because ( YOU CANT O.D. ON WEED ) .
Hershey squirts v.s. a heart attack.
That's not a good choice. Is there an option "B" ?