The pharmacist's guide to the most misused and abused drugs in America

292 Pages·13.839 MB·English

by  Ken Liska

Most Misused
~and Abused
DRUGS
_In America
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
+ OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS-
STREET DRUGS -D ESIGNER DRUGS
_ KEN LISKA
Digitized by the Internet Archive
In 2022 with-funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/pharmacistsguideOOOOlisk
THE
PHARMACIST’S
GUIDE TO THE
MOST MISUSED
AND
ABUSED
DRUGS IN AMERICA
Also by Ken Liska, Ph.D.
DRUGS AND THE HUMAN BODY
HELE
PHARMACIST’S
GUIDE TO THE
MOST MISUSED
AND
ABUSED
DRUGS IN AMERICA
Ken Liska, Ph.D
COLLIER BOOKS
NEW YORK
COLLIER MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS
LONDON
Copyright © 1988 by Ken Liska, Ph.D.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
Publisher.
Collier Books
Macmillan Publishing Company
866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Collier Macmillan Canada, Inc.
TO THE USER OF THIS BOOK: While every effort has been made
to consult recent sources, and while the information herein is
believed to be accurate, no warranty is made that each topic is
discussed exhaustively, or that product formulas and contents have
not changed since publication.
CAUTION: The information contained herein is not to be used for
the diagnosis or treatment of any disease or illness, or as a guide for
mental or physical health. This book is intended to provide only
background information for general health knowledge. Consult your
physician if the signs or symptoms of illness appear. Doses given are
usually for adults and are for general information only, not as a guide
for medication. No claim is made that all trade names for a given
substance are included.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Liska, Ken, 1929-
The pharmacist’s guide to the most misused and abused drugs in
America
Ken Liska.
jh Oia
ISBN 0-02-059340-6
1. Drugs. 2. Drugs, Non-prescription. 3. Designer drugs.
4. Pharmacology—Popular works. I. Title.
RM301.15.L57 1988
615.1—dc19 87-36847
CIP
Macmillan books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases
for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use.
For details, contact:
Special Sales Director
Macmillan Publishing Company
866 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
1098765432 1
To Paula Meta

Introduction:
To Dose or Not to Dose
Often one has no choice in deciding whether to take a drug or
not. Antibiotics can be crucial in the treatment of infections;
dangerously high blood pressure can be controlled with drugs;
epilepsy must be controlled, blood clots prevented, and ar-
rhythmias corrected.
But at other times the choice is not so clear. Can conception
be controlled by means other than oral drugs? Is a drug always
needed for the therapy of depression? Can menopause be
managed without exogenous estrogen? Do you need to take a
drug to lose weight? Is a muscle relaxant indicated for every
sore back? Shall I take a drug to get to sleep tonight? In the
areas of OTC drugs, the ads would have us dosing night and day
for the rest of our lives. (One ad said, “Take our product and you
will be regular the rest of your life.”’)
It is my strongly held belief that Americans are indecently
overdosing themselves. I believe that almost all of us could get
along with 95% fewer drugs and doses. And this includes pre-
scription as well as OTC (over-the-counter) drugs. A prominent
American pediatrician said recently that at least 90% of drugs
prescribed by pediatricians are unnecessary and a costly risk to
the child who takes them.
There are three reasons we dose too much: (1) Physicians
prescribe too often; (2) the ads seduce us with half truths and
outright falsehoods; (3) we learned it at home. I have had people
come to me with stories of old people in nursing homes receiv-
ing 8 to 11 drugs a day, every one prescribed by a physician.
One grandmother was so groggy she couldn’t walk. Minor tran-
quilizers are overprescribed; they have become a chemical
crutch to many people. Prescription and OTC sleep aids are
viii INTRODUCTION
overrelied on. For the sedentary or for the frail or elderly pa-
tient, some type of laxative might be beneficial, but for the
healthy person, they are no-win drugs. The more you take, the
more reliant on them you become.
Advertising for OTC drugs in some areas is so corrupt that it
has become a threat to our nation’s health, and this in spite of
truth-in-advertising laws recently passed. The worst OTC ad-
vertising occurs in the areas of laxatives, cold products, decon-
gestants, shampoos, diet aids, and mouthwash-gargle products.
Cases in point: Cold remedies do not cure colds; stomach acid
is needed for normal digestion; nasal decongestants act only
temporarily; expectorants probably don’t work at all; chemical
diet aids are poor substitutes for willpower; mouthwashes can-
not take the place of tooth brushing and flossing; laxatives, for
most of us, disrupt what should be a natural act; colons do not
need “cleansing” no matter how vigorously “colon cleansers”
are advertised. Half-truths are used, too, as in the ad that tells
young women to take a certain antacid because it contains the
calcium they need. True, they need calcium, but not at the
expense of a serious side effect of alkalinization of the body.
Young adults can get all of the calcium they need by eating a
variety of foods, including vegetables.
Advertising and formulations for OTC products can be un-
scrupulous. It is wrong to suggest that acetaminophen can cure
fever blisters, help you to sleep, or relieve the inflammation of
arthritis. Vinegar does not alter vaginal pH. Alcohol won’t neu-
tralize an insect bite. Aloe vera will not help in minor burns or
abrasions. Vitamin C will not cure the common cold, grow hair,
or remove warts. Aspirin is not a sedative or sleep aid, benzo-
caine won't cure acne, and boric acid won’t cure infections of
the eye. Caffeine does not help in rheumatism or fever blisters.
Calamine does not neutralize insect bites, nor does camphor act
as an effective antifungal or acne treatment. Charcoal will not
help control diarrhea, and castor oil is not a skin emollient. Cod
liver oil won’t heal hemorrhoids. Female sex hormones are not
aphrodisiacs, eugenol does not relieve toothache, honey is not
an astringent, and kaolin is not an antidiarrheal. Lysine is of no
value in weight control. Menthol is not a cough suppressant nor
pine tar an expectorant. The ubiquitous peppermint is ineffec-
tive in 14 different applications. Shark oil won’t cure hemor-