MEDICATIONS: METAMIZOLE USE BY LATINO IMMIGRANTS: A COMMON AND POTENTIALLY HARMFUL HOME REMEDY

June 10, 2002 — Metamizole, a popular remedy used within the Latino community in the United States can be potentially harmful, and even fatal, according a recent study. Metamizole, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, is prohibited in the United States because it can cause serious illnesses. Despite the ban by the FDA, an investigation of a Salt Lake City pediatric clinic found that 35 percent of Spanish-speaking Latino families had used metamizole. Twenty-five percent of those families had purchased the remedy in the United States, suggesting that metamizole availability and use is more prevalent than had been realized.