Photo taken 4/18/2015.
https://painkills2.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/every-leaf-is-a-flower/
Day: 04/25/2015
Neurontin and Lyrica are a Death Sentence for New Brain Synapses
http://www.pharmaciststeve.com/?p=10158
These blockbuster drugs were approved for use even though the FDA had no idea what they actually did in the brain. A shocking new study shows that they block the formation of new brain synapses, drastically reducing the potential for rejuvenating brain plasticity – meaning that these drugs will cause brain decline faster than any substance known to mankind…
The researchers in the above study try to downplay the serious nature of the drugs by saying “adult neurons don’t form many new synapses.” That is simply not true. The new science is showing that brain health during aging relies on the formation of new synapses…
There’s no reason to be so alarmist about Lyrica and Neurontin. Yes, patients need to be informed about the history of these drugs, especially since doctors don’t know how they work. In fact, one doctor who wanted to prescribe Lyrica for me told me it was an antidepressant, which of course is not true…
http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/guide/lyrica-for-fibromyalgia-treatment
Lyrica is not an antidepressant. Rather, it is a drug that targets nerve signals. The medicine has long been used to relieve nerve pain in patients with shingles and diabetic neuropathy. It is also used to treat partial seizures.
Fibromyalgia pain is believed to be brought on by nerve-related changes, which cause nerve cells to fire off too many signals. This renders a person overly sensitive to stimuli that are normally not painful.
Scientists aren’t exactly sure how Lyrica improves fibromyalgia symptoms, but laboratory research suggests Lyrica helps decrease the number of nerve signals, and as a result calms down overly sensitive nerve cells. This appears to alleviate pain in patients with fibromyalgia…
Since we don’t know that much about fibromyalgia, these drugs may help because they are providing something that those who suffer from fibromyalgia don’t have. Maybe helping to quiet the over-stimulation of their nervous system. Of course, a lot of the success for Lyrica in fibromyalgia patients may be part of a placebo effect, but nobody knows.
However, if a doctor wants to prescribe Lyrica off-label, say for General Anxiety Disorder, then that doctor is just guessing that the drug may help. And I just don’t think patients should be used as lab rats. After all, the goal of Big Pharma is to make money, not help patients. Big Pharma loves to expand the use of each drug it sells, maybe even creating illnesses which don’t exist or aren’t as prevalent as they’d like you to believe…
http://www.pharmafile.com/news/lyrica-challenge-antidepressants-new-anxiety-disorder-approval
Lyrica (pregabalin) was first launched in 2004 for the treatment of neuropathic pain and the control of epileptic seizures, but Pfizer can now tap into the GAD market after receiving European marketing approval.
Drug treatment of GAD has been traditionally dominated by antidepressants such as fluoxetine and GSK’s Seroxat, but Pfizer believes its drug offers some unique benefits over existing treatments…
The problem with antidepressants is that no one knows how they work either, yet they are prescribed (especially for women) as if they’re a wonder drug. Turns out the FDA approval of antidepressants was based on studies provided and paid for by — you guessed it — Big Pharma. And the research the FDA approval was based on didn’t include all the studies that showed no benefit and/or harm. The FDA doesn’t perform its own studies, but uses these cherry-picked, industry studies which it apparently believes.
Error Messages in WordPress and Chrome
https://superuser.com/questions/747735/regularly-getting-err-network-changed-errors-in-chrome
I sure wish I understood the language of computers… Loopback address, malfunctioning interface, privacy extensions… They might as well be talking in German.
APD officer booked into jail, charged with battery for use of force
http://krqe.com/2015/04/24/apd-officer-booked-into-jail-charged-with-battery-for-use-of-force/
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – An Albuquerque police officer has been booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center, charged with misdemeanor aggravated battery for using force on someone during a call for service.
State Police say 24-year-old Cedric Greer was responding to a call at a motel when he struck the victim’s head several times with a closed fist, then struck and bruised that person’s chest. Witnesses reported that person was not resisting…
Makes you think twice about calling the police.
How Much Would You Pay for an Old Drug? If You Have MS, a Fortune
When the first therapies to treat MS were approved in the 1990s, they cost $8,000 to $12,000 a year. Subsequent drugs entered the market with higher prices. The competition didn’t drive down cost, as Economics 101 would predict. Instead, the prices of the older drugs increased and rose several times faster than the overall rate at which drug costs increased…
Now all the MS drugs cost between $50,000 and $65,000 a year, including the ones that went for less than $10,000 when they made their debut…
All Weeds Are Beautiful
https://painkills2.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/i-have-weeds/
(Photo taken 6/4/2014.)
Activists pressing for a ban on the main ingredient in Roundup weed killer
Activist group providing test kits for the general public
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking another look at glyphosate — the weed killer more commonly known as Roundup, manufactured by Monsanto. The agency declared it a carcinogen in 1985 but later reversed that decision. The chemical is up for review this year.
Use of glyphosate has increased dramatically in recent years and it is now used on a variety of crops that are grown for consumers. These include wheat, corn, soybeans, and many other foods we eat every day…
Chrome is beginning to suck
I’ve been using the Chrome browser for awhile and I like it — it’s much better than Internet Explorer. But this latest Chrome update is messing with my internet experience, including on WordPress (odd error messages and difficulty accessing some blogs). Does anyone use Firefox or Safari? Do you like it?
The drug war, Cardinal Health and CVS
DUBLIN, Ohio, April 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — With more than 15 million people aged 12 or older using prescription drugs non-medically annually, prevention education is key to reversing the trend of misuse. The Cardinal Health Foundation and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) recently recognized pharmacists for their outstanding efforts in prescription medication misuse prevention…
Wow, 15 million people “using prescription drugs non-medically” — I wonder who determines which patients are “misusing” their prescription medications?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_Health
Cardinal Health, Inc. is a Fortune 500 health care services company based in Dublin, Ohio. The firm specializes in distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical products, serving more than 60,000 locations… On December 10, 2013, it was announced that Cardinal Health would team up with CVS Caremark, which would form the largest generic drug sourcing operation in the United States. The venture was named Red Oak Sourcing and began operations in July 2014...
Now there’s an app to shame pain patients and drug addicts
New Jersey this week became the first U.S. state to launch its own prescription monitoring app so physicians and pharmacists can identify patients or others who might be “doctor shopping” to collect large amounts of medications.
The free app for Apple smartphone and handheld device collects detailed information on prescriptions filled in New Jersey for controlled dangerous substances (CDS) – the category of drugs that includes potentially addictive opiate painkillers – and HGH, state officials said.
(Android and Windows Mobile versions will be available this summer.)
The app is part of New Jersey’s Prescription Monitoring Program, maintained by the state Division of Consumer Affairs. “We’re working hard to expand the use of the Prescription Monitoring Program and this new app is the latest in an ongoing series of upgrades to the NJPMP since we launched it in late 2011,” Acting New Jersey Attorney General John J. Hoffman said…
Somehow, it doesn’t seem odd to law enforcement and the AG’s office that they’re now part of the health care industry.
To encourage participation, the DCA grants automatic enrollment to all New Jersey doctors who successfully applied for the renewal of their state-granted authority to prescribe medications. The division also launched an outreach campaign, sending staff to hospitals to meet with doctors and explain the NJPMP program to them.
Last year, the division expanded the NJPMP to include direct data-sharing with the PMPs maintained by Connecticut and Delaware, and began efforts to build a similar data-sharing partnership with New York State.
Pretty soon, states and law enforcement will include medical cannabis in the PDMPs, and will start monitoring who joins medical cannabis programs — you know, to stop diversion.
Just so we’re clear, the only thing PDMPs really do is keep people from seeking health care, instead forcing them into the underground drug market to treat their medical conditions.
All Things Chronic 