Epilepsy Talk
The Coronavirus — What Does It Mean For You? | March 7, 2020
Did you know that most of the components of our meds come from China and India?
“Many over-the-counter and generic drugs [PDF] sold in the United States are made in China, including antidepressants, HIV/AIDS medications, birth control pills, chemotherapy treatments, and medicines for Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease.
U.S. health officials have warned that the coronavirus outbreak could lead to drug shortages.
The outbreak of the new coronavirus has forced a large number of Chinese drug manufacturers to shut down.
That could be bad news for the United States, which depends on China and India for its drug supply.
Since the 1990s, U.S. companies have increasingly imported pharmaceutical products from India and China, where ingredients are cheaper and manufacturing is subject to fewer regulations. As a result, the United States now relies heavily on China and India for its drug supply.
China is the second-largest exporter [PDF] of drugs and biologics, or drugs from natural sources, to the United States and the largest for medical devices, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
It is believed that about 80 percent of the basic components used in U.S. drugs, known as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), come from China and India, though the exact dependence remains unknown since no reliable API registry exists.
The United States also relies on these two countries for its supply of generic drugs, which account for 90 percent [PDF] of the medicines that Americans take.
India supplies 40 percent of over-the-counter and generic prescription drugs used in the United States.
U.S. consumers should not panic, but they have reasons to be vigilant…”
For the rest of this story, click on: https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/coronavirus-disrupt-us-drug-supply-shortages-fda
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Tags: China, coronavirus, don't panic, fewer regulations, generic drugs, India, ingredients, supply shortages, vigilant
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Epilepsy Talk 
DOES THIS APPLY TO CANADIANS AS WELL? Thank you Phylis. AGAIN!!!!!!! Makes me wonder if our pharmacists and doctors were PROPERLY PREPARED FOR THIS!!!!!!!
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 7, 2020 @ 3:42 PM
I believe it’s world-wide. 😦
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 7, 2020 @ 3:46 PM
The world is an ecosystem based on level headed leaders with all of living species, land and water in mind!! Makes me wonder now what? I hope their still capable of making our medications somewhere in North America and that in this case OUR LEADERSHIP REALIZES THERE ARE NO BOARDERS IN THIS CASE!!
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 7, 2020 @ 4:41 PM
How about HOARDERS???
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 7, 2020 @ 5:37 PM
Filthy animals , you elect these people to protect you and instead they sell you out every chance they get. They dont care about you at all. They own and abuse you every chance they get. Not surprised that maybe all the side effects of these medications are the result of lax regulations and possibly done on purpose as none of these countries are our friends. They are rivals and jealous ones at that.
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Comment by Tom — March 7, 2020 @ 3:55 PM
Well I’m from Canada with “duel citizenship” with the United States. And I was always of the assumption that we all take care of eachother regardless of where we’re from or what colour we are or nationality. In our case we are all part of unique group of people with epilepsy or loved ones of epilepsy. I have nothing to be jealous about because all we want is for everyone to be well and okay. Whatever this thing is doesn’t seem to have any boarders at all!! But it’s sad how at one point our countries were all self sufficient and now BECAUSE OF MONEY our lives maybe shaken up on account of it!! Somewhere, some how each of our countries (no matter where we’re from) have now dropped the ball!! Shame on our leaders! Whatever happened to the people they serve and who have given them a job?
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 8, 2020 @ 7:55 PM
“Well BIG Pharma “did” it to us. Follow the money trail…
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 7, 2020 @ 4:07 PM
China knew about this late last year and NEVER SAID A WORD TO THE WORLD!! NOW WHAT DO WE ALL DO FOR OURSELVES, FAMILIES, FRIENDS, LOVED ONES, EVEN OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOURS!! 🙏🏼🦅🙏🏼
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 7, 2020 @ 4:50 PM
This is why for all those reasons YOU NEED to know what is in all foods & drinks you have daily as I have seen the major increases of MSG’s & ASPARTAME’s in all drugs, including AED’s we all take and the metals & food coloring dyes are not seizure stopper chemicals but seizure creators triggers. The 100mg tablet of VIMPAT is the only tablet of VIMPAT without ALUMINUM in it, and people wonder why they have side effects & do not want to take Vimpat. FDA & CDC, need to make these drugs from China ilegal to bring in here because CONGRE$$ themselves makes money through BIG PHARMA & MONSANTO as they refuse to help Trump make our drugs cheaper & better for us all. Has anyone heard about MONSANTO has a antibiotic that is to be safe & has ROUND UP in that drug ? they claim that ROUND UP will work better than penicillin with the rest of the drugs made with it. they are waiting to see if the FDA will approve it but FDA is not in a hurry to pass it to be safe. Again, WHAT is in all the foods that are triggering seizures in your life & abusing your brain ? I am at a 5% or less of foods that I know I can eat.
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Comment by James D — March 7, 2020 @ 7:12 PM
I don’t know if we can analyze our foods any better than we can analyze our meds.
But at least, for the most part, we know where our foods come from.
However, as you’ve said, not what processes our foods have been through.
What’s been added and what’s been taken away.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 8, 2020 @ 10:48 AM
James, you are so right on the Monsanto (Roundup). It’s a huge problem in Canada too. Even if someone tries to be organic, the sad and scary fact is if your neighbours use roundup, you do too because it can travel through the soil and be airborne. We grow our own food and don’t use it, and fortunately there aren’t many gardens in my neighbourhood.
Another scary thing is Monsanto supplies a lot of the trees for reforestation.
Europe has banned it. Why can’t we?
Dyes and aspartame are bad too, and should be out of our medications. I Don’t need a pill to look pretty and taste good … they go down quickly.
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Comment by Marlyn — March 8, 2020 @ 7:41 PM
I COMPLETELY AGREE!! Thank you Marlyn 😊
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 11, 2020 @ 9:39 PM
While the panic & hysteria over the corona virus seem to be overblown out of proportion just like the AIDS, SIRUS, EBOLA viruses,,, who imposed unnecessary terror to the general public, the US constantly relaying on cheap imported products made without direct oversight & control over the resources & manufacturing of the products certainly comprise the quality & quantity of the needed products, when there’s emergency conditions to deal with in international crises.
Obviously, your concern is totally justified.
Gerrie
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Comment by BahreNegash Eritrea — March 8, 2020 @ 3:45 PM
The thing that I find fascinating is that before this, nobody brought up the dangerous statistics of the plain old common flu.
That’s nothing to be taken lightly, either.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 8, 2020 @ 7:16 PM
“The people will believe what the media tells them to believe”.
George Orwell
Everyday, more people are dying from common flu, Azzma, TB, lung cancer,,,, than all the people who has been infected & dying from Corona virus through out the whole world since the discovery of the virus.
Therefore, while the precautionary public information is certainly helpful to avoid & halt the wide spread of conora virus deep into global population, the sensational outcry over the corona virus makes one wonder, what else is behind the media hype terrorizing the whole world over the outbreak of a limited crisis into global trauma?
Sadly the unnecessary panic & hysteria is displacing, bankrupting & destroying more people than the corona virus infection.
It would have been very useful for the World Health Organization to get involved & help the global population to find out the realistic threat, logical & practical remedy to the world wide panic over the corona virus.
Gerrie
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Comment by BahreNegash Eritrea — March 9, 2020 @ 12:03 AM
They should have also thought of the mental well-being of people as well or have/had some sort of decompression process for the general public in general. Also people don’t realize the effect this can have on people with epilepsy and now insurances. I just pray EVERYONE HAS CLEAN WATER AND SOAP!! Yes even in North America. I chuckled when I was told what we needed to keep on hand 😂😂. I’m allergic to codeine, alcohol, latex and generic medications. I think that’s the first time I ever told my husband “darn!! Maybe we are a bit fragile! 😳”
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 11, 2020 @ 9:46 PM
NOW the World Health Organization is calling the Coronavirus an international pandemic.
A day late and a dollar short.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 11, 2020 @ 10:25 PM
YOU BIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!!!!! I have to admit even my own home with 4 of us if one person catches a cold or flu WE ALL CATCH IT!!!!! The hard part is trying to figure out wether or not it’s a cold or a flu!! Again this time around (as I’ve mentioned before) we all have an illness to which is different from the rest in my household, but this time around we noticed they keep talking about ventilators!! Well thanks to my oldest daughter we actually have one!! She hardly ever uses it, but it sure came in handy the other week when she caught whatever she brought home on her reading week. Even the pharmacist couldn’t believe we had a ventilator at hone when we went to get her the medication to help her out!! Every year we have to go out and pick what we need for our family’s future needs INCASE we get sick. It was something I was taught that I actually thought EVERYONE DID, but don’t!! Normally my daughters are NOT HAPPY CAMPERS during those seasons because we all do the picking, cleaning and on and on. This is the first time I EVER HAD THEM APPROACH ME AND ACTUALLY THANK ME!! The funny part is all I could say was “don’t thank me!! Thank you great great grandma’s, great grandma and great aunties!! They taught me and I just continued on teaching you girls 🙏🏼🦅😇💕💝😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 8, 2020 @ 7:37 PM
This is WHY WE REALLY NEED TO PROTECT OUR NATUAL RESOURCES AND WATER WAYS!!!!!!! AND SHARE AND TEACH WITH EACHOTHER WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WON’T SHARE OR TEACH WITH OTHERS!! 🙏🏼🦅😇💕
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 8, 2020 @ 8:52 PM
Kind of made me wonder if the flu shot combined with pneumonia vaccinations may help? Lol but I tell you I almost feel like a walking, garlic clove, ginger root, unpasteurized honey, and real lemon!! And in between mint tea, and a couple of other things!! Being the rebel I am of course SWEATING OUT AS WELL!!!!! However I ALMOST HAVE A FULLY CLEAN HOUSE NOW! Yes it maybe a bit overkill but I was taught it’s always best to be safe and clean then sick and sorry. Lol my grandma was a janitor at our local hospital for 17 years 😘🙏🏼🦅😇🙏🏼😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 8, 2020 @ 9:11 PM
Good for you. Now just keep washing your hands and keeping them moisturized. (Little cooties can work their way into cracked skin. Or so I just read.)
Happily, contrary to popular belief, there was toilet paper, tissues and detergent at the grocery today.
Just no bleach or hand sanitizers. We don’t even have the coronavirus here, but people are still paranoid.
It’s an epidemic situation and a PANDEMIC OF FEAR.
But, better to be informed than misinformed, or in the dark.
To be continued…
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 8, 2020 @ 9:21 PM
It was kind of funny when we were doing our shopping!! My husband says to me “well bleach and alcohol are off the table because your allergic to them!! So looks like your getting baking soda, lemon cleaner and vinegar 😊”. I chuckled and told him “I smell like a walking garlic DON’T WORRY NOBODY WILL COME NEAR US!!” Lol 😂 😂😂😂😂
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 8, 2020 @ 9:28 PM
I agree about the lotion!!!!! I’m also allergic to “LATEX” lol 😂. I found the HARD PART WAS NOT CHEWING MY NAILS!!!!! I actually had to buy nail clippers 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 8, 2020 @ 9:31 PM
Maybe we will start to roll back globalization. Rebuild our productive capability starting with major infrastructure projects.
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Comment by Christine Douglas — March 9, 2020 @ 8:20 PM
From your mouth to God’s ear.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 9, 2020 @ 9:48 PM
You know in my province they closed brand new (almost) hospitals, and recently laid off a bunch of nurses!! Last week when I had to go see my doctor I stood there and walked around the hospital. One of the staff members asked me if I was okay? I looked at her and told her “my grandma was the first person to clean this hospital (because it had just been built and opened. She cleaned it for one week and then retired. I wonder what she would think now that we have no hospital to go to with this flu, pandemic and on and on. Maybe all of the nurses who just got laid off should all come back now as well as making it back into a hospital to serve all of the people who can’t get to the nearest city or their loved one” 💕
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 11, 2020 @ 11:05 PM
Funny how we think we have everything in our countries until something like this comes up. I sure hope everyone still takes care of EACHOTHER with compassion, caring and love ❤️🙏🏼🦅😇💕. We are all after all still human beings as well. I believe Everyone has a higher power whatever they choose to name him or her in a spiritual sense. Prayer to whomever we all pray to may not hurt as well 🙏🏼🦅😇💕.
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Comment by Kathy S.B — March 11, 2020 @ 10:55 PM