Epilepsy Talk
Prescription switching. Do you know what you’re REALLY getting?
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How many times have you had a prescription switched without your knowledge or permission?
Not just switched to a generic version of the prescribed drug, but to a different drug altogether.
Yet the practice of swapping out medications is perfectly legal in most states.
Stop the FDA from regulating supplements and nutrients
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The Dietary Supplement Labeling Act pretends to be consumer-oriented, but instead will give the FDA redundant power that it could easily misuse, restricting your access to nutritional supplements and raising the cost of buying them.
In short, nutritional supplements will be regulated like prescription drugs…
Tags: consumer interests, FDA, nutritional supplements, unnecessary legislation
Dilantin — Hero or Horror?
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Dilantin (Phenytoin) can be considered the grandfather of all epilepsy medications.
Although it was invented in 1908 as a chemical that could prevent convulsions during electroshock treatment, its popularity grew quickly, and as early as 1940, it was hailed as initiating a whole new epoch of anti-epilepsy drugs, motivating researchers to seek even more effective medications and pharmaceutical companies set up aggressive screening programs.
In the next two decades, a dozen new anticonvulsants were introduced into clinical therapy!
Today, Dilantin remains one of the most widely used drugs in the world.
But not without its risks…
The Mystery of Epilepsy and Celiac Disease
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The relationship between celiac disease and epilepsy has been documented in medical journals for decades. Yet neurologists rarely consider it as an underlying possibility in cases of idiopathic epilepsy.
It never ceases to amaze me what an impact celiac disease can have on one’s life and quality of life, but there is no routine testing for it. Yet, I‘ve been told (and have read) that very few people with epilepsy are told of the possibility of celiac disease!
Tags: brain, celiac disease, Epilepsy, Folic Acid, gluten, malabsorption, nervous system, nutritional deficiency
$56,000 a year for an unproven drug!
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Getting the FDA to retract a decision, is like getting the toothpaste back in the tube, after it’s been squeezed out…
Whether it’s “yes” or “no,” there is no “maybe so”.
A good example is the new all star Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab.
Whether it’s “yes” or “no,” there is no “maybe so”.
Tags: $56000 a year, aducanumab, Alzheimer’s, efficiency, FDA, not proven, patients, risk, side-effects
What’s Really In Your Meds?
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“As Americans become more concerned about quality issues with prescription medications made abroad, one company is trying to offer an additional layer of reassurance — by doing chemical analysis before dispensing drugs to patients.
Tags: anti-convulsant medications, chemical analysis, China, consistency, contaminents, correct dosage, FDA, generics and name brand drugs, global drug supply, India, level of quality control, media attention, pharmaceutical supply chain, prescription medications, quality data, quality issues, quality scores, ranking manufacturers, relapses, safety, side effects, third-party check, variability
A BIG Mistake
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I know it’s happened to many of you, but this is the first time for me.
Tags: day-time meds, dizzy, forgot, melatonin, nauseous, nighttime meds, no relief, sleep
Epilepsy and Melatonin – Yes? No? Or Maybe So?
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Most of us are familiar with melatonin and it’s purpose: To help you sleep. Or at least to help you get to sleep.
In fact, melatonin is one of the most commonly used supplements in the United States. (Lots of sleepless people out there!)
BIG Pharma’s Outsized Profits
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Just how profitable is the pharmaceutical industry?
A study indicates that the profits gained by drug developers outpaced those of other publicly-traded companies by a wide margin over an 18-year period.
Merck & Co., long a standard bearer for the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, earned $10 billion in profits last year. Pfizer, its larger peer, booked even more: $16 billion.
Tags: BIG Pharma, money, new drugs, price gouging, price of prescription drugs, profitability, profits, unaffordable drugs
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