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.
It’s called “therapeutic substitution” and it happens when a patient is switched to a cheaper medication in the same class of drugs.
Tags: alternatives, cheaper medicines, prescription switching, profit, side effects
Seizures…memory…depression. YES, they are linked!
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At least one third of people with epilepsy also have depression.
Epilepsy can have different effects on memory functions and depression for various reasons.
Because the portion of the brain where memory and emotions are stored — the limbic system — can be disturbed by epileptic seizures.
In fact, memory problems are one of the most reported problems that coincide with epilepsy.
Tags: depression, Epilepsy, limbic system, memory, physiological issues, seizures, side effects, temporal-lobe epilepsy
Combined Meds — What They Are Doing to Your Body
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For many of us, monotherapy just doesn’t work.
However adjunct therapy has its dangers.
For example, some seizure medicines can lower or raise the levels of other types of medicines in your blood.
Some combinations cause the levels of both medications to fall.
Some cause one level to fall and one level to rise.
And some cause unpredictable side-effects.
So I hunkered down to discover the unhappy marriages between anti-seizure meds.
Top Seizure Apps For Smartphones…
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Smart phone apps for epilepsy have been studied with the results published in the International Journal of Epilepsy
Led by Dr. Lakshmi Narasimhan Ranganathan from the Institute of Neurology, Madras Medical College (Madras, India), researchers surveyed the mobile applications available for the everyday care of epilepsy patients.
Those apps include seizure diaries as well as medication trackers with reminders to take the next pill.
Apps are available to answer any question patients with epilepsy might have and to remind doctors about drug interactions to watch out for.
Most of them are free of charge.
Seizures and Steroids – A Hidden Solution
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I always thought that steroids were the kind used by athletes and bodybuilders to pump up their performance.
Yes, they do exist and, yes they are quite dangerous, but those aren’t the kind of steroids this article is about.
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
Dilantin – Hero or Horror?
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Since it first came out, Dilantin has always had its fans and its detractors.
Who can forget Jack Nicholson’s out-of-control behavior as the “crazy” in Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”!
Tags: Birth Defects, bone weakening, Brain Atrophy, dangers, Dilantin, FDA, Gingivitis, Neuropathy, Purple Glove Syndrome, risks, seizures, side effects, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
$112 billion new Alzheimer’s drug in question
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Getting the FDA to retract a decision is like getting the toothpaste back in the tub, 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.
Tags: $112 billion costs, &56000 a year, alzheimer's, FDA, Medicare, not proven, side effects
Epilepsy Generics: Yes, No or Maybe So?
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Almost everybody considers generic drugs a no-brainer. You get significant savings without any (noticeable) change in your treatment.
But they’re not epileptic. And they don’t walk the tightrope of a delicate neurological balance.
Can I Substitute Generic Drugs for My Anti-Seizure Medications?
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The controversy about generic drugs continues…
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