When Pain Pills don’t help, or even kill us – why take them?
Hopefully, by now, you have come to expect that this is what I do. It is clear that we are not all alike, and that is as it should be. Maybe I do concern myself too much about the deterioration of health-care in our country. But I have been witnessing this for decades now and I see an acceleration of the speed and breadth of the action on higher levels over which we (you and I ) have no control. Fortunately, our president is inclined to take appropriate action – - however, there is no way one man can do this alone. He is well motivated and supremely intelligent, but the PUSH and IMPETUS must come from the people – - YOU and ME. Do we write our letters and make our phone calls to our congressmen and senators? People, wake up! We are either “Citizens” of this great country and willing to stand up and be counted, or we are willing sheep going where told to go.
Below, I start with an extracted blurb from Dr Mercola (7-1-09 newsletter). He says it well in keeping with the fire I am feeling at the moment. Then, a front page story from our Columbus Dispatch showing still one more ruse perpetrated on the unsuspecting public regarding the “safe”, highly recommended pain pills – “Tylenol” and/or acetaminophen. Behind all this of course is the FDA and the obvious way they have run things with lack of ethics, proper testing and the disregard of the very thing they were entrusted to do in the first place – which is PROTECT OUR PEOPLE. Instead, they have been in cahoots with big business and corporate interests and betrayed us. I’m fed up and you should be too. Let Washington know that you expect better. Tell them what you want. We can do this.
Finally, I would suggest that I have already tried to put a bug in everyone’s ear about EFT. I posted on it several times. This is because I have personally found great relief both physically and emotionally for problems I seemed unable to cope with alone. One is 4-13-09 simply called EFT and Tapping; another is 4-24-09 “Lung Woes? – Check this out”; Still another was on 5-13-09 – “Special Pain Relief” (my favorite). In the event that one needs relief from physiological problems and worry about the trustworthiness of drugs (pills), you might want to check this out as it is free, non-toxic and can only help – at the very least you won’t be out anything and is won’t hurt you. Stay well, be happy with yourself. Jan
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Dr. Mercola’s Comments: |
Today, the battle is no longer for the freedom of the colonies. Instead, we are waging war against the forces that are threatening to take away our good health and well-being:
- Businesses and media are propagating an unhealthy fast food culture where we see Americans literally stuffing themselves to death.
- Profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies market dangerous drugs as “medicine.”
- Self-serving healthcare and regulatory bodies are taking away our right to choose our own methods of healing.
Don’t allow yourself to be oppressed into a state of physical incapacity and depression. It’s time to join the health revolution and take back control of your health!
Common painkiller could be reined in
FDA focuses on Tylenol, other drugs with acetaminophen
By Matthew Perrone
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ADELPHI, Md. — Government experts called for sweeping safety restrictions yesterday on the most widely used painkiller, including reducing the maximum dose of Tylenol and eliminating prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet.
The Food and Drug Administration assembled 37 experts to recommend ways to reduce overdoses with acetaminophen, which is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S. and sends 56,000 people to the emergency room annually. About 200 die each year.
“We’re here because there are inadvertent overdoses with this drug that are fatal and this is the one opportunity we have to do something that will have a big impact,” said Dr. Judith Kramer of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
But over-the-counter cold medicines — such as Nyquil and Theraflu — that combine other drugs with acetaminophen can stay on the market, the panel said, rejecting a proposal to take them off store shelves.
The FDA is not required to follow the advice of its panels, though it usually does. The agency gave no indication when it would act.
In a series of votes yesterday, the panel recommended 21-16 to lower the maximum 24-hour dose of over-thecounter acetaminophen from 4 grams, or eight pills, of a medication such as Extra Strength Tylenol. They did not specify how much it should be lowered.
The panel also endorsed limiting the maximum single dose of the drug to 650 milligrams. That would be down from the 1,000-milligram dose, or two tablets of Extra Strength Tylenol.
A majority of panelists also said the 1,000-milligram dose should only be available by prescription.
The industry group that represents Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth and other companies defended the current dosing that appears on overthe-counter products.
“I think it’s a very useful dose and one that is needed for treating chronic pain, such as people with chronic osteoarthritis,” said Linda Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.
The experts narrowly ruled that prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with other painkilling ingredients should be eliminated. They cited FDA data indicating that 60 percent of acetaminophen-related deaths are related to prescription products.
But some on the panel opposed a vast withdrawal of products that are widely used to control severe pain. Prescription acetaminophen combination drugs were prescribed 200 million times in 2008, the FDA said.
“To make this shift without very clear understanding of the implications on the management of pain would be a huge mistake,” said Dr. Robert Kerns of Yale University.
If the drugs stay on the market, they should carry a “black box” warning of serious risk, the panel decided.
“If we don’t eliminate the combination products, we should at least lower the levels of acetaminophen contained in those medicines,” said Sandra Kewder, the FDA’s deputy director for new drugs.
Percocet and similar treatments combine acetaminophen with more powerful pain-relieving narcotics.
Vicodin is marketed by Abbott Laboratories, which has a strong presence in Columbus, while Percocet is marketed by Endo Pharmaceuticals.
Drug companies avoided the most damaging potential outcome with the defeat of a proposal to pull NyQuil and other over-the-counter cold and cough medicines that combine acetaminophen with other drugs.
These drugs can be dangerous when taken with Tylenol or other drugs containing acetaminophen, according to the FDA.
An FDA panel has endorsed lowering the maximum dose of overthe-counter acetaminophen, the key ingredient in Tylenol, Excedrin and other drugs.
I am wondering about the impact on pain management. I am a chronic pain patient, and have been taling Vicodin for years at the same dose. Not everyone whow takes it ha sti higher and higher in dose. I feel that the OTC items are more important in removing than the prescription ones. there is no control over the over the counter meds. so they lower the dose in eaxch tablet. If people want to what is to stop them from taking an extra pill? I have signed a narcotics contract. My PCP is the only doc I get my meds from. I pee in the cup. I do everything i ma supposed to do, and the records are weel kept, as opposed to no control in non prescription items. This is lunacy, IMHO. Either ban all of it or none of it, on both sides of the counter. so, what will doctors prescribe now, and how many times will I have to run around to differnet drug stores when the drug shortages start coming. Because they will come. Speak up, people! I have written my letters to anyone I can.
Comment by Donna — July 2, 2009 @ 7:01 pm |
Max, Thank you for your comments. I’m not sure I understand what point you are making however. I hear that you are perhaps concerned that your trusted source for pain relief may be in jeopardy. It appears that people are in a re-thinking phase as well we should be. For a generation or two, we have trusted the FDA to protect us by carrying out their job of monitoring that which goes into our bodies either food or medicine – - that it is safe and is appropriate for consumption.. They have failed us. People are being injured with both prescribed meds and over-the-counter products. The solution is not to remove everything. There is enough fault to cover us all. Individuals are not responsible enough to take good care of their own health and protect themselves with good decisions and choices such as smoking, bad diets, lack of exercise, too much stress, anger, frustration, resentment and not enough love and understanding and kindness to others. There are many ways to maintain or enhance health, but mostly people don’t concern themselves too much with their bodies until diseases and pain shows up. Rather than seeking causes, most physicians start with the prescription pad. Also very little if any time is spent educating the patient to right action. Then of course, we have the FDA which is greatly at fault and sorely in need of reformation of some kind – - it no longer belongs to the people as it seems manipulated by the Pharmaceutical industry and is too busy serving corporate interests. So we have a full range of people to “blame” But that is not what we are after. Sanity must come back to this issue. All healing forms should be allowed with a much larger emphasis on “Integrative Medicine” – the people who search for and treat causes, not just handing out meds for symptoms.
Finally, I hear you, you have pain and want to be sure that your needs will be met. Amen to that. No one should have to endure pain. That is the reason I brought up the issue of EFT (as I have so often). This is something which is available to anyone who is interested in having it. The manual is FREE to download. More than 1,000,000 have already done so with 5,000 to 10,000 more individuals availing themselves of this monthly. The manual is all anyone needs to apply the technique. I help myself daily with it for pain instead of pills. People use it on everything. I have helped a few others, personally by showing them what to do and they too now handle their pain. Why take pills that screw up your kidneys and liver when a little tapping will get the job done. I’m sure there are many other choices out there as well, but this is one I know about and am so impressed with it that I can recommend it.
I’ve seen people take multiple pills (handfull) when their pain was bad. The bottle says take two every so many hours. But we justify our actions right or wrong. Common sense suggests that there will be a price to pay when we break the rules. We destroy our inner organs with these indiscretions. Because John Doe wants to take 5 or 6 pills when 2 are recommended is not a good enough reason to just take the pills off the market. We cannot “make’ people behave if they don’t want to. But that is no reason to make the rest of the people who seem willing to use discretion in their care of the body give up their pills which seem to have a useful purpose for them. This is part of freedom of choice in our country. Most of us do not want “big brother” making our choices and telling us what to do. Thats the way revolutions are started! Enuff said.
Max, I have gone on too long – but that’s just me. I did not want to leave you with the feeling that I am brushing aside your concerns. Hope I have responded to your worries, tho in point of fact I wasn’t sure what you were asking. Jan
Comment by Jan Turner — July 2, 2009 @ 11:42 pm |
Hi, Jan,
I was really jjust venting. I have checked out EFT, but it does nothing for my other problems , which include severe Restless legs Syndrome. I ahve tried every med that is supposed to be for RLS on label and off label, and these are the only meds I can tolerate or that work. I agree the FDA needs to be policed and change their policies. We do not find out the bad side effects until years after these meds are on the market, or they are marketed without regard for the patients. The drive behind everything is money, money. I guess my point is that it is such a struggle to find the right meds; the doctors are afraid to prescibe them in fear of retaliation. I have been through every med on the list that is supposed to help RLS, and these pain meds are the only thing that stop me from pacing all night. RLS is an insidious disease to put up with on a good day, and without the meds it is a disaster. I have been moderating several support groups on sleep disorders and pain, and the outcry from them is amazing about the FDA, how it operates, and the possible ban of these meds. It is kind of the last straw with some of us, because we have tried everythig, and we cannot face life at all without relief. I am not an addict, but have been treating my pain and RLS with these meds for years at the same dose. That is what I mean by saying prescription meds are more easily controlled than OTC meds. Non compliant patients are dropped b y doctors, which is good, but we who follow all the rules are paying for this because people cannot read directions and be responsible.
Comment by Donna — July 3, 2009 @ 10:15 am |
Hello again “Donna”, please let me apologize for repeatedly calling you “Max” – my error in not searching for your name properly. Thank you for your further explanation. I don’t have much to respond beyond what I’ve already said as this is out of my expertise. A quick perusal on the internet yields little other than a few people trying to sell books for $29.95 to tell you how to cure this disease. I found also, that there is no lab test at all which can determine if one has RLS, therefore, one must say, not too much is really known about this ‘disease’. Our approaches are different – you and me. You seek meds which are repugnant to me – - I demand answers and am therefore a very difficult ‘patient’ Unless a cause is intelligently given with full understanding, I will not take any meds from ANY doctor. There has to be a reason why people suffer this disturbance in the body which obviously has a certain pattern and rhythm to it. My gut tells me that this may have a lot to do with diet/nutrition/some kind of lack. Admittedly, calcium comes to mind, but since I am opposed to ingesting ‘calcium’ per se (in clear opposition to our medical community), I might wonder how your body is handling its minerals and believe a blood test and even a urine test (to see how much calcium is lost), for a clearer understanding. Just a thought.
I also wonder about the experiences you have had with EFT, that you so easily dismiss this as a possible help toward relief in your situation? How did you ‘check it out’? They have rosters of qualified ‘expert practitioners’ on the art of tapping for whatever area one lives in – the world over. Just wondering. . . .
Among those letters you mention in your previous comment, are you communicating directly to your elected representatives at the state and federal level, including the FDA – directly? These are actions that really can bring results I keep doing this as it is important to let these folks know that we, the consumers, the American People, are watching and care very deeply. And we DO have power. We must use it however as they say, or we lose it. Donna, I shall hold good thoughts for you and your fellow sufferers. Be well, and keep on keeping on. Jan
Comment by Jan Turner — July 3, 2009 @ 1:03 pm |
Oh, believe me, I demand answers. I am a type A personality. I reda and research everything. I totally respect your not wanting to go the drug route. You are dead on ab out Calcium. there are many foods and meds that RLSer’s have to avoid, but when you go 10 days at a time with no sleep, yes, I seek meds. I also employ many other coping skills, as described on the web site of my friend Jill Gunzel. http://www.rlsrebel.com She also has written a book. many of my memebers in my groups do not atkle meds, but as you get older RLS gets worse, and in desperation, some of us HAVE to take meds. Do you have RLS at all? If you had it like me and some of the others with severe RLS, you would know what I am talking about. Believe me, we use many more things than prescription meds for RLS. There is a place for them so that some people may be able to function.
I respect your opinion, and thank you for this conversation. I am abig advocate of awareness, and have made videos for Time, Inc for their health web site at http://www.health.com :o) I attend all the national conferences, etc. My middle name is research. There is one test that can helpo with some people. If their iron stores (Ferritin) are low, then that sets off a lot of cases of RLS.people with RLS should have a Ferritin score of 50 or more. This is only one cause. Some that have gotten iron infusions have all but lost their symptoms, but everyone is differnet and that does not work for everybody. Not even close. That is a case of secondary RLS, because there is an underlying cause . Then, of course there is Primary RLS. Probably TMI for you, as this did not start out as an RLS discussion. I just want you to understand that some of us do have to resort to meds , whether we like it or not.
Comment by Donna — July 3, 2009 @ 3:13 pm |
Hello again Donna – we’re practically getting to be BF’s. Seriously, good to hear from you. You do sound deeply involved with your groups which you lead and other activities. I admire that – you certainly are doing your part to get help and answers. When I have revealed something about my own nature, it is not because I believe my way is better than anybody’s else’s – - it’s just my way. What I would demand for myself, I would also have for anyone else as well – the right to choose. It is not meant as a comparison, only as a sharing, so I’m not ‘proud’ of the way I am, I’m just stating what is. Pain can be crippling and an end to much that is wonderful in life. An intelligent person does what one must in order to function. I too, have taken Advil and so on in my days. It is not my preference, that’s all. No judgment here.
To answer a question about whether I have had RLS, I don’t think so. I have had much disturbance from the legs at bed time to the point that I had to get up and ride the stationary bike, take some Valerian tea and maybe read a little, sometimes losing most of the night. I have never discussed it with a doctor, never thought to. However it would have been an occasional occurrence rather than an ongoing disturbance. So I have not had to go thru what you and your friends have endured. Take care Donna, Jan
Comment by Jan Turner — July 3, 2009 @ 9:02 pm |
The real problem is the tylenol. People are double dosing with it. Some people take their daily dose of tylenol and darvocet or percocet and end up getting too much tylenol
http://www.iahealth.net
Comment by iahealth — July 7, 2009 @ 9:45 am |
iahealth, no question about that. . . – take care and thanks for stopping by. Jan
Comment by Jan Turner — July 7, 2009 @ 10:02 am |