tagged w/ Prescription Drugs
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Reform on the way? Seems to be a lot of talk with the corporations in control.
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Jenime
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7 days ago
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From Darren Foster in the Vanguard Blog:
The largest drug bust in Kentucky state history is underway as hundreds of police target the flood of prescription pills from Florida and other states. The illicit “pill pipeline” between Florida and Kentucky was the focus of our documentary “The OxyContin Express.” Kentucky leads the nation in prescription drug abuse and has become a hot market for pills from Florida, which has become the nation’s largest source of potent painkillers, particularly oxycodone.
Police obtained warrants for 518 people, mostly from Eastern Kentucky, and so far over 300 have been arrested under “Operation Flamingo Road.”
But that just might be the beginning. From the Lexington Herald-Leader:
The number of people charged, while eye-opening, still doesn’t show the true extent of the problem, said Kevin Payne, head of the state police drug-enforcement unit for Eastern Kentucky.
State police have information on 1,700 other people going out of the state to get pill prescriptions, Payne said.
“It tells me that this is a huge, huge problem,” he said.
We’re trying to get Greenup County Sheriff Keith Cooper, who was featured in “The OxyContin Express”, on the phone. According to the story at least 9 warrants were served in Greenup alone.
http://blogs.current.com/vanguard/2009/10/30/kentucky-targets-the-oxycontin-express/
From the Lexington Herald Leader: "518 in 34 counties to be charged in state's largest drug roundup" (http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/v-print/story/998003.html)From Darren Foster in the Vanguard Blog:
The largest drug bust in Kentucky state... more
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The latest pharmaceutical being sold on the street is a knock-you-out antipsychotic called Seroquel. Jeff Deeney talks to the dealers, users, and narcs in the “Suzie-Q” black market.The latest pharmaceutical being sold on the street is a knock-you-out antipsychotic... more
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The Oxycontin Express hits home here in San Francisco!
Our local SFGate has a post from their City Insider page about a rise in Oxycontin sales in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. SF's new police chief had an undercover sting operation that combined with new tougher legislation focused on deterring crack and heroin sales near schools. The sting seems to have been effective.
From SFGate:
"The guys who were selling the coke and heroin just aren't down there anymore. It kind of flushed them out," said Lt. Jim Miller of the field operations bureau. "Word's getting around that if you sell around the schools in the Tenderloin, you're not getting out of jail...It's a huge deterrent that we didn't anticipate." That's not to say the Tenderloin has turned into Mayberry. Far from it. The dealers are still there; they're just selling painkillers like OxyContin which costs $40 a pill on the streets."The Oxycontin Express hits home here in San Francisco!
Our local SFGate has a post... more
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OxyContin® is a prescription painkiller used for moderate to high pain relief associated with injuries, bursitis, dislocations, fractures, neuralgia, arthritis, lower back pain, and pain associated with cancer.(1) OxyContin® contains oxycodone, the medication's active ingredient, in a timed-release tablet. Oxycodone products have been illicitly abused for the past 30 years.(2)
Oxycodone is a Schedule II narcotic analgesic and is widely used in clinical medicine. It is marketed either alone as controlled release (OxyContin®) and immediate release formulations (OxyIR®, OxyFast®), or in combination with other nonnarcotic analgesics such as aspirin (Percodan®) or acetaminophen (Percocet®). The introduction in 1996 of OxyContin®, commonly known on the street as OC, OX, Oxy, Oxycotton, Hillbilly heroin, and kicker, led to a marked escalation of its abuse as reported by drug abuse treatment centers, law enforcement personnel, and health care professionals. Although the diversion and abuse of OxyContin® appeared initially in the eastern US, it has now spread to the western US including Alaska and Hawaii. Oxycodone-related adverse health effects increased markedly in recent years. In 2004, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for marketing generic forms of controlled release oxycodone products.
More......OxyContin® is a prescription painkiller used for moderate to high pain relief... more
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Big Pharma spends billions of dollars a year marketing to doctors, lavishing them with dinners, travel and other gifts. Shouldn't doctors prescribe you medicine based on sound clinical decisions, not because of a quid pro quo relationship with their drug reps?Big Pharma spends billions of dollars a year marketing to doctors, lavishing them with... more
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In the season premiere of Vanguard, correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to South Florida, the "Colombia of prescription drugs", to expose a bustling pill pipeline that stretches from the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale to the rolling hills of Appalachia. "The OxyContin Express" features intimate access with pill addicts, prisoners and law enforcement as each struggles with a growing national epidemic.
***Vanguard is Current TV's original documentary series. Led by correspondents Laura Ling, Mariana van Zeller, Christof Putzel, Adam Yamaguchi and Kaj Larsen, Vanguard features enterprising reports from around the globe. It airs every Wednesday at 10pm on Current TV. And you can view all Vanguard stories by visiting current.com/vanguard.***In the season premiere of Vanguard, correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to South... more
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The "Vanguard" team is breaking convention and new stories with a breed of journalism. Young, aggressive and willing to go places few other people go, "Vanguard" is telling stories in a way that manhandles the stand up, scripted, bizarre cadence and dearth of content that has come to define so much of TV news. By pushing boundaries, borders and limits, "Vanguard" has been at the forefront of a series of original stories.The "Vanguard" team is breaking convention and new stories with a breed of journalism.... more
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From Test Country Blog:
"Burt Reynolds (star of such films, as Smokey and the Bandit, Deliverance, Cannonball Run and Boogie Nights) has revealed that after a recent back surgery he became addicted to pain killers. Having dealt with addiction to another drug ( Halcion, a sleeping pill) after suffering a broken jaw and a subsequent joint disorder in the late 80s he began to realize he had become addicted to the drugs he’d been given after his back surgery. He then sought treatment at a drug rehab center in Florida and overcame them. The actor urges others in a similar situation to seek treatment rather than trying to resolve it on their own."From Test Country Blog:
"Burt Reynolds (star of such films, as Smokey and the Bandit,... more
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The new season of Vanguard premieres Oct. 14 at 10/9c with "The OxyContin Express", a powerful one-hour documentary on prescription drug abuse. Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to South Florida, the "Colombia of prescription drugs," to expose a bustling pill pipeline that stretches from the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale to the rolling hills of Appalachia. "The OxyContin Express" features intimate access with pill addicts, prisoners and law enforcement as each struggles with a growing national epidemic.
***Vanguard is Current TV's original documentary series. Led by correspondents Laura Ling, Mariana van Zeller, Christof Putzel, Adam Yamaguchi and Kaj Larsen, Vanguard features enterprising reports from around the globe. It airs every Wednesday at 10pm on Current TV. And you can view all Vanguard stories by visiting current.com/vanguard.***
Channel guide:
In the U.S.
DIRECTV 358
Comcast Nationwide 107
Dish Network 196
Time Warner: NY 103
Time Warner: LA 142
Time Warner: Other Cities: check local listings
AT&T U-verse Nationwide 189
Verizon FIOS 130
In the U.K.
Sky 183
Virgin Media 155
In Italy
Sky Italia 130The new season of Vanguard premieres Oct. 14 at 10/9c with "The OxyContin Express", a... more
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http://www.citizen.org A film by Brandon Augustin Ramirez, a student in the Digital Media Department of FIDM.http://www.citizen.org A film by Brandon Augustin Ramirez, a student in the Digital... more
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asherp
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added this
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1 month ago
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Want to get your fix? Want it to be completely legal? Well, South Florida has lots of places willing to give you a prescription for very serious pain medication with very little documentation.
But it's bad news is for law enforcement and public health.
Recently legislators have been tackling the problem - and this summer Gov. Crist signed a bill to curb rampant sales:
"The law will force pain clinics, pharmacies and doctors who sell pain drugs to log every prescription into a statewide computer database, where medical officials and police can detect drug dealers and addicts who go from office to office amassing hundreds of pills a day.
Also, the law gives state regulators new powers to inspect and closely oversee clinics owned by investors, a segment of the business that police identify as a blatant source of illegal narcotic pills."Want to get your fix? Want it to be completely legal? Well, South Florida has lots of... more
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By Dr. Joseph Mercola on 12/15/2008
As has been repeatedly demonstrated, and as this latest report so clearly illustrates, prescription drugs can, and frequently do, pose SERIOUS risks to your health.
More than 700,000 people visit U.S. emergency rooms each year as a result of adverse drug reactions. And, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), adverse drug reactions from drugs that are properly prescribed and properly administered cause about 106,000 deaths per year, making prescription drugs the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S.By Dr. Joseph Mercola on 12/15/2008
As has been repeatedly demonstrated, and as... more
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For Companion Animals Caretakers: An Important Consumer Update
"Discount pet drugs—no prescription required" may appeal to pet owners surfing the Web, but FDA experts say it can be risky to buy drugs online from sites that tout this message and others like it.
Some of the Internet sites that sell pet drugs represent legitimate, reputable pharmacies, says Martine Hartogensis, D.V.M., deputy director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance in FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). But others are fronts for unscrupulous businesses operating against the law.
FDA has found companies that sell unapproved pet drugs and counterfeit pet products, make fraudulent claims, dispense prescription drugs without requiring a prescription, and sell expired drugs.
Pet owners who purchase drugs from these companies may think they are saving money, says Hartogensis, but in reality, they may be short-changing their pet's health and putting its life at risk.
Read more at: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048164.htm
Go to links for more info:
Red Flags
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048164.htm#RedFlags
NSAIDS and Heartworm Preventives http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048164.htm#NSAIDSandHeartwormPreventives
Tips for Buying Pet Drugs Online http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048164.htm#TipsforBuyingPetDrugsOnline
*PLEASE NOTE*
ALWAYS PURCHASE PRESCRIPTION MEDS FROM YOUR VETERINARIAN FOR YOUR COMPANION ANIMAL.
THIS WILL HELP ENSURE THE QUALITY AND CONTENT.
EXAMPLE - IF THE DRUG FAILS (IE HEARTWORMS), THE PHARMACEUDICAL COMPANY PAYS FOR ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH TREATMENT.For Companion Animals Caretakers: An Important Consumer Update
"Discount pet... more
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I’ve always had super ventricular tachycardia. I recently started taking the meds to slow my heart down. The side effects aren’t worth it. Medication doesn’t work anymore. They are talking about a very simple procedure to cut a piece of my heart out. Get it out of the way.
I’ve always been aware of the sacrifices that must be made to be an artist. Secrets on napkins and sticky notes crammed in suitcases; knowledge that everything is beautiful. Doctors have a name and cure for it. Certain criteria we all carry as prior experience, chronologically chronic. Depression, insomnia, emotional suffering, ect. Cant stop the thoughts, they have to get out and you are just a body getting in the way of their intentions. They have drugs to treat that too. And more drugs to treat the side effects. Whatever mental disorder you didn’t have before, you just swallowed. We are addicted to the misery because we know we can turn the subjective into objective, with pen and paper. Have to meet our quotas and scribble on whatever obstacle finds us in our neighborhood, our cul-de-sac of writers block. All the electricity cut, shades drawn, doors locked, motionless “do not disturb” doorknobs. All of us; deadbolts waiting for light to overcome Dead dark that keeps us meandering within the posts of our beds. Waiting for some beam of fluorescence to turn us on.
We feed our pets the table scraps of whatever we picked apart at supper. Humble dogs that accompany our manic pacing. Wish I could say “you dog, you,” and dump you at some shelter, but I know I would miss the frustration, your shattering bark, dripping fangs waiting to sink deep. Miss the fleabites, the itching and the passion of scratching, the smell of your flea powder.
Never could write about it. Not even read about it. It all sounded the same, looked the same, layers of repetition. Just like this. Just another account. Nothing special, out of the ordinary. What a bored reader you must be. How out of place I must be, to even illustrate ‘’me” into my own story, non-poetically like this; stark raving mad in…?
When a single word is read over and over again, examined, it loses its meaning. Exceeds its purpose to relate to its origin in the dictionary. Then here this word lands on my bleached lap and im trying to understand it, but I can’t scoop it up without the letters slipping through my fingers. Turns out they aren’t connected; strung together. There is no order to the alphabet. No boundaries for these uncontrollable regurgitations.
I’ve always had supraventricular tachycardia. Not like this. Thoughts could never trigger the attacks. Never had a heart attack simply from human contact. The blackouts weren’t as frequent, and the strobing lights never overcame my vision quite so sporadically. Have to pull over on the highway. Burdening EKG’s, echocardiograms, take home heart monitors strapped to my chest. Stop what im doing to catch a breath. Avoid stairs. Avoid thought, emotion. Quit coffee. Trying to silence this weakened muscle, kill it off completely.
Never believed in depression. Now I’ve been upped to 350 mg. Extended release. Deep red, the internal white beads rattle the cage of the capsule like maracas. I shake them close to my ear every morning before choking them down. Can’t help but occasionally pry off the shell and roll the active ingredient between my fingertips. Separate thumb from forefinger so that some of the beads rain over the wastebasket, and a select few stick to my skin.
Never been so direct. A big turning point in psychology grew from the idea that physical conditions can arise from psychological conditions, unresolved conflict, and things of that matter.
Simplicity has been here all along. Yet it’s something without a cure.I’ve always had super ventricular tachycardia. I recently started taking the meds to... more
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The number of Americans using antidepressants doubled in only a decade, while the number seeing psychiatrists continued to fall, a study shows.
About 10% of Americans — or 27 million people — were taking antidepressants in 2005, the last year for which data were available at the time the study was written. That's about twice the number in 1996, according to the study of nearly 50,000 children and adults in today's Archives of General Psychiatry. Yet the majority weren't being treated for depression. Half of those taking antidepressants used them for back pain, nerve pain, fatigue, sleep difficulties or other problems, the study says.
STUDY: Depression seen in kids as young as 3
DEPRESSION: Most kids get antidepressants but no therapy
ANTIDEPRESSANTS: After FDA warning, depression diagnoses fell
Among users of antidepressants, the percentage receiving psychotherapy fell from 31.5% to less than 20%, the study says. About 80% of patients were treated by doctors other than psychiatrists.
Patients today may be more likely to ask about antidepressant advertising, says study author Mark Olfson of Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. During the study, spending on direct-to-consumer antidepressant ads increased from $32 million to $122 million.
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Don't forget people, we have the best health care system in the world. Who wants to waste time on treating the cause of your illness when you can quickly and easily treat the symptoms? Trust the pills, they make you better.The number of Americans using antidepressants doubled in only a decade, while the... more
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One small community in Central New York is taking taking charge of an issue affecting its young people. Kate Sheehy went to find out why a local pharmacy and the police department in the village of Phoenix are making news.One small community in Central New York is taking taking charge of an issue affecting... more
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Drugs can kill. And we don’t mean dangerous drugs like cocaine and killer chemical substances like shabu and ecstasy. Recent celebrity deaths are tragic examples of how even prescription drugs can cause death, especially when mixed with other medicines—again, not necessarily illegal drugs.
The controversy surrounding Michael Jackson’s death is fueled by questions on what killed the King of Pop.
Take the case of Anne Nicole Smith and her son Daniel, whose deaths were blamed on a deadly combination of medicines prescribed for various ailments.
Hollywood also mourned the sudden demise of young actors Heath Ledger, who allegedly OD’d. And many years ago, there was Elvis Presley, who succumbed to a deadly mix of drugs...along with Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, to name a few.
No pharmaceutical is considered safe. As the ancient doctor Paracleus put it: “All substances are poisons.”Drugs can kill. And we don’t mean dangerous drugs like cocaine and killer chemical... more
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With Michael Jackson’s sudden death yesterday at 50 have come swirls of rumors about prescription medications he was taking for dancing related injuries. And if toxicology tests show over-medication being a substantial cause of death, that leads to the inevitable questions regarding potential medical malpractice as well as potential criminal liability.
So these are the issues and questions that would/should float about if those rumors prove accurate:
1. Were the medications all provided by a single doctor? If the self-proclaimed King of Pop was getting all the medication from one place, then the prescribing doctor ought to have a good lawyer due to issues of criminal prosecution (possible but unlikely), action against the medical license (much higher probability) and civil suit (discussed below).
2. If there was more than one doctor, did they know about each other and what the other was prescribing?
3. Did all the drugs all come from one pharmacy? Did that pharmacy have an internal system to tickle the pharmacist if there is an inordinate amount of medication going to one person or that some of the drugs are contraindicated given the other meds? If so, did that pharmacist make a call to the doctor(s) issuing the prescriptions?
4. Where were the prescriptions written and filled? This would be a jurisdictional issue that could be particularly important for a pharmacist, who may have immunity if s/he simply followed the doctor’s orders. There is no way to know at the moment if the drugs were prescribed, or even filled, in the U.S. given that Jackson spent a substantial amount of time overseas.
5. Who has standing to bring such a suit? That is a two-part question, as his personal property may be governed by an executor or administrator. But he also has three kids that are all minors and need a legal guardian. Will the mother of two of them, who reportedly gave up legal rights to the kids, be seeking that position in a fight with family members? (This also assumes proper paternity.)
6. From the point of a medical malpractice suit, does it even matter? Jackson was allegedly in debt to the tune of over $300 million, though I suspect a forensic accounting may take some time. But if this was the case of one or two doctors/pharmacists, then there would likely not be much more than a million dollar (or two) insurance policy. When you are that steeply in hock, a malpractice suit may be too insignificant to matter (assuming a limited insurance policy). The estate’s executor and creditors may be unlikely to have an interest, concentrating on the big picture.
7. You can toss out #6 above if the investigating authorities make a slam-dunk decision on liability. That makes a lawsuit easy, and no one would give up an easy million if it were there.
8. In a wrongful death suit, by contrast, the losses suffered by the children would likely go directly to them, bypassing the estate. And if the estate itself is bankrupt, then the kids might actually need the money depending on how Jackson managed his affairs and the nature of any trusts he did (or did not) set up for his children. You’d like to think he was a savvy music mogul, but if he also saw himself as a forever young child, then estate planning could well be something he put off for the future. No one really likes to make decisions about their death, least of all someone with a child’s view of the world.
>>Continue story click link: http://clipsfcwire.com/michael-jackson-death-the-mother-of-all-lawsuits/With Michael Jackson’s sudden death yesterday at 50 have come swirls of rumors about... more
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A federal panel voted to recommend banning two popular pain killers: Percocet and Vicodin, which can be found in Tylenol and Excedrin. In addition to popular, over-the-counter brands, Vicodin is prescribed over 100 million times per year in the US alone. The negative effect on the liver was the main reason for the panel's recommendation.
The article points out these facts:
"While the medicine is effective in treating headaches and reducing fevers, even recommended doses can cause liver damage in some people. And more than 400 people die and 42,000 are hospitalized every year in the United States from overdoses."
The panel also recommend reducing the dosage of OTC brands by 175 milligrams. They also state that Costco and similar discount chains sell bottles of 1,000 pills. How many headaches could one family have that would require 1,000 pills? I bet its cheaper to buy in bulk; fun for the whole family. is this what our health care has been reduced to?
Meanwhile, Robert Byrd, the 91-year-old Senator has been in the hospital since May. He represents 2 million people, chairs the Homeland Security Panel of the Senate Appropriations Committee and has now asked other senators to do his work for him. That's taxation without representation for the folks in WV.A federal panel voted to recommend banning two popular pain killers: Percocet and... more
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