15 Dangerous Drugs Big Pharma Shoves Down Our Throats

[bemildred]

In the pharmaceutical industry’s rush to get drugs to market, safety usually comes last. Long studies to truly assess a drug's risks just delay profits after all -- and if problems do emerge after medication hits the market, settlements are usually less than profits. Remember, Vioxx still made money.

The following drugs are so plagued with safety problems, it is a wonder they’re on the market at all. It's a testament to Big Pharma's greed and our poor regulatory processes that they are.

-- Lipitor and Crestor

Why is Lipitor the bestselling drug in the world? Because every adult with high LDL or fear of high LDL is on it. (And also 2.8 million children, says Consumer Reports.) No one is going to say statins don't prevent heart attack in high-risk patients (though diet and exercise have worked in high-risk groups too). But doctors will say statins are so over-prescribed that more patients get their side effects -- weakness, dizziness, pain and arthritis -- than heart attack prevention. Worse, they think it's old age!

http://www.alternet.org/health/148907/15_dangerous_drugs_big_pharma_shoves_down_our_throats

Xpost from Editorials, posted there by marmar.

[trotsky]

1. Remember too, that Vioxx was used safely by millions.

Many of whom wish it was still available.

No medicine is perfect.

No company is perfect.

This includes pharmaceuticals, supplements, herbs, you name it.

[bemildred]

2. Yep, critical thinking is good. nt

[Orrex]

49. Way to shill, you big shilling shill.

If you love Big Pharma so much, why don't you marry it? Hmm?

[trotsky]

52. Who's to say I haven't already?

Hmmmm?!?

[Deep13]

3. I'm not seeing a lot of footnotes in this article.

Just a lot of conclusions. Any drug's use has to have its side effects weighed against the disorder it is treating. It's easy to attack an industry whose workings are largely unknown to the public. I'm not saying the pharmaceutical industry is without problems, but this kind of thing is just fear-mongering and not real, scientific criticism. There are some people in this world who are convinced that all our problems can be solved by just going back to nature (as if we ever really left it.) That is a reactionary ideology and is not based in fact.

[flyarm]

4. I was in Paris in May when the world Cardiac Convention/Conference was going on

all the top Cardiac Docs in the world were there.

Trough a friend I had dinner with the Top Cardiac Doc/Surgeon from Belgium.

He was the man/Doctor who developed the Medication that goes in / is now in Artery Stents.

This man is now a hero of sort among Cardiac Doctors/Surgeoms world wide. He was being courted by Pharma & Cardiac surgical corps from the USA.

At Dinner this Doctor/ heart surgeon answered many of my questions and when I asked him about Crestor, he said if the Statins were put in our water , like flouride is , it would put most cardiac doctors out of business, And we would see almost no strokes.

This world renouned Cardiac surgeon, never blinked when he said it.

[TZ]

5. Nothing is SHOVED down your throat btw

As far as I know no doctor has ever held down a patient and MADE them take a drug- (outside of dangerously mentally ill people, a different story). BTW, all foods are potentially lethal to a certain amount of the population so we better BAN EVERYFOOD EVERYWHERE THAT CAUSES ALLERGIES OH NOES EVIL BIG FOOD!!!!!
Christ. Okay- I work on new drug testing. Do you have any idea how involved it is? 10-15 years of clinical testing (including YEARS of pre-clinical toxicological animal testing). Then clinical testing which is to find out a) does the drug do what its supposed to b) what side effects are possible with it and c) compares results to placebo (efficacy of treatment).
Unfortunately its really really really hard to get people to volunteer for a clinical trial -because no ONE is forced into a trial. Often times there only small numbers of people so all the possible side effects that a large population might have can slip through. Thats why drugs like Vioxx get monitored even AFTER going on the market. You might have 100-200 people in a trial over time. When you start selling this to thousands of people of course you are going to get more side effects...and often the FDA will recall a product like Vioxx when its found to have issues in the larger population.
Its entirely possible to not see these sides and a pharma company to miss these problems..BECAUSE UNLIKE WHAT WOO-WOOS CLAIM WE KNOW WE ARE NOT GODS AND WE MAKE MISTAKES.
BTW there are lots of wonderful drugs out on the market that do wonders for people--I'm even on a potent one that has a list of side effects a mile long and yet, it bothers me not at all (interferon)
ALSO BEFORE YOU START THE COVERUP SHIT---ALL CLINICAL DATA FOR DRUGS ON THE MARKETPLACE IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC IF YOU ASK FOR IT.
The problem is because people don't know stuff or do not bother to research it they think its some sort of coverup!
Fuck that shit.
Signed one hard working caring new drug researcher who also has a chronic disease. I'm tired of the fucking anti-science on this site.
:rant:
FWIW, I do think there are problems in the Pharma industry..just not as much as the overblown hyped media and Quacks who want to sell you a sugar pill to cure cancer

[Deep13]

6. +1

:yourock:

[bemildred]

7. Well I sympathize. You make good points. The purple rhetoric (the OP, not you) doesn't really help.

Alternet is prone to that sort of thing, just like the rest of the "media".

Would you agree that there is something wrong with the way drugs are marketed like ordinary consumer products?

[laconicsax]

21. You posted it. n/t

[bemildred]

23. No shit? nt

[laconicsax]

29. If you feel the sentiments in the OP are inaccurate and not conducive to productive discussion,

Why then did you post it without comment?

[bemildred]

31. Your premise is false. nt

[laconicsax]

Not according to your comments in this thread.

Specifically posts 7 and 26. You assert that the rhetoric isn't helpful, and that your issue isn't with the drugs, but with their marketing. Since the piece you posted contains the unhelpfuk rhetoric and is about the drugs, not their marketing, why did you post it without comment?

[bemildred]

34. The OP is about drug marketing. I often post things without comment.

One may easily agree with some of what a piece says and disagree with other parts of it. Is there some rule down here that one must agree with all of everything that one posts? Or that one must clarify ones own views anytime one chooses to post something? How do you plan to enforce such rules? By peeing on my leg like an excited puppy?

[laconicsax]

38. The rule is known under a couple different headings.

The first is "clarity." Look at the amount of this thread that is based on the same or a similar misunderstanding of your position. It's important to be as clear as possible online because discussions are readily derailed by simple misunderstandings like this. Being as clear as possible also leads to the second way to approach this issue: "Common courtesy."

When you start a thread, you are initiating a discussion. The content of an OP forms the basis of that discussion. The piece you posted without comment essentially says, "Fuck pharma--they force dangerous drugs down your throat." By not offering any of your own thoughts on the issue, you are making the statement that the piece you posted speaks for you. Making that statement and then arguing against its style and implications is incredibly discourteous because doing so creates an impediment to having the discussion you started. To then complain about the inevitable mess is absolutely ridiculous.

[bemildred]

42. There is no such rule.

Neither am I required to worry about your misunderstandings, those are your problem. As you could notice if you chose, I have already explained to the other fellows, who inquired politely, what interested me about it and why, and expressed agreement with what I thought valid criticism of it, for becoming emotional and polemical, a flaw which you seem to be prone to yourself.

[laconicsax]

44. I'm sorry to see that you don't feel the need to show common courtesy. n/t

[Orrex]

50. Why don't you take your common courtesy and stuff it up your pharma?

So much easier to write something like that, rather than a well-formed and reasonable argument.

[laconicsax]

55. Too true. n/t

[cleanhippie]

25. So your beef is with the marketing of the drugs, not the drugs themselves?

[bemildred]

26. Pretty much.

You cannot simultaneously maximize quality and profit. There have to be clear limits on what is acceptable in the pursuit of profit. Marketing is not appropriate in that situation, where it's purpose is to maximize profit by manipulation of information.

[cleanhippie]

27. I can support THAT, but THAT is really not what you assert in your OP.

[bemildred]

28. I asserted nothing in the OP, and it is not "mine".

I just posted it because I thought it was worthwhile. It is also worthwhile considering that marketing has a lot to do with the "overutilization" problem too, along with tort law.

[cleanhippie]

33. Oh, FFS. You posted it, you agree with it. Own up to it.

[bemildred]

35. You could make a lot of money with those psychic powers. nt

[cleanhippie]

39. You posted an article without any personal comment, therefore it is logical to conclude that you

agree with the article and support its premise.

Again, you posted it, own up to it, or else explain what you disagree with.

[bemildred]

41. There is nothing logical about such an inference.

It is certainly true that I often post things which I agree with in part or as a whole, but logically that compels nothing. In fact it is a feeble rhetorical point that you are attempting to make. I have already explained what I liked about it, and you have already chosen to ignore that and treat it as some sort of black and white issue in which you can dictate my views.

[cleanhippie]

43. Oh, come on, I am not trying to "dictate your views."

Whatever, your devolving into nonsense now.

[LeftishBrit]

37. Actually, not necessarily

You can post an OP because you agree with part of it but not all; or to stimulate debate.

When people constantly post OPs of a particular viewpoint, they probably do share it, but I don't think you can assume this from one post.

[cleanhippie]

40. Generally, I agree with you.

But posting an article as an OP without any personal comment, leads one to believe that the poster agrees with and supports the premise of the article, no?

[LeftishBrit]

30. I would certainly agree with this!

In fact in the UK and Europaean countries, prescription drugs cannot be advertised on TV or in newspapers and journals aimed at the general public; only in some medical journals aimed at the medical profession.

I was quite surprised (and shocked, frankly) to learn that the same isn't true in America.

[bemildred]

36. Hi LB, nice to see you too.

:hi:

[HuckleB]

8. +1

[BuddhaGirl]

9. oh yes, because unfavorable drug study results are always published

right? :eyes:


"Antidepressants Under Scrutiny Over Efficacy
Sweeping Overview Suggests Suppression of Negative Data Has Distorted View of Drugs

By DAVID ARMSTRONG and KEITH J. WINSTEIN

The effectiveness of a dozen popular antidepressants has been exaggerated by selective publication of favorable results, according to a review of unpublished data submitted to the Food and Drug Administration.

As a result, doctors and patients are getting a distorted view of how well blockbuster antidepressants like Wyeth's Effexor and Pfizer Inc.'s Zoloft really work, researchers asserted in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

Since the overwhelming amount of published data on the drugs show they are effective, doctors unaware of the unpublished data are making inappropriate prescribing decisions that aren't in the best interest of their patients, according to researchers led by Erick Turner, a psychiatrist at Oregon Health & Science University. Sales of antidepressants total about $21 billion a year, according to IMS Health.

Wyeth and Pfizer declined to comment on the study results. Both companies said they had committed to disclose all study results, although not necessarily in medical journals. GlaxoSmithKline PLC, maker of Wellbutrin and Paxil, said it has posted the results of more than 3,000 trials involving 82 medications on its Web site, and also has filed information on 1,060 continuing trials at a federal government Web site."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120051950205895415.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news#printMode

[laconicsax]

10. Psst...sugar pills don't cure cancer, bleach does.

Miracle Mineral Solution, right?

[Odin2005]

11. Scaremongering crap.

Lamictal has been a godsend for me.

[laconicsax]

12. Truth to power! Fuck PHARMA!!!

We need to get back to natural medicine, like Miracle Mineral. Chlorine dioxide is a real miracle cure and big pharma just doesn't want you to know about it, so they unleash slanderous charges like "when taken as directed, it forms industrial strength bleach."

It cures cancer, hepatitis, and even AIDS. Just mix it with citric acid (like in lemon juice) and it'll cure whatever ails you and for the love of God, http://miraclemineral.org/importantinfo.php#q4">never stop taking it! If it makes you sick, that just means that it's working.

[rexcat]

13. Some people are not going to understand the chemistry!

Thanks for the laugh.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

14. If mixing it with citric acid makes it work

I'll bet that mixing it with battery acid makes it work even harder! After all, battery acid is a substance found "naturally" in all automobile engines.

[laconicsax]

15. And if that doesn't work, just buy some Indian Herb from Kathleen in Texas.

So if there is an indication that one is not improving, then I suggest the following direction. Purchase some Indian Herb from Kathleen in texas. It costs $60 a vial and that is plenty. Phone [redacted for obvious reasons] She has a thousand letters from people who have been helped. She and her father have been selling the Indian herb for over 60 years. When you get this herb use it with the MMS to get the best results.

http://miraclemineral.org/importantinfo.php

ETA: I looked up Kathleen in Texas, here's her website--http://lifelinewater.com/ Indian Herb was previously sold as "Compound X." What is compound X? Well, "It is a dark, semi-liquid paste."

:rofl:

[EvolveOrConvolve]

16. And life line water is serious stuff!

After all, take a look at the picture of the product:



And Indian Herb? That's some REALLY serious stuff:

"The Indian Herb helps the body while the person comes to terms with their attitudes and changes direction. The Indian Herb is not a gentle healer. In most reported cases, it is a relentless substance which hunts down and penetrates all abnormal tissue. Pain, swelling and sometimes fever is associated during its use."

http://lifelinewater.com/herb.html

Although the disclaimer makes me a little suspicious that neither works as intended:

Disclaimer: McDaniel Life-Line LLC makes no claims that the water or herbs cures or heals any condition.
Testimonies are strictly from people who used Life-Line Water™ or The Indian Herb.
This information is not intended to replace the services of any health care provider.
Seek advise from your physician first regarding any medical condition.

[laconicsax]

17. It must work...they wouldn't be able to sell it if it didn't, right?

What? Supplements like this aren't regulated?

Well, why not?

[trotsky]

18. Oh you know as well as I do...

that the only reason they have to put that silly disclaimer on there is because the FDA *forces them at gunpoint* to do so because they WON'T ALLOW them to otherwise sell their miracle cure because BIG PHARMA wants to keep people sick and dying to MAKE MORE MONEY.

[Kennah]

19. Nexium is a dangerous drug which is not listed

When patent protection for AstraZeneca's Prilosec (omeprazole) ran out, they trotted out Nexium (esomeprazole).

When I was diagnosed with GERD in 2003, my gastro doc prescribed Nexium and never even mentioned generics or alternatives. Nada, zip, nothing.

After 18 months of COBRA, then starting to pay for private insurance myself, drug pricing felt more invasive than anything the TSA could muster.

I set about researching it myself, asked my gastro doc (different doc, different state) about going generic to omeprazole, formerly the patented Prilosec, and they switched me from 40 mg Nexium to 20 mg omeprazole. Nurse said something to the effect of, "When we've had people switch, 20 mg omeprazole seems to do just as well as 40 mg Nexium, but we could always up it to 40 mg omeprazole if needed."

I've been fine with 20 mg omeprazole. The kick in my ass, aimed at my wallet, was the price differential.

$9 a month for generic Prilosec (omeprazole).
$157 a month for brand Nexium (esomeprazole).

There are a whole lot of dangerous drugs out there--only they are dangerous to one's financial health. However, it furthers the Plutocracy, so it's business as usual.

[teAlexis]

20. Prozac is the New Drug Being Force Fed

They are now shoving Pilva by Teva's fluoxetine (prozac) down our throats. They will only fill the perscription with what they buy from like one or two mfgrs. These new white capsules have toxic inactive ingredients, which I found on PillBox.Com. Like ammonia and shellac and heavy dyes.

I had a severe allergic reaction to two of the new drugs BUT they will not fill it for me with anything else. Talk about shoving it down my throat. I have to keep taking Prozac yet I can't order it.

[jbnow]

22. I don't let anyone take a statin without also taking

coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ 10)

Statins work by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis but they also inhibit the body's synthesis of coenzyme Q10. Studies have shown that taking even low dose of a satin drug (10 mg!) lowered body co-q 10 by 40%
Many of the reported side effects of statin drug use are also symptoms od coq 10 deficiency especially the muscle aches and fatigue.
Are congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy listed as possible side effects. Really since statins have become more popular these heart issues have spiked and that's been known for some time. They are also symptoms of coq 10 deficiency

I started looking up the link to statins and came up on this small 2004 study. Good enough for now.
http://weeksmd.com/?p=4040

Summary of it is they were given 20 mg of Lipitor per day and 70% percent 71%) developed abnormalities in diastolic phase (which is related to congestive heart failure). Co-Q 10 was added and 90% got better even though they kept taking Lipitor.

There are a lot of bigger and better studies, all of this info is easy to find but I wanted to offer something. I researched this a lot several years ago. Find it almost criminal anyone would prescribe a statin drug and not ensure patient took coQ10 as well.

It's good to subscribe to something like consumerlab.com if you buy vitamins or supplements much so you know what you are getting. They are an independent lab that tests over the counter things like that. For those who don't I am sort of a fan of Nature Made and Sundown brands just because their supplements always pass AND they go on buy 1 get 1 free sales pretty often at major grocery or drug stores.

[LeftishBrit]

24. Well, all drugs have side effects, and it is sensible to think carefully before taking any drug and

to watch out for side effects when you do decide to take one.

But, except perhaps in some badly-run nursing homes, no one has drugs 'forced down their throat'; you always have the option of refusing them. It's well known that patient 'compliance' with drug prescriptions is rather low.

Also: with regard to pain treatment, since some pain is neuropathic in its nature, it *can* respond to drugs normally prescribed for other neurological conditions. This doesn't mean you should take them lightly - but severe pain isn't to be taken lightly either,

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Lydia Leftcoast]

45. My brother the doctor thinks that Lipitor is the triumph of marketing over reason

It lowers cholesterol but raises the risk of congestive heart failure.

[HuckleB]

46. Well, homeopathy tops that.

It does nothing but make people money by scamming money from others.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

47. I never advocated homeopathy

:shrug:

My reaction upon hearing of it was, "That sounds really stupid."

[HuckleB]

48. No, you didn't.

However, if we're talking about "the triumph of marketing over reason," then homeopathy wins. On the other hand, Lipitor, like all medications that provide benefits, can have side effects for certain individuals. It can also be overused. That doesn't mean it has no value at all.

[Jennicut]

51. I was put on Lipitor last year because of high LDL and because I have type 1 diabetes

on top of it. Except I was 34 and it made me feel weak, achy, sick to my stomach, etc. Didn't seem normal to feel that way at all. I went off of it but my triglycerides are really high again per my last blood test with my endocrinologist. It really sucks to think I would have to take this drug the rest of my life. Aren't there any alternatives?

[texastoast]

53. Have you asked your doctor about

Red yeast rice and CoQ10? I told my spouse about it about six years ago. My spouse, being a Western medicine devotee and the child of a registered nurse, pooh-poohed the idea. Last year, his MIT chemical engineering master before med school told him to use it so NOW it's okay. His LDL and triglycerides are back to normal range.

[Jennicut]

54. I will have to ask about that, thanks.

I already take so much medication along with insulin. A lot for a 35 year old I would say.

[somone]

56. Recommended

[laconicsax]

57. How do you rec something four months after it was posted?

:shrug:

[HuckleB]

58. Via a Reiki "practitioner," of course. -eom-

[Warpy]

59. The only problem with a lot of those drugs is that they're overprescribed

which is the case with Ambien and the statins and used to be the case with HRT drugs.

All drugs have a risk versus benefit equation that should be applied to them. All drugs carry risk. If the benefit is much greater than the risk, as in using COX-2 inhibitors like Vioxx and Celebrex as anti inflammatory and pain control drugs in autoimmune diseases, their use is definitely warranted. If they're being prescribed to healthy people for tension headaches, then it's definitely not. Aspirin and aspirin combination drugs are safer.

Separating medicine from the profit motive would take care of a lot of this, although patients who are trying to keep up with the Joneses would still clamor for inappropriate drugs and some would get them just to make them go away, please.