Count Supplements In When Tallying Up Daily Meds
It easy to overlook. When you make a list of your medications for your doctor, do you think to include supplements, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and minerals in the list? Most people don’t even think of it, or if they do, are hesitant to tell a physician for fear of being labeled as a “self-medicating” patient. Unfortunately, most of the U.S. population does take some form of supplements (estimated 70% by the N.Y. Times).
There are several problems with a patient’s nondisclosure of certain medications, treatments, or supplements.
1. Supplements may interfere or counteract with some prescription medications. A doctor needs the information about these OTC products to write safe prescriptions.
2. Supplements, vitamins and minerals, are not regulated by the FDA. Therefore quality and consistency of each product, from one brand to another, may not be the same.
3. Patients often assume “natural=totally safe,” and that is a myth. It is possible to take too much of many of the things we think of as harmless vitamins, minerals and supplements. More is not better, natural or not.
Many patients have turned to products that claim to be natural and that are available without a prescription. Physicians do not have the time to treat patients as they once did, and accurate diagnoses are sometimes hard to come by. With a continued increase in illnesses that have no definitive treatment, patients feel turning to alternative treatments offers them a better choice. This is especially true with the Internet having hundreds of thousands of sites discussing healthcare; a forum of people talking might be a common, although unreliable, source of medical information.
It is important to remember as medical consumers that anecdotal evidence is not true evidence at all. At times it is frustrating to deal with physicians but we must insist that they listen to us, to receive the best treatment possible. And above all, be honest, and be certain to inform your physician of ALL medications you are taking.
Potential for Harm in Dietary Supplements
Popular Allergy Drug Under FDA Inspection
Singulair is a very popular medication prescribed for allergies; it is used with much success for both typical allergy reactions and in preventing asthma attacks. As such, it is a medication that both physicians and patients have been pleased to have available.
Unfortunately the old saying of when something seems too good to be true, it probably is, may also hold true with Singulair. There is a possible link between Singulair and suicide ideation as well as mood swings, anxiety and depression. Merck, the manufacturer of Singulair, points out that these are reactions received by report only and have not been observed in clinical testing.
”We have no indication that anything about the mechanism of Singulair is consistent with these events,” said George Philip, Director of Research and Product Development, Merck & Co, Inc. ”But because suicide is a life-threatening event we thought it was important to provide this information in the product label.”
Further information can be found at the link below. It is important that patients not discontinue Singulair suddenly without a physician’s guidance. Patients on Singulair who are concerned about these side effects should talk with their medical care provider as soon as possible.
FDA Early Communication Report on Singulair
FDA Investigates Merck Drug - Suicide Link
Recalls - Chicken in Alabama and Empanadas in Southern States
Cagle’s Inc., a Collinsville, Ala., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 943,000 pounds of various fresh and frozen poultry giblets and fresh carcasses with giblets inserted that may be adulterated due to improper disposition of the giblets, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced on March 14th. This is considered a Class I recall (High Health Risk).(FSIS)
Publix Super Markets is issuing a voluntary recall on all codes of prepackaged 2 and 4-pack Apple, Pineapple and Pumpkin Empanadas sold in retail bakeries due to the undeclared milk ingredient. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.(FDA)
FDA Concerned: Suicide Ideation with Seizure Drugs
The FDA has released information that patients taking medications for epilepsy, bipolar depression and some mood disorders, are experiencing an increase in suicidal thoughts. The risks are not insubstantial either; the FDA states that risk is doubled. Physicians however believe that the benefits of these medications outweigh the risks.
- The drugs of concern include:
- Depakote
- Lamictal
- Topamax
- Keppra
- Lyrica
- Neurontin
Interestingly enough, very recently the FDA approved the medication Lyrica for the treatment of fibromyalgia. It does indeed raise the question of what does it mean to have the risks outweigh the benefits.
The FDA will be meeting with various drug companies to discuss warning labels that will be placed on these medications. It is unclear as to what these warnings will say as the risk seems to be greater for the anticonvulsant medications than those used for psychiatric purposes. And the problem is only made more complex when it is realized that all of the medical conditions that these drugs are prescribed for, are difficult to treat. A patient may only have one of two options. Then of course “risk vs benefit” becomes a very personal issue.
“The consequences of seizures are dire,” Dr. Cynthia Harden, a professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College said. “There’s a risk of injury, even brain injury from a prolonged seizure, a loss of awareness and tremendous anxiety as these episodes can come without warning. It’s a very difficult illness to live with, and these drugs are well worth trying.”
The New York Times
Hopefully in time, research can find ways to treat these disorders and simultaneously avoid side effects. The vagus nerve stimulation treatment is one option that is showing very promising results for people with seizure disorders. Cognitive therapy can be helpful for those with mood disorders.
But unfortunately at this time we are left with disorders and medications that produce potentially deadly side effects. Answers do not come easily to such problems.
FDA Alerts Healthcare Providers
FDA Approves Lyrica for Fibromyalgia
New Drug Seeks Approval For Fibromyalgia Treatment
Fibromyalgia is an interesting disease. It is qualified by not being something else, and a person is diagnosed with it by the proof of them not having another disease. It is often not taken seriously because of this and few drugs are FDA approved for the treatment of fibromyalgia. (There are many drugs used to treat the condition, but they are medications approved for other purposes, that for some reason work with fibromyalgia.) The drug that is currently seeking approval is Milnacipran.
Milnacipran is what is known as a “dual reuptake inhibitor,” which makes it similar to SSRI medications such as Prozac and Zoloft but with an enhanced function of working with two transmitters rather than just the one. (Norepinephrine and serotonin) Trials have shown that patients treated with Milnacipran have shown improvement in the classic fibromyalgia symptoms of chronic pain, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction.
Few medications have been approved for use for fibromyalgia, and incidentally chronic fatigue syndrome, a related condition. Approval could mean hope for relief for millions of Americans as well as increasing awareness and validity to this disease that is very misunderstood.
General History and Information About Milnacipran
Potential Botulism in Canned Green Beans
The FDA is warning consumers that canned green beans manufactured by New Era Canning Company (MI) and distributed under the label of “GFS Fancy Blue Lake Cut Green Beans,” may be found to contain C. botulinum, better known as botulism.
The canned cut green beans were distributed to retailers, restaurants and foodservice institutions by Gordon Food Service, Grand Rapids, Mich., with lot code 19H7FL and UPC code 93901 11873, in large institutional-sized, 6 pound 5 ounce (#10) cans. The green beans were distributed to food service customers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia and sold through GFS Marketplace stores in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. There is no evidence of primary distribution outside the United States.
FDA
New Era has voluntarily recalled 171 cases of the green beans and the FDA, along with the Michigan Department of Agriculture, is investigating whether any other sources may be involved in the contamination.
FDA Warns About Potential for Botulism in Canned Green Beans