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
Could This Be Why Prescriptions Cost So Much?
Do you ever wonder, when you go to the pharmacy to pick up your prescriptions, why the bill is so high? The cost of prescriptions is absolutely shocking and so often people are forced to chose between groceries and medication. Something about that is just not right! And when you look at pharmaceutical companies, and how they spend their money, it becomes fairly easy to see where that high price tag is originating from.
In their analysis of data from two market research companies, IMS and CAM, Marc-André Gagnon and Joel Lexchin (York University, Toronto, Canada) found that US drug companies spent US$57.5 billion on promotional activities in 2004, the latest year for which figures were available. In comparison, the National Science Foundation reported that in 2004 the amount of industrial pharmaceutical research and development (including public funds for industrial research and development) was US$31.5 billion in the United States.
Medical News Today
That is close to twice as much! That is money that is going into advertising, promotional materials (those pens, calendars, and coffee cups at the doctor’s office come from those companies), drug reps who talk with physicians about medications, and other forms of marketing to increase sales.
One might wonder what they will have to promote when they run out of new medications because of the lack of research!
Healthcare is in crisis today; not just in the United States but globally. Prices of diagnoses, procedures, treatments, and medications are becoming a luxury item available only to the wealthy. The old saying of “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” may be amended to, “The well get healthier and the sick get sicker!”
Drug Industry Spends Nearly Twice As Much On Marketing Than On Research And Development
We Need More Like This Guy!
And the really wonderful part is that he just thinks he is doing his job. He doesn’t realize he is a hero! Do you realize he is? Do you know about the problems Medicare patients have getting their medical bills processed and paid and their prescriptions in hand? Assuming they haven’t given up their prescriptions because of cost? And if someone can step in and help those people to get those situations under control, assist them in getting their medications, and above all, remind them they are not alone in the human family… well, that’s a hero in my book.
Called an “attack dog disguised as a health insurance counselor,” 32 year-old Frederic Riccardi has made it his mission to advocate for the elderly to be certain they have their medications, their bills covered, and watching to be sure that medical providers are doing their jobs the right way.
This article by Jan Hoffman at the “New York Times,” is one of the best articles I have read in a long time. Of course it is written well and it is interesting. But it is so timely! And it both makes you thankful to know their are people like Riccardi doing what they do so well, and guilty that there is a need to have a job like that in the first place.
American healthcare has a lot of changing to do to treat people right. This is particularly so for the disabled and the elderly. The populations least able to care for themselves seem to have the biggest problems with their coverage, assuming they have any, and getting the providers to do what they are legally and ethically bound to do.
Reading this article will help you learn about many of the problems that do exist in healthcare today - at least the financial end of it. An election is coming up and this is a great place to start learning about some of the issues.