Take A Pill

   There is a new business emerging which has been flourishing in recent years. Struggling law firms who used to focus on chasing ambulances are now chasing the victims of the pharmaceutical corporations. They're representing the people (or their surviving family) who are suffering sickness, disease and death due to the horrific side effects of some of the pills they've been ingesting.

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   One of the current favorites of attorneys is Heparin. This is a blood-thinning substance prescribed mainly to dialysis patients to prevent blood clots. If you type "heparin" into a search engine you'll come up with over 13-million entries, beginning with numerous law firm links (here's one of them) offering to assist victims of Heparin with their cases. The listed side effects of Heparin are: Bleeding episodes; easy bruising; nose bleed; blood in urine or stool; hives; itching; burning skin; difficulty breathing; swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat; numbness or weakness (particularly on one side of the body); sudden headaches; confusion; problems with vision, speech or balance; pain or swelling in one or both legs; fever; chills; runny nose; watery eyes.

   And who's to blame for this state of events? Well, in this case, the buck stops here. The "here" being the individual you see in the mirror. No one forces these victims to take these pills. The possible side effects are told to them in the commercials which hawk them. They're listed on the bottles and in the literature which comes with them. And hopefully, they're explained by the doctor who prescribes them.

   That being said, there actually is a second party who is to blame: The FDA.

   If you look up the FDA on Wikipedia, you'll find this: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for regulating and supervising the safety of foods, dietary supplements, drugs, vaccines, biological medical products, blood products, medical devices, radiation-emitting devices, veterinary products, and cosmetics.

   With an agency such as this in place, how - you might ask, I know I do - are all of these dangerous and deadly drugs getting onto the market?

   That is the million dollar question, isn't it?

When Jenny McCarthy's son was diagnosed with autism, she refused to quietly sit back and accept it as a fact which she could do nothing about. Through tireless research and a specified diet, Jenny made it possible for her son to recover from autism.

You can read her story here

     "The thing that bugs me is that people think the FDA is protecting them. It isn't. What the FDA is doing and what the public thinks it's doing are as different as night and day." -Herbert Ley, Jr. (1923-2001), quoted from the San Francisco Chronicle, January 2, 1970

     I jotted down just a few of the drugs I see advertised incessantly on TV, and later looked up the side-effects. This took a total of two mouse clicks on the Yahoo search engine. This is what I found (The side effects are listed in order of the possible occurrence - that is, the most likely are listed first.)

     Levitra (Vardenafil) A muscle relaxer used for erectile dysfunction. Possible Side effects: Sudden vision loss; hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of face, lips, tongue or throat; during sexual activity: dizzy or nauseated - pain, numbness, tingling in chest, arms neck or jaw; ringing in ears or sudden hearing loss; chest pain or heavy feeling; pain spreading to shoulder or arm (isn't that a heart attack?) sweating; general ill feeling; irregular heartbeat; swelling in hands, ankles or feet; shortness of breath; light-headed or fainting; painful erection that lasts four hours or longer.

     Ambien (Zolpidem) A sedative/hypnotic, affecting chemicals in the brain which may become unbalanced. Used to treat insomnia. Possible Side effects: Hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of face, lips, tongue or throat; worsening sleep problems; depression; thoughts of hurting yourself; unusual risk-taking behavior; decreased inhibitions; no fear of danger; aggression; agitation; hallucinations; confusion; loss of personality; daytime drowsiness; dizziness; weakness; feeling "drugged"; amnesia; forgetfulness; vivid or abnormal dreams; diarrhea; nausea; vomiting; headache; muscle pain; blurred vision.

     Abilify (Aripiprazole) An anti-psychotic, works by changing the chemicals in the brain. Used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Advertised to treat depression. Possible Side effects: The typical swelling of face, lips, tongue or throat; fever; stiff muscles; confusion; sweating; fast or uneven heartbeats; jerky and uncontrollable muscle movement; numbness or weakness; headache; problems with vision, speech or balance; increased thirst or urination; loss of appetite; fruity breath odor; drowsiness; dry skin; nausea; vomiting; seizure; thoughts of hurting yourself; feeling of passing out; jaundice; choking or trouble swallowing; weakness; constipation; mild upset stomach; anxiety; insomnia; weight gain.

     Humira (Adalimumap) Prescribed for treatment of rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Also used to treat Crohn's disease. Advertised for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Possible side effects: Emergency help is recommended for signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of face, lips, tongue or throat. Serious and sometimes fatal infections may occur duing treatment with adalimumab. Contact your doctor right away if you have signs of infection such as: fever; chills; sore throat; flu symptoms; weight loss; joint pain or swelling with fever; swollen glands; muscle aches; nausea; vomiting; unusual thoughts or behavior and/or seizure (convulsions); patchy skin color; red spots; butterfly-shaped skin rash over cheeks and nose (worsens in sunlight); chest pain; ongoing cough; coughing up blood; easy bruising or bleeding; pale skin; unusual weakness; short of breath - even with mild exertion; swelling of ankles or feet; mouth sores; confusion; pain or burning during urination; numbness or tingly feeling; weakness in legs; jaundice; itching; headache; stuffy nose; sinus pain; stomach pain. "This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur."

     Symbicort(Budesonide and Formoterol) An inhaler prescribed for asthma. Possible side effects: Sinus infection; runny nose; throat pain; headaches; upset stomach; flu symptoms; back pain; nausea or vomiting; thrush; diarrhea; voice change; muscle spasms; urinary tract or bladder infection; dizziness; migraines and tension headaches; arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat); worsening breathing problems; high blood pressure; agitation, aggression or anxiety; depression; frequent or severe infection of any type.

     Reclast(Zoledronic acid) Prescribed for bone density, calcium deficiency and osteoporosis. Possible Side effects: Headaches; dizziness; bone pain; joint pain; fever; high blood pressure; muscle pain; extremity pain; flu-like symptoms; neck, shoulder or chest pain; lethargy; swelling of ankles or feet; burning or tingling; abdominal pain; bloating; muscle stiffness; arthritis; diarrhea; nausea; vomiting; anemia; weakness; fatigue; vertigo; heartburn; muscle spasms; dehydration; loss of appetite; low calcium levels; kidney damage; severe bone, muscle or joint pain; jaw or tooth problems; rapid or irregular heartbeat.

     Zicam A nasal cold gel:Zicam has been link to a condition know as Anosmia (the loss of sense of smell). Click here to read more about that.

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     We Americans are permanently damaging and killing ourselves with the illresponsible ingestion of pills and medications - be they prescribed or OTC. We cannot trust the FDA to regulate the safety of these chemicals, any more than we can always trust in physicians and/or pharmacists to inform us of the possible dangers and side effects. The buck stops in the mirror. You are ultimately responsible for what goes into your body.