Re: Fw: ita has comments and questions

[Guest guest]

ita,

What an amazing story!! You are one of those women that is living proof that silicone is detrimental to our health, as well as transmitted to children. I get so sickened by the so called scientists and MD's who say that there is no link whatsoever with silicone and its ill effects being transferred to children. The studies are out there, and there are women and children out there who are living proof, but no one wants to listen to you. I have counseled and spoke to several women who have ill children because of the effects of silicone breast implants. And most of these children have illnesses similar to what your children have. What a catastophe that docs, scientists, and the implant manufacturers won't listen!!!

I can give you lots of info on the meds you talked about. First of all, Neurontin is an anticonvulsant drug. It is being used very successfully to treat chronic pain conditions. As with any drug, there is always the potential for side effects, however, I care for lots of pts who are on it, and the majority of them have no side effects, except for some fatigue, which tends to go away as your body adjusts to the medication. Neurontin is the trade name, and gabapentin is the generic name. It is a relatively new drug, and I believe it came out in the mid 90's. The most common side effects seem to be nervousness, fatigue/somnolence, tremor, and dizziness. Some mild weight gain has been associated with it.

The most common complaint is that of fatigue. Therefore, most people take it at night to help them sleep and so that they don't have to deal with the fatigue. Most docs prescribe it in a "step up" dosing schedule. They start at 300mg at night for one night, then on the second day, 300mg in the AM and in the PM, or if the fatigue is severe, 600mg at night, and so on. I took this drug for a while a few yrs ago, and never experienced fatigue or any side effects for that matter. Unfortunately, the drug just didn't seem to help my pain. But I was taking 1200mg/day in divided doses.

The nice thing about neurontin is that you don't have to have drug levels monitored. It is a relatively safe drug, with a low side effect profile.

The drug has also been used to treat migraines, and many people state that it has helped their migraines a lot. One thing that you can't take neurontin with is antacids as antacids decrease the absorption of neurontin, so you need to separate the administration times by 2 hrs. Neurontin can also cause a low WBC, so it is wise to have your CBC monitored every once in a while.

But if your rheumy is recommending this drug, then she will probably be doing lab tests anyway, especially if she's like my rheumy, who does lab work everytime I visit him! But many anesthesia pain docs (as well as psychiatrists, rheumys, internal med docs, and others) are increasingly using neurontin for chronic pain with good results.

As for plaquenil, this is also an excellent drug for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and other joint problems. It is a very old drug, and is actually an antimalarial drug. The reason that you had to sign a paper stating that you would have eye exams done 2x/yr is because it does have the potential to cause corneal and retinal changes. Corneal changes are usually reversible, whereas retinal changes usually are not. The retinal changes that can occur are optic atrophy, visual field disturbances, pallor of optic disk, macular lesions, and patchy retinal pigmentation. HOWEVER, this is not common, and the drug continues to be highly recommended for use in the above mentioned pts. It is more a precaution to have the 2x/yr eye exams, and I have never talked to anyone who has had any vision problems because of plaquenil. And I know women who have been on plaquenil for yrs and yrs and it has helped them tremendously with their symptoms. As with neurontin, your blood should be monitored periodically as it can cause low WBC's, platelets, and aplastic anemia. Again, this is rare, and is more just precautionary measures.

Plaquenil is an excellent drug, and in combination with neurontin, or alone, it may significantly help decrease your symptoms.

Let me know if I can be of any more assistance--I'm glad to help in any way I can.

Sincerely,

e, RN, BSN, LNC