Guest guest Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 " M. " <chmdavis@...> wrote:From: " M. " " F. Prior " Subject: FW: Hot Potato Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 12:42:03 -0400 v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} , FYI Hot Potato Hot Potato The Health Sciences Institute e-Alert July 15, 2003 ************************************************************ Dear Member, What are we doing to our kids? That's the unspoken question that runs through an e-mail I received last week from an HSI member named who began by saying: " URGENT suggestion: Why don't you write about the drug Risperdal? " did some research on her own, so she was able to make a wise decision about Risperdal. In other words, she didn't have to learn the hard way what a dangerous drug this is. Unfortunately, many parents who trust their pediatricians' judgment may be in for a shock. But just as unfortunate are the elderly Alzheimer's patients who are also given Risperdal - with sometimes grave consequences. ------------------------------------------------------------- Drug abuse ------------------------------------------------------------- Risperdal (the brand name for risperidone) is the most frequently prescribed antipsychotic medication in the U.S. The FDA has approved Risperdal for the treatment of schizophrenia, but it is not approved for children. Of course, that doesn't prohibit doctors from prescribing the drug for a child - even if the young patient has been diagnosed with a condition far less severe than schizophrenia. Here's 's experience, in her own words: " Doctors are giving Risperdal to children in droves. However, I called the drug company up and they do not recommend it for kids, nor has it been approved by the FDA for children. " A doctor prescribed it for my son who is 8. I dropped the doctor like a hot potato. They are using Risperdal on children with ADHD to help control them. It can cause incurable disease in children and it is causing strokes and killing the elderly. I talked with a lawyer and was told some parents are giving it to their children who are only 2 and 3 years old. " If you're a longtime HSI member and regular e-Alert reader, then you're probably not wondering how a large group of doctors - independent of one another - would decide to prescribe a potent schizophrenia drug to young children. They do it because salespeople for the drug company encourage them to prescribe " outside the box. " Meanwhile, the manufacturer's customer service representatives are telling people on the phone that the drug is not recommended for kids. Great system: Give the " insider " spin to doctors to pump up sales; give the politically correct spin to consumers; everybody wins. Except the kids. ------------------------------------------------------------- Into the unknown...again ------------------------------------------------------------- Risperdal is manufactured by a division of & , called Jannsen Pharmaceuticals. Approved by the FDA almost 10 years ago, Risperdal was known at the outset to cause a number of possible side effects, including anxiety, dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, and sleepiness. Some Risperdal users feel lightheaded when they stand up too quickly. And in a few cases, patients experienced tremors, and even uncontrollable facial twitches. In recent years, however, this list of side effects has come to include irregular blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and muscle rigidity. These problems have led to 37 confirmed reports of stroke in elderly patients, resulting in 16 deaths. If these numbers were attached to ephedra instead of Risperdal, the mainstream press would be howling for a ban. Instead, last April & quietly distributed letters to U.S. doctors, warning that Risperdal raises the risk of stroke among seniors. What permanent damage this drug may be doing to kids, however, is pure speculation, because no studies have been conducted to determine the effects of Risperdal in very young subjects. And it's doubtful that such studies could ever take place. Imagine how unethical it would be to test a psychotropic drug on children and infants. There's no telling what permanent damage such a potent drug would have on developing brains. And yet doctors and psychiatrists are conducting that very test every day by prescribing Risperdal to young people who are diagnosed with " conduct disorders. " I think has the right idea: these doctors should be dropped like hot potatoes. ------------------------------------------------------------- Skin deep ------------------------------------------------------------- One of the most unfortunate aspects of Alzheimer's is when patients develop " conduct disorders. " Needless to say, these patients are sometimes inclined to forget or even reject their medication. But & has a plan to take care of that problem. Two years ago & acquired Alza Corporation - one of the first developers of sustained-release medications. Alza invented " the patch " for smokers. This is Alza's specialty: devising new ways to conveniently deliver drugs. A recent Alza innovation is a device called Duros - a rod about the size of a one inch pencil lead - that is implanted just under the skin where it releases small amounts of a drug for up to one year. Risperdal is one of the J & J drugs that are currently being developed for application with Duros. But if a Risperdal Duros reaches the market, you can bet it won't be cheap. As it is, Risperdal costs more than $7 per day. When the new delivery device is added, you have to imagine that the cost will go up, and Jannsen salespeople will, in turn, step up their sales efforts to make the new generation of Risperdal a success. Suddenly the idea of kids being over-prescribed psychotropic drugs seems almost tame compared to the idea of Risperdal or Ritalin implants. No wonder & executives spent more than $13 billion to purchase Alza. They saw the future of medication - and its name is " Convenience. " ------------------------------------------------------------- Ka-boom ------------------------------------------------------------- The information package that comes with Risperdal warns that once a patient is feeling better they must continue to take their dosage to prevent symptoms from returning. So what does this mean for a patient who's 3 or 6 or 10? Are they embarking on a lifetime commitment to a medication that they'll never remember not having? Earlier this year a study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine reported that the use of psychotropic drugs by children in the U.S. more than doubled during the 1990s, and has almost matched adult usage of the same drugs. That's not growth - that's explosion. In her e-mail, made this closing request: " Please advise parents to search the web for every drug their children are prescribed so they can make safe choices for them. " If every parent were as diligent in avoiding potent, untested drugs as has been, we could all feel much better about the health of our children. And this is another place the HSI network can work so well. If you know someone with young children - or aging parents - please forward this e-mail to them. The risks of Risperdal are too great to not spread the word. Share this HSI e-Alert with a friend didn't mention what sort of alternative to Risperdal she finally settled on for her son. But if you have a child or grandchild who has had one of these drugs recommended to address disorderly conduct or ADHD, I urge you to read the e-Alert " How To Dismantle An '89 Ford " (6/2/02), in which HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., outlines a nutritional regimen that might make all the difference between a child with a clear mind and a child with a mind clouded by pharmaceuticals. ************************************************************ ATTENTION MEN: Now YOU can get a new edge on life! If you’re like most men, chances are you’re always looking for an 'edge' - any new way to get ahead. How would you like to... * Shave a stroke off your golf score or add a few pins to your bowling average... * Stay focused in your professional career and your personal finances... * Fortify your health and fire up your sex life like you were 21 again. Whatever it is you want out of life - now you can have it without worrying about one of the most common roadblocks that deprive so many of us of our youthful vigor and all the abundance and pleasure we want out of life... Discover the potent nutritional edge that you, I and every man have been looking for in one convenient daily package... http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/650SDPM/w650d714/home.cfm (if you can't click here use the HTML links listed below) ************************************************************ ...and another thing What's the difference between powder and soda? Just one little word. In the e-Alert " McMedicine " (6/25/03) I told your how the average person my absorb anywhere from 10 to 100 mg of aluminum every day through aluminum deodorants, cookware, baking soda, antacids, and other sources. This is a concern, of course, because aluminum toxicity has been associated with Alzheimer's disease. But it appears that I had one little (but important) word wrong. An HSI member named Pati wrote with this question: " My family and I have been using baking soda as a deodorant for several years now, so that we could avoid the aluminum in regular deodorants. We have found it to be better than most health store varieties and have really liked it, but it looked - from your recent article - that it too contains aluminum. Is this correct? If so, then ANY type of deodorant - even in the health stores - that claims to be free of aluminum but that also has baking soda listed is also to be avoided. Is this so? " Good catch, Pati. This question was also brought up on the HSI Forum in a thread titled " Baking Soda & Alzheimer's Disease. " It's gratifying to know that everyone is paying such close attention! In a nutshell, here's the lowdown: Baking soda doesn't contain aluminum, but baking POWDER does (unless you go out of your way to find aluminum-free baking powder). So if you're getting good results from a deodorant that contains baking soda - fear not - your product is aluminum-free. (By the way, I should have caught that one myself as my toothpaste is also baking soda based. Shame on me.) To Your Good Health, Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************ The Next Depression Is Closer Than You Think -- Prepare Now! Don’t be fooled by stock market rallies. History shows that Wall Street’s next stop could be another depression! See the proof for yourself and learn strategies that could protect your wealth. While the Dow dropped 21% in the last 12 months, some investors had the chance to enjoy average profits of 19%. But as the market begins to collapse in earnest, you could enjoy profits of up to 1,000%! Get all the details here... http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/DRI/OilProfits (if you can't click here use the HTML links listed below) ************************************************************ Sources: " About Risperdal " Risperdal web site, risperdal.com " Risperdal Children " A Drug Recall.com, adrugrecall.com " Psychotropic Practice Patterns for Youth " Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vol. 157, No. 1, January 2003, archpedi.ama-assn.org " A Long Way from Tiny Time Pills " Philip Siekman, Fortune, 7/7/03, fortune.com " Company to Warn of Possible Risperdal Stroke Risk " Reuters Health, 4/11/03, reuters.com Copyright ©1997-2003 by http://www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. ************************************************************ Before you hit reply to send us a question or request, please click here http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/questions.shtml ************************************************************ If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com ************************************************************ To learn more about the Health Sciences Institute, call (508) 368-7494 or http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSIC313. ************************************************************ IMPORTANT: We have a strict anti-spam policy. It is our intention to honor all " remove " requests promptly. However, if you do not follow the unsubscribe instructions below and simply hit reply instead, we may not receive your request and cannot guarantee that you will be removed from the list. ************************************************************ If you no longer wish to receive the HSI e-Alerts or you need to change your e-mail address, please follow the instructions below. Your changes will be effective immediately. --------------------------------- Please note: We sent this e-mail to: " >Click To View e-Mail Address because you or someone using your e-mail address subscribed to this service. --------------------------------- To manage your subscription, send an email to: hsia_unsub@... or go to our web interface at: www.agoramail.net/home.cfm?list=hsia F. Prior jprior@... Chicago, IL 60656-1639 Calendar: http://calendar./j_prior Home/Office Phone: 773-774-6696 Fax: 781-459-8592 Cell: 773-230-5825 : 22:36 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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