All drugs not created equal...

[Guest guest]

Jen,

What a great post! It is important that each of us reads the information we are

given by our pharmacist when we pick up a new prescription. An understanding of

the expected actions as well as of potential side-effects of any new medication

is important knowledge if we are to evaluate our own response to a drug.

There is no need to black-list all of the medications made by one company

because one of their drugs has a problem. Research continues on most drugs and

often turns up new and unexpected side-effects not previously known. When such

information becomes available it is usually announced by the FDA or by the

company after due consideration. Not announcing negative research results would

put a company at extreme financial risk and law suits. It is impossible,

however, for any company to rule out all risks of taking any medication. That

is where you and your doctor need to carefully consider a medication before you

begin taking it, after an initial period of taking it, and continuously at every

office visit afterwards. Even a medication that has worked properly without

side-effects for a long time for you may after awhile become ineffective or

produce side-effects you haven't previously experienced. Been there, done that.

I took Feldene, another NSAID, for many years. It was a great medication for

me, controlling flare-ups of my Reactive Arthritis, aka Reiters Syndrome,

extremely well. But after many years it lost its effectiveness and I had to

reluctantly try different medications to find another that worked as

well...still looking. Secondarily, my liver functions went a little haywire due

to another medication and Feldene was no longer considered a safe drug for me to

take because of its known greater negative effects on kidney and liver as

compared to other NSAIDs.

Note that I took Feldene for many years even knowing it could have the negative

effects on liver and kidney. That decision was wise at the time and the drug

did work as expected without negative side-effects. It was only after it failed

to help with my condition, and after another medication caused the liver

malfunction that an evaluation of my medications caused my doctors to eliminate

the Feldene from my treatment plan. Feldene is still a good drug for many, and

perhaps not a good drug for others depending upon their own medical situation.

One of the purposes of this group is to, hopefully, share information about

treatments and medications that have helped, as well as point out potential

problems others have had with treatments and medications. I would like to think

that we all give due consideration to any statement we might make about any

medication. The fact that it helped someone, might not mean it would help

another person with the same condition, but with differing health overall. What

is right for me, may not be right for you. In the same vein, what didn't work

for me might very well work for you. My negative experience with a medication

does not mean that everyone will have such an experience.

I don't have health issues beyond Reactive Arthritis and Fibromyalgia and their

wide-ranging symptoms including chronic pain. So my treatment plan is fairly

simple at the moment. But someone else with cancer, or heart or circulatory

problems, for example, may need a more complicated treatment plan and may or may

not be able to take the medications I take. In other words, depending upon your

overall health situation, your doctor will be prescribing medications meant just

for you and not for anyone else. Another reason for NOT SHARING medications

without careful thought with another person just because they have a single

symptom or two like yours. Nor should you expect a drug to work for you because

it worked for someone else with the same condition.

I get frustrated when I spend big bucks for a medication that I cannot continue

taking due to unexpected side-effects. But that's life, and that's modern

medicine. I share the side-effects with my doctor, we discuss our options and

then he/she gives me a different prescription. It's called individual medical

care. Just what we all expect and want until Magic Pills are created for every

condition that guarantee cures with no side-effects.

Ray Neal, moderator

[Guest guest]

Hi group

If you are NOT given this information then ask for it. Pharmacists get busy

and in a hurry just like everyone else does. We must be pro-active in our

medical care. I purchased a good sensible reference book called The Pill

Book. I bought it at Walmart for $4.88 and even though I can look online

this is a quick reference that is written in regular English.

Excellent posts Ray and Jen.

Kaylene

It is important that each of us reads the information we are given by our

pharmacist when we pick up a new prescription. An understanding of the

expected actions as well as of potential side-effects of any new medication

is important knowledge if we are to evaluate our own response to a drug.

>Ray Neal, moderator

>

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[Guest guest]

Dear Ray,

Why thank you! I really value your opinion! I do have to say

though, that there are times when the patient advisory leaflet given

with prescriptions can be pitifully incomplete. They can sometimes

only give a cursory overview of the drug, covering only the basic

facts, and a few of the " most common " side effects. When I had my

adverse reaction to Levaquin, very few of the things I was

experiencing were even listed on the leaflet.

To get a better overview of the drug, you can do a few other

things. Your doctor, or your pharmacist, can provide you with a

copy of the drug monograph. It can also be obtained by doing a

search on the internet. The monograph will give a very complete

listing of the common, not so common, and very rare side effects of

the drug. You can also ask your doctor to look the drug up in his

or her PDR before you even leave the office. No doctor should

expect you to take a drug with blind trust, and should be very

willing to share this information with you.

Like you, I've been taking an anti-inflammatory for several years,

only mine has been Bextra, which has been the center of some

controversy because it has been reported to have caused s-

s Syndrome in some people. There have been times when I mention

that I take Bextra, and I am innundated with dire warnings to stop

taking it because of this. However, I have been taking it

successfully since about 4 months after it came onto the market,

with no adverse effects, and it has offered me an immense amount of

relief. I see no reason to stop taking a drug that has caused me no

harm, and makes my life more tolerable, based on the possibility

that it MIGHT cause harm. In doing that, I would have to eliminate

every single medication that I currently take.

Right now, I'm facing the same situation as you though. Bextra is

starting to lose its effectiveness for me, and I'm faced with the

possibility of having to switch to a new medication. Since I have

multiple drug sensitivities, this is a very daunting task. Most

traditional NSAID's cause me severe stomach problems, and the other

-2's didn't work for me. I haven't decided yet what I want to do

about it. I've been dragging my feet on it now for a little while,

but I will have to decide soon, as the Bextra is losing more and

more of it's effectiveness.

Thanks for your reply to my post. I really appreciate and value

your input!

Jen

[Guest guest]

Jen,

Totally agree on the patient leaflets with the Rxs - they are incomplete. I

just sent a post to Kaylene mentioning the Nursing drug hand book which I have

found to be the best drug reference there is.

And please - don't misconstrue what I am saying. If the Bextra is working for

you than by all means stick with it! I get daily news updates form the FDA

being in the business I am and I know they are looking into the possibility of

the base compound for the cox inhibitors causing these cardiac side effects, not

just the vioxx. Nothing has been decided yet... And when it comes to cardiac

complications with drugs, that is my own personal paranoia to avoid them! :-)

All my best...

Jan :-)

Jen wrote:

.....covering only the basic

facts, and a few of the " most common " side effects.

Like you, I've been taking an anti-inflammatory for several years,

only mine has been Bextra, which has been the center of some

controversy because it has been reported to have caused s-

s Syndrome in some people....