Moondancer re: Moms Medications - Fairly Long Reply

[Guest guest]

She needs a doctor---- and I am tired of seeing my Mother being

treated incorrectly by this doctor she has been seeing and trust

your judgment on choosing a doctor with the proper

credentials.......

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Well, most of my " practitioner " sources don't list " real " doctors

(although every once in awhile a " real " doctor will show up on one

of them).

As info, PDR stands for " Physician's Desk Reference " (my copy is the

2001 edition). CG stands for " Complete Guide to Prescription and

Nonprescription Drugs " by H Winter Griffith (2000 edition). The

third reference I used was " Dangerous Drug Interactions " by Joe and

Graedon (1999 version).

After you go through the details below, I think you will get a good

idea why I list a good drug reference/interaction guide at the very

top of my recommended book list. Keep in mind that I only typed out

bits and pieces that I thought might have some relevance for your

mom and by no means everything listed in any of the three books on

any of the meds.

Like I said yesterday, I'm no doctor, but I can tell you for sure

that going through this exercise raised a LOT of questions in my

mind. And I mean SERIOUS questions. Out of curiosity, after you

read the post, is her doctor doing any of the suggested " monitoring,

testing, or observing? "

I am posting the info rather than sending it off-list because there

may be others on the list either taking some of these themselves or

with family members who are.

Let me know if I can help further or if you need any clarification

on any of the details below.

Medication list as of - May 3, 2004

actos- helps insulin work better:

PDR page 3171 – " ACTOS is an oral antidiabetic agent that acts

primarily by decreasing insulin resistance. ACTOS is used in the

management of Type II diabetes. "

PDR page 3172 – " ACTOS therapy should not be initiated if the

patient exhibits clinical evidence of active liver disease. "

PDR page 3172 – " Pending the availability of additional large, long-

term controlled clinical trials and post-marketing safety data

following wide clinical use of ACTOS to more fully define its

hepatic safety profile, it is recommended that patients treated with

ACTOS undergo periodic monitoring of liver enzymes…Liver function

tests should also be obtained for patients if symptoms suggestive of

hepatic dysfunction occur, e.g., nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain,

fatigue, anorexia, dark urine.

PDR page 3172 – " ACTOS should be used with caution in patients with

edema. In double-blind clinical trials of patients with Type II

diabetes, mild to moderate edema was reported in patients treated

with ACTOS. "

accupril- blood pressure pill but given to her for a leaky kidney

PDR page 2416 – " This drug is known to be substantially excreted by

the kidney and the risk of toxic reactions to this drug may be

greater in patients with impaired renal function.

Complete Guide page 50 – " Uses – Treatment for kidney disease in

diabetic patients. "

aciphex- thinks for stomach- the one he gave her when she told him

she felt she was getting ulcer again

PDR page 1179 " Aciphex is indicated for short term (4 to 8 weeks)

treatment in the healing and symptomatic relief of erosive or

ulcerative gastroesophogeal reflux disease (GERD). For those who

have not healed after 8 weeks of treatment, an additional 8 weeks

may be considered. Aciphex is indicated for maintaining healing and

reduction in relapse rates of heartburn symptoms in patients with…

GERD. Aciphex is indicated for short-term (up to 4 weeks) treatment

in the healing and symptomatic relief of duodenal ulcers. "

PDR page 1180 – " Adverse Reactions – Body as a whole … rare, abdomen

enlarged; abdominal pain; peripheral edema, edema, weight gain, leg

cramps, bone pain… "

synthroid- for thyroid

PDR page 1641 – " Synthroid should be used with caution with patients

with…hypertension…Use of Synthroid in patients with concomitant

diabetes mellitus, diabetes insididus, or adrenal cortical

insufficiency may aggravate the intensity of their symptoms. "

PDR page 1642 – " Requirements for insulin or oral antidiabetic

agents may be reduced in hypothyroid patients with diabetes mellitus

and may subsequently increase with the initiation of hormone

replacement therapy. "

vioxx- hand tingling - pin needle test( he gave it to her after that

test) she just threw these in the trash because it is stated it

causes lower level edema

Didn't bother looking it up because she tossed them in the trash.

hydrochlordothazide-water pill she's been on forever

Had to use the Complete Guide on this one because the PDR lists

better than a dozen by brand name and I would need the actual brand

to be more specific.

CG page 324 – " Uses: Controls, but doesn't cure, high blood

pressure. Reduces fluid retention (edema) caused by conditions such

as heart disorders and liver disease. " Adverse reactions can

include " …abdominal pain. " Possible interactions with other drugs

include " increased blood sugar " with oral antidiabetics.

metformin-insulin work better

PDR page 1006 – " Lactic acidosis is a rare, but serious metabolic

complication that can occur due to metformin accumulation during

treatment…The onset of lactic acidosis often is subtle, and

accompanied only by nonspecific symptoms such as malaise, myalgias,

respiratory distress, increasing somnolence, and nonspecific

abdominal distress…The patient and the patient's physician must be

aware of the possible importance of such symptoms and the patient

should be instructed to notify the physician immediately if they

occur. "

CG page 527 – " Advise any doctor or dentist whom you consult that

you take this medicine. Drug may interfere with the accuracy of

some medical tests…quinine – increased metformin effect. "

amaryl-thinks this is another to make insulin work better but unsure.

PDR page 678 – " Certain drugs tend to produce hyperglycemia and may

lead to loss of control. These drugs include the thiazides and

other diuretics…thyroid products…When these drugs are administered

to a patient receiving Amaryl, the patient should be closely

observed for loss of control. "

metolazone- waterpill

CG page 324 – " Uses: Controls, but doesn't cure, high blood

pressure. Reduces fluid retention (edema) caused by conditions such

as heart disorders and liver disease. " Adverse reactions can

include " …abdominal pain. " Possible interactions with other drugs

include " increased blood sugar " with oral antidiabetics.

klor-con- potassium she didnt know what it is-

CG page 678 – " Infrequent adverse reaction: abdominal pain; Rare:

difficult breathing. "

CG page 679 – Diuretics can cause decreased potassium effect and

NSAIDS can increase risk of stomach irritation.

motrin - pain reliever for joints/arthritis

CG page 105 – basically, Motrin is an NSAID.

I also specifically checked " Dangerous Drug Interactions " separately.

Accupril shows up on page 112 with a potassium warning. Direct quote:

" These popular blood pressure medications tend to maximize potassium

levels. This is fine unless a person is getting extra potassium

through a potassium supplement or potassium-based salt substitute.

Too much of this important mineral is just as bad as not enough. If

you are taking one of these medicines you should probably avoid

extra potassium unless your doctor is supervising closely. Your

physician should periodically test your blood levels of potassium. "

Synthroid has a warning on page 89 to take without food

Hydrochlordothazide

When combined with motrin may decrease effects of diuretics;

Metolazone 360 358 risk of toxicity if too much calcium or Vitamin

D intake in combination; potential to make antidiabetic drugs less

effective

Klor con 377 Cross links back to ACE inhibitors (accupril) with

the same basic warning.