Big Pharma Sells Risky Meds We Don’t Need for Disorders It Made Up That We Don’t Have

[marmar]

via truthdig:



“Intermittent explosive disorder.” “Overactive bladder disorder.” Professional medical societies and paid drug industry researchers have loaded society up with new definitions of alleged ill health from which drug companies can profit when millions of otherwise well people are labeled as ailing.

“In 2003 and again in 2010,” for example, write MedPage Today editor Kristina Fiore and Milwaukee Journal reporter John Fauber, “the American Diabetes Association tinkered with the definition of a condition known as prediabetes, which independent doctors say is an unneeded label that has led to overtreatment with drugs, exposing patients to risks without proof of real benefit.”

“The changes, which twice lowered the threshold for hemoglobin A1C, increased the number of people fitting the diagnosis from 17 million to 87 million. Indeed, a March report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research estimated that 46% of Californians—13 million people—had prediabetes.”

“A Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigation found the ADA has long received more than $7 million in current annual funding. In addition, nine of the 14 experts who authored the 2010 change worked as speakers, consultants or advisers to companies that marketed diabetes medicines.”

In one instance, all five authors of a report reviewed by Fiore and Fauber had ties to a drug company that stood to profit from the study’s “findings.” ............(more)

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/drug_companies_sell_us_meds_we_dont_need_for_conditions_20160527

[Scuba]

1. They may have risked patient's lives but in their defense the drug companies did make profits.

Their shareholders are no doubt pleased.

[Old Codger]

3. Bingo

That is the be-all and end-all driving force in today's world, you can trace most of the problems in today's economics to plain and simple GREED.. nothing else..

[Baobab]

167. Rent-seeking

they want tribute to be paid to them.

[Jesus Malverde]

88. Don't forget the doctors....nt

[Initech]

145. Big companies' quest for big profits is a disease that is killing us all.

[villager]

159. Indeed, their satisfaction from profiting at the expense of everyone's health is "scientifically"

...measurable, and quantifiable, I'm sure.

You don't hate science, do you?

[bemildred]

2. Crooks. nt

[B Calm]

4. What! You mean I don't have restless leg syndrome.

[IdaBriggs]

12. If this isn't a joke, pm me. nt

[B Calm]

21. Ha ha, it's a joke!

[cui bono]

102. Why? You got some meds to sell them?

[IdaBriggs]

104. Lol! NO! Information share only.

[cui bono]

186. =)

.

[pangaia]

169. There is a new drug out. I saw it on the tee vee

Probioxaphene

[Aristus]

25. The vast majority of patients coming to me complaining of restless legs,

drink too much caffeine, and have very poor sleep hygiene. I work on those issues with them and treat as conservatively as possible before prescribing a medication.

So many ailments I hear of every day can be treated with some good simple lifestyle changes.

[SwissTony]

44. I suffer from restless legs.

I've never drunk coffee, rarely drink tea, cola is something I drink once in a blue moon....or twice a year, whichever comes first.

I suffer from neuropathy. I have many symptoms of diabetes (e.g. foot ulcers), but my blood sugar levels remain well within normal limits even when I eat chocolate and drink cola.

When I have restless legs, it's like pins and needles on steroids (which I don't take, BTW) and usually I can't sleep at all. When I don't have the problem, I sleep like a baby.

I just accept it as part of becoming old. I'm 65. I go for weeks/months without any great problems, but every now and then, it happens. I've mentioned it to my doctor, but she has not prescribed any medicine. She knows I'm not someone who will take medicine unless it's both necessary and helpful.

Just my experience...

[Aristus]

45. Diabetic neuropathy and restless legs syndrome are two tangentially-related, but separate

conditions, with different origins and different methods of treatment.

That pins and needles sensation is neuropathy, which can be ameliorated by gabapentin (Neurontin is the brand name).

Restless legs syndrome is characterized by muscle twitches and an irresistable urge to move one's legs, flex them, stretch them, etc. It is rarely accompanied by neuropathic symptoms.

[SwissTony]

46. OK, thanks for that.

I seem to have both!! When I have restless legs, I can't lie in bed. Even when I sleep, my foot moves around (just ask my wife). If I'm awake, I have to get up and walk!! I literally walk most of the night, hopefully getting a bit of sleep about the time I should be getting up.

And I'm not diabetic. I actually had a blood test an hour after i'd been eating chocolate and had drunk some cola. Can't remember the score, but it was high but within normal.

[Aristus]

49. Yeah, that sounds like restless legs. One thing most of my RLS patients have in common is smoking.

They all smoke a lot, and they all have at least one cigarette before bedtime. Nicotine is a stimulant and a vasoconstrictor, so while it may not be the underlying cause of RLS syndrome, smoking definitely makes it worse. I include smoking cessation as part of my treatment plan to improve their sleep hygiene.

You said your blood sugar levels are within normal limits; I assume you're talking about your fasting glucose levels. Have you ever had a test to measure hemoglobin A1C? This is the test that confirms or rules out diabetes.

[SwissTony]

50. I gave up smoking on my 13th birthday.

No, really. My cousin and I were doing the usual teenage experimentation and I decided enough was enough.

I don't know about the A1C test. I'm Australian and it may be known by another name there. But I was hospitalised for 5 weeks about 7 years ago with tropical ulcers (I lost a toe). So, I've had fasting tests but also tests when I haven't been fasting. I've had episodes of erysipelas (something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy) and had non-fasting blood samples taken.

I'll look up the A1C test on PUBMED and see what it's called in Europe (where I now live).

[sorefeet]

58. I can't even feel my feet

it is so hard to explain. I can't feel my feet. In other words my brain doesn't have a clue where my feet are at. I can step into a scalding tub of hot water and not feel it. But I can step on a BB sized pebble and go thru the roof. My balance is pitiful.

[SwissTony]

65. I'm absolutely hopeless on stairs.

I don't trust myself on stairs. I used to do martial arts and part of my training was running up and down stairs.

Now I avoid certain physical situations...not just stairs.

[Dustlawyer]

101. Right there with y'all! It really stinks on ice!

[nilram]

147. With regard to neuropathy and restless leg syndrome...

I use gabapentin for neuropathy, it helps, not nearly enough, but it helps. And I've also heard of folks using gabapentin for restless leg syndrome as well. If Aristus didn't mention it, then maybe it's not the first-line treatment, but you might get a two-fer if you use it. Initially you can have some daytime sleepiness with it, but it gets better. Good luck.

[momto3]

152. I use Horizant, which is a new generation of Gabapentin.

I have peripheral neuropathy due to SLE. When I flare, it feels like my feet are on fire. My husband thinks I am crazy, but I tend to soak my feet in cold water which does help somewhat. The Horizant works very well, but I believe it is expensive. I know that I am lucky to have good insurance and an excellent pain doc that went to the bat to get it for me.

I believe it is also used for restless leg syndrome.

[dorkzilla]

171. What's the difference between Horizant and gabapentin?

I take gabapentin twice a day for MS-related symptoms (I feel like I'm being stabbed in my legs with thousands of tiny needles). Is it meant to be better?

Cool water and air calm my MS flares (heat triggers my symptoms) so soaking your feet doesn't sound in the least bit crazy.

[momto3]

181. Horizant is Gabapentin enacarbil.

Horizons is broken down into gabapentin. I think this new formulation has a different pharmacokinetic dynamic in which the gabapentin is absorbed more efficiently and has a slower release profile so that you don't need quite as high a dose. I started on gabapentin which did not help at all. The Horizant works well, but as I mentioned, I think it is pretty expensive.

I'm glad to know I am not crazy!

[nilram]

193. I also use cool water, for the same situation. If you

haven't found it already, you might be interested in this forum, for people with PN. http://www.neurotalk.org/forum20/

[momto3]

196. I did not know about this group.

I'll check it out. Thanks.

[dixiegrrrrl]

119. Just a reminder that the article in the OP discusses how the A1C levels have been artificiall reduce

TWICE since 1997.
so have cholesterol levels.

I just got the A1C test results, my doc says it "proves pre-diabetes".
even tho my fasting glucose is only slightly over the "new" levels.

[Aristus]

125. Our understanding of diabetes has improved significantly since 1997.

Including knowledge of the threshold at which consumption of high fructose corn syrup, among the other dietary culprits, becomes deleterious to insulin secretion, and glucose absorption.

For example, we didn't know until relatively recently that high fructose corn syrup supresses the secretion of a hormone called leptin. When we eat, our stomachs stretch, and when they do, they activate what are called stretch receptors. And these stretch receptors secret a hormone called leptin, which travels from our stomachs to our brains, and tells our brains: "Stop eating. We're full." So HFCS suppresses the secretion of this hormone, so we keep eating and eating and eating because we don't feel full.

Increased fatty tissue in the abdomen leads to the secretion of another hormone called resistin. It's called that because it creates resistance to insulin in what are called the target cells, the cells that burn sugar for energy. Insulin is the hormone that gets glucose out of the bloodstream and into the target cells, where it is burned up. And insulin resistance is all that Type II Diabetes is.

When our knowledge of a disease changes, the medical community makes the changes necessary to being able to diagnose and treat it appropriately.

Granted, it's easier to blame corporations for a massive conspiracy than it is to make some significant lifestyle changes on one's own. So the paragraphs above represent a significant portion of the patient education I do every single day in clinic.

[sorefeet]

55. Hey Swiss Tony, same here

I am eat up with neuropathy. Industrial painter, solvent exposure for too many years. I call mine restless body syndrome at two o'clock in the morning. Had to get out of bed, usually into a very hot bathtub. Now when it happens I take two or three puffs of good cannabis and within a couple of minutes it's gone. I am not diabetic, don't do coffee, tea or soda. I can also sleep like a baby when every thing is right. My restless body syndrome will drive you nuts, spine, hands itch so bad, legs, it's all over.

[SwissTony]

59. It's dreadful, isn't it?

I've just bought a bath, so I'm going to try it out. My wife will be pleased I'm lying in a bath rather than disturbing her.

Cannabis sounds interesting. I smoked it a little bit 40 years ago. I live in Holland so it won't be difficult to acquire.

[sorefeet]

64. I likew the cannabis because it

is so fast. I could take an opiate but the effects take an hour. Plus opiates suck. So within 5 or 10 minutes I can be snoozing again.

[Scarsdale]

149. Epsom salts.

Try soaking in a tub with two cups of Epsom salts. some of the old remedies work. Just saw an ad about Abilify causing compulsive gambling!!! WHAT? Seriously, there is a group getting together for a class action lawsuit.

[dixiegrrrrl]

62. Interestingly, my doc showed zero interest when I dropped my cholesterol levels by diet

but she sure is homing in on slightly elevated blood sugar.
I told her we can check it in 6 months, after another diet change.

Because...I had read this:

Pre-diabetes: Twice in the past 13 years, in 2003 and again in 2010, the American Diabetes Association lowered the threshold for blood sugar levels used to define "pre-diabetes."

Doctors without ties to the drug industry, including those who have done research in the area, say pre-diabetes is an unnecessary label that can lead to the overtreatment of patients with drugs, exposing them to risks without proof of real benefits.

Indeed, a major study published in 2002 had shown that a combination of diet and exercise reduced the odds of pre-diabetes becoming diabetes by 58%, while use of the drug metformin only reduced it by 31%.

Yet the two adjustments to the definition of pre-diabetes increased the number of people said to have the condition fivefold, from 17 million to 87 million. In March, a report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research estimated that 46% of all Californians, 13 million people, now have "pre-diabetes."

Nine of the 14 doctors who made the 2010 adjustment in blood sugar levels worked as speakers, consultants or advisers to drug companies that make products to treat diabetes, an earlier Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigation found. Disclosure statements were never made public for the 2003 panel.

The American Diabetes Association itself has long received financial support from drug companies, including more than $7 million from current donors. The actual amount may well be higher, since the website only lists donors by minimum amounts, such as "Banting Circle Elite members" who contribute at least $1 million. The $7 million alone is more than enough to cover the pay and benefits for the 17 highest paid executives listed in the association's tax forms.

[womanofthehills]

107. Same here - I dropped my cholesterol 100 points & the doc didn't even want to know how I did it

My doc always wants to put me on blood pressure meds because I have white coat syndrome. I finally bought one of those wrist blood pressure monitors that I take in to show her how low my blood pressure is when I'm not in her office. L'arginine dilates your blood vessels (you can get timed release ) and along with magnesium/potassium I've dropped my pressure big time.

It still doesn't matter to her - she said because it gets high when I see her, I need to be on meds. I just switched drs. I rarely go to the doctors anyway.

[Aristus]

117. Both statin medications for cholesterol and ACE Inhibitors like lisinopril are standard treatment

medications for anyone with diabetes, even if they don't have elevated blood pressure or cholesterol. ACE Inhibitors help protect the kidneys against the damage caused by diabetes, and statins can help prevent the body from storing sugar as fat.

A doctor recommending these medications very likely isn't taking kickbacks from the pharmaceutical industry. Most older generations statins, and all ACE Inhibitors are dirt-cheap, and very effective.

[dixiegrrrrl]

121. oh..that reminds me...great excitement here at Univ. of Ala.

They seem to think they found that Verapamil is effective in treating diabetes, actually lowers blood sugar.
Now headed for clinical trials.

Mr. Dixie is on that, his blood sugar is always very low even tho he eats a lot of sweet stuff.

[pnwmom]

75. It is a real ailment, however, and is usually connected with PLMD, which can be measured

in the sleep lab.

Its not a make-believe condition. In my case it wasn't caffeine related (I hardly consume any.) But when I had to go off gluten because of gluten-sensitive Crohn's, the RL and leg kicking got better.

I would certainly rather address the root cause of these problems, however, than take a medication for them.

[dflprincess]

113. My friend's mom had problems with restless legs

I can't attest to all her habits but I know she did listen to Adele Davis' advice and didn't have any obvious bad habits.

She developed restless legs in the last years of her life, long before their was medication for it and did find that acupuncture helped her a lot.

[Skittles]

148. I had to Google "sleep hygiene"

noun: sleep hygiene

habits and practices that are conducive to sleeping well on a regular basis.

[Ms. Toad]

68. Restless leg syndrome is very real.

I have had it long before it became the butt of a joke - and I hope you never have to personally experience that it is not a joke.

Fortunately, I have learned to manage it without medication - but in the mid to late 70s, I lost countless hours of sleep because it woke me out of a sound sleep on a near-daily basis, often several times a night.

[hopemountain]

72. thank you, ms. toad

there is no medication for restless leg syndrome. it is a very real disturbing malady for many persons.
i also manage the same symptoms with healthy nutrition - plenty of good water and foods rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium and b vitamins.

[pnwmom]

77. Sleep doctors do prescribe various medications, but they come with side effects

and sometimes can lead to even worse symptoms.

A large percent of people with RL have low ferritin levels, and the ferritin level that sleep doctors advise is considerably higher than the low end of the "normal" scale. So anyone with RL should be aware of what their ferritin levels are.

[Ms. Toad]

82. There used to be one that worked for me -

but it is no longer on the market (Q-Vel). Even if it was still on the market, I wouldn't take it currently because it would make my tinnitus worse.

I haven't noticed that nutrition makes a difference, but mine is not nearly as active anymore - and when it is I can control it by mechanical means. (Essentially creating a sensation overload in the location of the internal "feather," at which point I get several hours of relief from the internal tickling that wakes me - or keeps me from sleeping.)

[mnhtnbb]

5. Has anyone ever done a study to estimate what Big Pharma spends on TV advertising?

It has to be in the billions.

Makes me want to throw things at the TV every time I see one.

[mnhtnbb]

6. I'll answer my own question...

about $3 billion spent on TV advertising in 2015 by Big Pharma according to this source

http://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/ask-your-doc-consumers-are-so-over-pharma-tv-ads

[annabanana]

188. If only they spent that much

making sure their products are safe and effective...

[Hestia]

7. On CBS Sunday Morning, a PR firm that makes up medical conditions allowed one of the

reporters to come in and watch them. She was in shock at how the team just threw terms out, looking for something to stick.

[Sunlei]

8. 'Profit goldmine'7 out of 10 Americans take one prescriptiondrug. 13%! on opioids or antidepressant

The study, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, shows that seven out of 10 Americans take at least one prescription drug. The most commonly prescribed drug is antibiotics — taken by 17 percent of Americans — followed by antidepressants and opioids — each taken by 13 percent of Americans.

[Jesus Malverde]

92. Last I heard 20 % of American women were diagnosed as mentally ill and

Prescribed psych meds.

[womanofthehills]

109. I know so many women on anti-anxiety meds

[Ford F-150]

129. Holy Crap!

That means 80% are running around untreated....




I Kid...I kid!

[Hestia]

9. At the geriatric clinic where I used to work, the treatment for incontinence was Keagal (?)

exercises. The doctor made people work at their diagnosis' through diet and exercise. He did not believe in passing out drugs willy-nilly. He pissed some of the patients off but saved them a butt load of money by not passing out the 'scripts.

[TexasBushwhacker]

27. Many have urinary tract infections too

especially in nursing homes from being bathed improperly and/or not often enough and diapers not being changed often enough. It becomes a vicious cycle of UTIs and incontinence.

[Uben]

10. I suffer from PDS, so I know it's real!

What is it? Well, it is pre-death syndrome. Doctors have informed me that I WILL die, eventually, so that alone qualifies me.
I wonder if I can get disability insurance for that? It's been documented by billions of others who have already died! Oughta be a shoe-in right?

[PatSeg]

18. Really???

I have that exact same condition! Hopefully Big Pharma will find a drug for it soon.

[Uben]

20. The symptoms are terrible!

Hair starts graying, aches and pains, and you'll find you have less money to pay more for what you need. The only known cure is death, so I'm sure Big Pharma is doing everything it can to cure it by making their products more lethal.

[PatSeg]

23. And my skin

is getting rough and wrinkly too. My hearing and eyesight are seriously diminished. My doctor, however, acts like it is nothing to worry about, sigh.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. "which twice lowered the threshold for hemoglobin A1C,"

guess what my doc told me?
Yep..I was a bit over the threshold.

and the cholesterol threshold used to be 240, was lowered to 200 and NOW they are saying 199 is the threshold.

And guess what else?
if you take a prescribed diuretic, like HCZT or Lasix, it will raise your blood sugar.
Says so in the side effects page.

[womanofthehills]

110. low cholesterol and cancer can go together

I prefer to have my cholesterol a little high.

[bulloney]

13. Why are prescription drug ads allowed on the media?

The vast majority of us are not qualified to diagnose what drug we need.

In addition to being stupid and poorly produced, most of these ads consist of 15 seconds of giving you some vague description of why you should use this drug, followed by 45 seconds of disclaimers on the side effects.

From what I see, these drugs may solve one of your problems but they create 3 new ones with the side effects.

[PatSeg]

19. Years ago

Drug companies could not advertise their products. Same with doctors, hospitals, medical groups, and health insurance. I didn't really realize why at the time, now I do.

As for the drugs and their side effects. Then doctors often prescribe more drugs to counteract the the side effects which can go on-and-on until it kills you.

[sorefeet]

61. My buddies wife is a hypochonriac

so every damned time she sees a commercial she has a new illness. Every time she gets treated for one thing, some thing else pops up and mysteriously the other one is forgotten about. At 75 years old as she sucks on her cigarette. But the cigs are for her stress.

[airplaneman]

93. Your right presciption drug commercials need to be banned.

My doctor told me an interesting story:
1/3 of his patients take the drugs they need
1/3 of his patients wont take the drugs they need
1/3 if his patients ask for drugs inappropriate for their condition - because they saw the drug on a TV commercial.
-Airplane

[annabanana]

189. I think it happened during the Reagan admin. . .n/t

[U4ikLefty]

14. Well that drug they sold me for chronic-masturbation-syndrome (CMS) doesn't

seem to be working.

[Major Nikon]

79. ExtenZe only made my hands smaller

[dixiegrrrrl]

123. OMG! That must be what Trumps uses, ya think?

[progressoid]

202. My first LOL of the day.

Kudos.

[Cassiopeia]

15. There's an easy fix.

Completely outlaw the advertisement of prescription medication. The only person that should be discussing the use and reasons for a prescription drug is a patient and a doctor.

[Marthe48]

16. My husband was diagnosed

with esophageal cancer in March. The doctors say the cancer has spread to his stomach, lymph nodes and liver. He took proton-pump inhibitors for over 20 years. The ads say take their medicine, no heartburn. The ads, nor my husband's dr. say nothing about life-style changes, dietary habits, nothing. Yeah, we were stupid not to explore this medicine ourselves. I just saw a JAMA report that stomach acid probably doesn't even cause the irritation in the esophagus that can lead to cancer. That report won't change how GERD is treated any time soon.

As for diabetes and high blood pressure. I had fasting blood sugar of 114, when 115 was the acceptable fasting number, so my (ex) doctor told me I had diabetes. I stopped eating junk for dinner (I worked from home on afternoon shift), tested my blood every day for over 2 years, and got A1C's every 6 months. After I stopped eating candy bars for dinner, my A1C went down a full point, from the acceptable level if had been at to start with. My (ex) dr. prescribed a pill to take before meals to lower my blood sugar, and I almost passed out after 3 doses. Then, ADA lowered acceptable FBS to 100. I challenged my dr. to tell me why he diagnosed me on 1 FBS reading, and didn't do a glucose tolerance test to be sure. He had no answer for me. I don't even want to talk about statins. But I have a story about them, too.

I have taken medicine for high blood pressure since the mid-80's. My blood pressure is stable at the level it was over 30 years ago. At the time, considered high normal n/90. Well, whoever determines the BP numbers lowered the acceptable threshold to n/80, and suddenly, I have high blood pressure. Nothing changed except somebody changed a number.

Instead of fooling around with numbers, and pushing pills, I wish the medical community would actually examine patients and check for symptoms that indicate a problem. My poor husband saw drs. 3 times from Nov. to Jan. and there was no urgency that he had this deadly cancer. By the time somebody checked, it is too late. Please check the 7 signs of cancer. My husband had a frequent dry cough, and his voice was getting hoarse. If you have any of the symptoms, make your doctor examine you.

[Enthusiast]

37. Excellent post. Sorry about your husband. I also had a diagnosis problem.

[Marthe48]

103. Thank you

hope you prevailed

[99th_Monkey]

81. oh please do talk about statins. I'm all ears, n/t

[Marthe48]

106. same (ex) doctor

prescribed a statin. My total cholesterol is high, like around 220. I tried the statin. Three weeks before I started taking it, I was canvassing for Democratic candidates, 2007, all over a hilly neighborhood, up steps to porches and second floors, just perking right along. A week or so after I started taking the statins, Bill Clinton came to our town to stump for Hillary. My husband and I wanted to hear him talk. We parked a short distance from the venue, but had to climb a low hill. I had to stop 3 times because I couldn't get my breath. I told the doctor. He gave me another statin. When I saw him again, I said I wasn't going to take statins. So he said he'd give me something else. It was another statin. That was 2007. I just attended a graduation in the same place, had to climb the same hill. Nine years later, at age 63, no statins and I only stopped once.
Lastly, My husband's cholesterol was 180 in January. His doctor totally missed the cancer, but by God, prescribed a statin for his cholesterol.
Thanks for listening

[womanofthehills]

112. Check out the studies on low cholesterol and cancer

All my friends who had or have cancer have low cholesterol. 220 used to be a good number for cholesterol. Actually, the average adult cholesterol number is about 200.

[womanofthehills]

122. You need cholesterol for your brain, sex drive, to fight infections etc.

I can tell in my book club who is on statins - their memories are gone gone gone. Just take some damn Niacin. I just take a time release Niacin before I go to bed - otherwise I get the Niacin red face itchy side effects. Now I get the side effects while I'm sleeeping.

Niacin and Cholesterol

by Berkeley Wellness | November 30, 2011

Most people who have undesirable cholesterol levels and can’t improve them sufficiently via diet and exercise are prescribed statin drugs. But there’s also a vitamin, niacin—known as B3—that in very large doses can improve cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart attacks. In fact, when niacin’s beneficial effect was discovered in 1955, it became the first treatment for high cholesterol.

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/supplements/vitamins/article/niacin-and-cholesterol

[mrmpa]

17. Back in 1999..........

I was diagnosed as being "pre-diabetic". My Doctor said that the glucose levels had changed I was @ 135 & it had just been recently changed from 140 to 125.

What was happening at the time, was that the hospital system I was being seen at had a huge diabetes research project going on. They were one of the research institutes that got all the parameters changed so that more people would be caught up in the wave. This was something I saw in 1999, and continue to believe.

My fight with diabetes has led to nothing but more & more medicine. I was told to lose weight, I did 100 lbs. but there was no let up on the medicine.

My A1 C, last time was 7.1. I want to give up my lantus and only keep the novalog. I'll see what the doctor says.

[Lucky Luciano]

22. Eg - fibromyalgia

[momto3]

43. You obviously do not know anyone diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

I have fibromyalgia - it is real. There are days that I only wear a robe and cannot put on clothes due to the pain of the clothing touching my skin. I often cannot sleep because I have pressure points throughout my body that hurt when they come into contact with a blanket, sheet or mattress.

I remember when fibromyalgia was written off as exaggerations from lazy women. Recent studies are starting to elucidate the mechanisms behind fibromyalgia, including enhanced sensitivity of pain receptors. i'd like to see you try to walk in my shoes, suffering from chronic pain and fatigue while still trying to work a full time job and take care of a family.

[arithia]

76. thank you for sharing momto3

I have it as well. The burning, achy spots are routinely irritated by my clothing and extend up into my scalp. I can't even wear a hat or tie my hair back without triggering excruciating pain.

It gets really tiresome being told that your objective reality is false simply because the other person is ignorant.

[momto3]

150. I have pain in my scalp as well.

Sometimes it is so painful that I have trouble just brushing my hair. I get really tired of having to justify my pain to others that have never experienced it.

[liberal_at_heart]

134. I have a chronic fatigue issue no one has been able to figure out.

I have had anxiety and depression issues all my life. Anti-anxiety medication helps alleviate some of my fatigue, but daily activities are still difficult. I have had iron deficiencies in the past as well. I have a uterine fibroid. I try to eat food rich in iron, take a multi-vitamin and take iron pills while I'm on my menstrual cycle. During my menstrual cycle, I can get extremely fatigued and sometimes my pulse increases and I feel faint. I'm wondering if there might be a hormone aspect to my menstrual symptoms. I also participated in a sleep study that found I fall asleep in under five minutes which they say is abnormal, but I don't fit the description of any particular sleep disorder. I too hate the stigma that fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue have. We are not just lazy or tired.

[momto3]

151. I have also been diagnosed with SLE.

Both the depression, fibromyalgia and SLE are "invisible" diseases. People cannot see how I really feel, since there is often no physical signs of disability. I think this is the source of the stigma and misunderstanding. I take anti-depressants for depression and to manage the fibromyalgia. I take Imuran, Plaquenil and periodic prednisone to manage the SLE. Then, I also have to take drugs to counteract the side effects of the drugs that manage the fibromyalgia and SLE and I KNOW that if I do not have them, I cannot function.

I am dependent on the pharmaceutical industry. I know it and I often joke with my rheumy about it. I also know that I am very lucky to have a flexible job with good insurance that covers the major expenses of my prescriptions.

It helps to know that you are not alone when you have to face the ignorance of people like the poster above.

Peace.

[chknltl]

24. Prediabetes? The VA has been pestering me...

...to participate in a research program. They say in their letters to me that i am a likely canditate for getting diabetes and they wish to pay me for their research. I am highly needle-phobic so i won't be participating anytime soon.

[SheilaT]

26. As others have pointed out already,

not only are there constant ads for very obscure and not very serious diseases (restless leg syndrome? Really?), they keep on lowering the threshold for many conditions, like blood sugar and blood pressure.

Certain specific statins are implicated in type 2 diabetes. A couple of years ago my doctor prescribed a statin for me for my high cholesterol (and it really was high), which worked amazingly well and quickly. And then my blood sugar rose. I rather quickly made the connection, thanks to the interwebs, and asked for a different one. I'd also been prescribed a med for high blood pressure.

Then I started getting what to me was a serious issue with diarrhea (sorry for the specifics, but they do matter) and noted that was one of the side effects of the bp medication. So I stopped taking that, and the symptom went away immediately. A couple of weeks ago I started the bp med again, and guess what symptom recurred?

I have a regular checkup scheduled in a couple of weeks, and I guess I'm going to have to tell my PCP that I won't take the meds any more.

I have, aside from high cholesterol most of my life, and high bp more recently (around the time my marriage came to an end -- coincidence?) have been incredibly healthy. I just don't get whatever is currently going around. I am more lively and have more stamina than most people my age. I'm 67. I find it highly annoying when my age mates start on on how they can't eat certain foods any more, or can't eat anything after 6pm. What is wrong with them, I ask. Maybe it's just the normal aging process, maybe it's a side effect of whatever meds they're taking, but I'm going to fall back on my own excellent health.

None of us live forever. As someone noted humorously he has Pre Death Syndrome. We all do.

I'm willing to trust my body. I don't smoke, never have. I eat reasonably well. I do a lot of home cooking, try to eat more veggies and fruit.

None of this is to suggest to anyone they ought to throw away their own medications. There are lots of things that genuinely require some med, but probably not as many things as we've been led to believe.

And as others have also noted, life style and diet are almost never addressed by the professionals or the drug companies.

[TexasBushwhacker]

29. There are different kinds of BP meds

Not all of them cause diarrhea.

[SheilaT]

42. Then maybe I'll ask her to review possible side effects

for a new prescription.

I don't worry that much about cholesterol, since I know its dangers are vastly overblown, but I do know high blood pressure isn't a good thing. Although mine isn't really all that high, it is above the borderline threshold.

[TexasBushwhacker]

51. I just take a diuretic

I have for years Triamterene/HCTZ combo. The only side effect is that my potassium tends to get low, so I have a good excuse to eat bananas.

[womanofthehills]

116. try a natural vascodilator for blood pressure like the amino L'Arginine

You can get in in time release. Magnesium citrate and L'arginine work for me. I take large amts morning and night.

Can L-arginine supplements lower blood pressure?
Answers from Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.

L-arginine (el-AHR-jih-nene) is a substance that's found in nuts, fish, red meat, soy, whole grains, beans and dairy products. It's also available in supplements.

Some people take L-arginine because it's believed to relax and open your arteries, which might help lower blood pressure.

Studies on L-arginine have had mixed results. The most recent research suggests that L-arginine may lower blood pressure. However, larger studies need to be done to confirm that L-arginine supplements can reduce blood pressure before experts can recommend everyday use of these supplements.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/l-arginine/faq-20058052

[progressoid]

206. Probably shouldn't be giving out medical advice to strangers.

In fact, isn't it against DU rules to do that?

[womanofthehills]

208. Actually, Dr Louis Ignarro won the Nobel Prize for his work with nitric oxide

His work led to Viagra and l'arginine is actually a natural Viagra (actually it's in Viagra). He recommends l'arginine & L'citrulline to protect your heart and lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

"NO More Heart Disease: How Nitric Oxide Can Prevent--Even Reverse--Heart Disease and Strokes"

Dr. Louis Ignarro discovered "the atom" of cardiovascular health--a tiny molecule called Nitric Oxide. NO, as it is known by chemists, is a signaling molecule produced by the body, and is a vasodilator that helps control blood flow to every part of the body. Dr. Ignarro's findings led to the development of Viagra. Nitric Oxide has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system as well.

NO relaxes and enlarges the blood vessels, prevents blood clots that trigger strokes and heart attacks, and regulates blood pressure and the accumulation of plaque in the blood vessels. Dr. Ignarro's current research indicates that Nitric Oxide may help lower cholesterol by facilitating the actions of statin drugs like Lipitor.

The goal of the regimen presented in NO More Heart Disease is to age proof the cardiovascular system, keeping the vascular network clean and elastic through enhanced NO productivity. The plan is easy-to-follow without extreme lifestyle adjustments, involving taking supplements to stimulate Nitric Oxide production, incorporating NO friendly food into the diet, and a moderate exercise program.

from Wiki

Louis J. Ignarro (born May 31, 1941) is an American pharmacologist. For demonstrating the signaling properties of nitric oxide, he was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Robert F. Furchgott and Ferid Murad.

Currently, he is professor of pharmacology at the UCLA School of Medicine's department of molecular and medical pharmacology in Los Angeles, which he joined in 1985. Before relocating to California, he was a professor of pharmacology at Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, for 12 years. Ignarro has also previously worked as a staff scientist, research department, for the pharmaceutical division of CIBA-GEIGY Corporation in New York.

Ignarro has published numerous research articles. He received the Basic Research Prize of the American Heart Association in 1998. This was in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the advancement of cardiovascular science. That same year, he was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences and the following year, into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Because nitric oxide is indirectly involved in the action of this drug, he is sometimes referred to as the "Father of Viagra".

[progressoid]

209. And?

That still doesn't mean it's a good idea to tell someone you've never met to take a substance without knowing their medical history.

[Enthusiast]

38. Another excellent interesting post. Thank you, SheilaT!

I had serious issues with a certain BP med. My nurse practitioner found me an alternative that works well.

[womanofthehills]

111. Many of the statin drugs contain Niacin

I take time release Niacin - lowered my cholesterol.

[dixiegrrrrl]

126. Guess what? Diuretics cause elevated blood sugar.

Reports on that fact go back to at least 2007.

It even says on the "warnings" of HCTZ and other diuretics that they can "mask" symptoms of low blood sugar.
Yeah, cause they raise glucose levels!
Apparently taking Coreg, a beta blocker, and a diuretic combines to increase blood sugar.
Which is what I am taking.
So my glucose levels are slightly elevated.

[SheilaT]

137. Really? I did not know that.

My three meds were a diuretic, the first thing tried, which didn't move my bp very much. Then the statin, because I really did have high cholesterol, have since the very first time it was ever tested, about thirty years ago. Then the bp med was added.

I was VERY reluctant to go along with these, because, as I've said above, I'm very healthy, much more so than many people my age. But I do know that high blood pressure simply isn't a very good thing. High cholesterol is a bit more of a meh.

While I am a huge proponent of our body's ability to heal, I try not to be a total nutcase on this, and I do understand that a very large amount of modern medicine is genuinely life saving.

But the side effects of an awful lot of medications are at a minimum worrisome.

Here's a trivial, personal anecdote: More than twenty years ago a cold resulted in a sinus infection. An absolutely classic sinus infection, no doubt about it, no need to get it diagnosed by an MD. I decided to hang tough for a bit, see if I'd recover on my own. I didn't set a specific time limit, just took a wait and see attitude. After about two weeks the sinus infection cleared up. Nice. For what it's worth, I've never had another one since. I know that it's true that if you can recover from something on your own, you tend to have a stronger resistance to that thing in the future. In some cases, as with, say smallpox, the immunity is permanent. I an NOT suggesting we do away with smallpox vaccinations (okay, so we have, but that's because smallpox no longer is out there endangering us all), but I am simply pointing out that a naturally acquired immunity, as from having gotten the disease, tends to be permanent, unlike many vaccination acquired immunity. I am NOT suggesting we do away with current vaccines. I'm just pointing out the difference.

I'm of a generation that got measles, mumps, and rubella. Also, as a child I had flu several times, and seem to be highly immune to that illness. I'm not a total nutcase. I did recently get the shingles shot, because I know how nasty that can be.

Anyway, my point is I'm struggling with what to tell my PCP, what medications I'm willing to take, and so on. It's not easy.

[dixiegrrrrl]

138. I have one of the only 2 women docs in our rural county

the other one is OB/GYN, mine is an internist, really a general practitioner.

One emphatic preference of mine is that she does not prescribe the newest and latest drugs for average problems.
So far, it has worked well.
On the plus side, if a drug needs to be changed, as a couple have when the pharmacies jacked the prices uu by 1000%overnight, her office will respond immediately by calling in a substitute.
And she is pretty good diagnostician.

Downside, she is pretty eager to push drugs, and the drug reps are always in the office, waiting to talk to all the docs there.
I always look up the meds when she first prescribes them, and note my concerns, sometimes have to go back in to talk about them.

As for the diuretic/blood sugar thing Google came up with quite a few studies, they were interesting reading.

[womanofthehills]

139. I live in a rural community too - no docs - but a women physician assistant

Need to drive 90 miles round trip to see nearest doc. When I was bitten by a rattlesnake, I was helicoptered to the hospital 90 miles away in Albuquerque.

[postatomic]

28. When my Biometrics last year said I was "pre-diabetic"

I showed it to my Doctor and he said; "you, and most males in this country". He just said to eat less Pasta and more Chili.

I've taken it upon myself to address it. Changed my diet. Getting my BMI to an acceptable level. Quit eating sweets (that was a tough one).

[Enthusiast]

39. I like your doctor! "More chili!"

Yay, chili!

[Jesus Malverde]

94. Is the chili part a suggestion to eat beans or something else?

[postatomic]

108. Partly I think. Increase fiber

And Pasta is a mega-carb which in the world of diabetes (pre or otherwise) is not a good food. I get real conflicted when I go to MacAlister's and order the Chili on Pasta.

[womanofthehills]

141. Might be something to chili and beans

I used to work in a Hispanic neighborhood and we had a senior health fair - free blood pressure readings, etc and when we got the results back hardly any of the older Hispanic residents had high blood pressure.

[Horse with no Name]

35. because vaccines prevent REAL diseases

and those diseases pose a public health concern which means that most of the vaccine research is paid for by our tax dollars to researchers who operate for the public benefit.

The drug companies only manufacture the vaccines.

This article addresses made up diseases. Apples and oranges.

[Aristus]

120. Please don't bring that anti-vaxxer stuff around here.

I throw anti-vaxxers out of my clinic with a hearty "Get your kids vaccinated or get the f*ck out!"

Believe me, no one loves to blame the ills of the country on unscrupulous corporations more than I do. But when it comes to vaccines, they're doing it right. The vast majority of vaccines are cheap as water, and are not a big money-maker for Big Pharma. The science is sound on this one; since the advent of mandatory vaccination, the numbers of children dying from preventable diseases has dropped to statistically negligible levels.

Not all government-corporate marriages are evil in intent. Since mandatory seat-belt presence in newly manufactured cars went into effect alongside mandatory seatbelt use laws, the numbers of people killed in car accidents has dropped like a rock.

[TryLogic]

31. If American health care were run by organized crime, would it be any different than it is now?

[Enthusiast]

40. Excellent observation. A by—product of the "free market."

Health care should never be seen as a commodity.

[whistler162]

48. ??IF???

[Crunchy Frog]

115. Who says that it's not? n/t

[mrr303am]

32. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

A good watch about this matter:

https://m.youtube.com/results?q=last%20week%20tonight%20big%20pharma&sm=3

[joanbarnes]

33. Many examples of this: Inventing and distributing bone density machines to sell Fosamax.....

Lipitor....inventing and creating low thresholds (cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density, etc.) to sell these tests and drugs. REFUSE every unnecessary procedure and med for your own good. I wonder if this info is finally coming out because 'for profit' insurance companies are sick of paying for this......i.e. recent revelation that stress test are often wrong and misleading..........etc.

[womanofthehills]

114. Check out the side effects on Fosamix = scary stuff - jaw bone death

and after a few yrs of taking it, your bones are more prone to fracture . It has a half life of 10 yrs. My friend took this drug and now she can barely walk.

[arithia]

34. Really dislike it when people make assumptions like this.....

about medical conditions they don't have and know nothing about. This article is one of those.

"Some of the new disorders include hypoactive sexual desire disorder.... adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for adults who have trouble focusing at work; overactive bladder disorder, for adults with a frequent urge to urinate; and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, for women who have difficulty with the basic tasks of life around the same time every month."

1) Hypoactive sex drives are a real problem facing a lot of people. We as a nation don't bat an eyelash at drugs like viagra or ciallis, but heaven forbid a woman would want to have sex and find herself with a lack of a drive.

This problem is common among women with psych conditions, both on and off medication. (I should note that the author of the article couldn't differentiate between hypo and hyperactive as they implied that hypo meant they HAD a sex drive. As it was wrong, I took it out of the quote, but it is up on the website. This mistake does not speak well of their medical literacy.)

2) Adult ADHD is a real thing- as in identified genetic markers and physical changes to the structure of the brain. It shares multiple mutations in common with Bipolar disorder. Symptoms differ in males and females, as well as in terms of severity and age of onset.

Your genetic code doesn't magically re-order itself to drop the mutation when you grow out of your kid phase, either. Kids with ADHD grow up to be adults with ADHD. It's not a difficult concept.

3) "Overactive bladder" is something that happens usually as the result of other medical problems, such as Parkinsons, Diabetes, stones, enlarged prostate, cancer, irritated nerves and poor kidney function. It also just tends to happen to people as they age.

Taking away the stigma for seeking treatment by renaming it something more palatable for the general population isn't shady, either- people will frequently delay treatment for serious and chronic conditions if they think it will cause them embarrassment. This can delay diagnosis of more serious underlying conditions, such as the ones listed above.

4) PMDD .... seriously? It never occurred to the men of the world that women with minor biochemical brain imbalances (who might otherwise act normally) might get thrown for a loop when their hormones are active? Really? PMDD is often diagnosed with comorbid conditions- underlying depression and anxiety that might not otherwise need to be treated.

Ask a woman with severe bipolar what her cycle does to her. I have dear friends who have been on birth control since their teens because every time they got their periods, it would trigger a manic phase.

This is no different than the hooplah years ago about how Fibromyalgia was "fake".... until the genetic markers for it were identified and the cause for all the pain was located. People claimed it was psychosomatic, a "female problem", a general low tolerance to pain. We may now know that it's real, but we are still in the ignorance window where most of the general population, including doctors who aren't up to date on medical research, still think it's fake and are still insulting/turning away patients who are seeking treatment.

Big Pharma is shady as all get out. They would sell anything to anyone if they could. All that being said, this "oh it's all fake" nonsense prevents people from seeking out treatment for chronic conditions. It's no surprise... AT ALL.. that most of what was listed in that article affects more women than men and the mentally ill more than any other group. As someone who nearly died because of stigmas like that, I can assure you it is not only dangerous to perpetuate but genuinely insulting.

It's like saying "your medical problems aren't real" to someone you've never met and know frak all about.

[mopinko]

89. few people seem to understand why "boner pills" are important

to overall health in many situations. impotence is often a side effect of medication, especially for high blood pressure and diabetes. some men make a choice between having a sex life and taking drugs that can save their lives. this is especially true of high blood pressure, which usually is not something that causes any real symptoms or problems.
reducing the stigma is an important purpose of advertising these meds. without those teevee ads, who would even know that there was something to do besides with live with it, or stop taking meds?

trust me, i know whereof i speak on this. impotence can wreak havoc on a marriage. those little blue pills can be life savers. but hell, it is hard to get guys to the doctor at all. getting them to follow good health advice? sometimes impossible.
they need all the cultural backup they can

[liberal_at_heart]

132. One of my husband's best friends had prostate cancer and had to take Viagra just to

be able to pee properly not to mention he needed it to be able to make love to his wife.

[liberal_at_heart]

131. They used to think autism was bad parenting.

There was also talk of autism being over diagnosed, but those of us who have family with autism know it is not bad parenting and it is not over diagnosed. I do believe we need a more balanced approach to health in this country. We need to be eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. We need to exercise more. We need to find ways to deal with stress, but yes I too feel we have a knee jerk reaction to medical diagnoses and treatments. Part of the changing diagnoses could be greed, but part of it may also be new medical understanding. What we know now is different than what we knew decades ago. Just as what we know now is different than what we knew hundreds of years ago and just as what we know now will be different hundreds of years in the future.

[momto3]

153. Thank you!

Thank you for this post. It is spot on.

[underpants]

41. Related -long read - Big Pharma sets up charities mainly to rip you off

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016157352

[whistler162]

47. I wish they would cut down on the disclaimers

Just say "If you survive taking this medicine we will be surprised."

[-none]

63. 15 seconds praising the benefits and 45 seconds listing the bad side effects.

More than one list death as a possible side effect. At least then your worries would be over. And people think they want to take this stuff?

[womanofthehills]

142. Side effect of Cipro - wanting to commit suicide

Last yr a friend called me - she was suicidal - definitely out of character for her. My first question was - are you on any drugs? Yes Cipro - told her hold on while I look up the side effects ---- and wanting to kill yourself was one.

The wierd thing about this whole story is - she forgot she ate beets and her urine was red so she thought it was blood because she had previous kidney infections. Was prescribed over the phone. Then she remembered she ate the beets and did not have an infection.

[Pakhet]

146. we always say "if you wake up dead, stop taking this medicine and

see your doctor". I can't understand how anyone could listen to those lists of nasty side effects and even consider asking their doctor for it. I'd rather have a perpetually runny nose than deal with the side effects of the drug that's supposed to fix it. (can't remember the name)

[Drahthaardogs]

52. Fibromyalgia is one such disease.

It has no clinical definition per se. No pathology. No etiology. No prognosis. There is no such disease, just symptoms doctors do not know what to do with so they give it a name and prescribe pills.

[SheilaT]

54. Fibromyalgia seems to be the name assigned to the symptom

of having pain that cannot be connected to any cause.

[Drahthaardogs]

57. Which means the doctor either needs to keep looking for physical or mental causes

in any case, more work should be done instead of providing pain pills and calling it a day.

[momto3]

154. Sorry, but you are wrong.

See arithias' post below. So, in your opinion, patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia should be let to suffer? There are many scientific studies showing a pathological reason for fibromyalgia. The etiology of fibromyalgia is still relatively unknown. What is the initiating cause? Is it due to trauma, illness, genetics...?

I wish that everyone in this post would educate themselves before judging the reality of others pain.

[Drahthaardogs]

158. I am a toxicologist, and my belief is

fibromyalgia is NOT a disease, but rather symptoms of some other disease or diseases. When doctors don't know what is wrong with you, they call it fibro and prescribe opiods. They would be better served to keep digging and try to find a root cause and treat it appropriately. Yes, I do believe in quite a few cases, it is a mental illness that has some physical manifestations.

[momto3]

160. I am an Assistant Professor in Biomedical research at a major research university.

I understand where you are coming from. When I was originally diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I will readily admit that my first thought was disbelief. I remember the beginnings of fibromyalgia, and the initial bias against the diagnosis. However, it is real. I do not have to take opioids to manage it generally. I am taking Cymbalta, which has worked very well for me, but comes with a boatload of it's own risks. I can tell you this. Prior to the Cymbalta, I had weeks where I could not where anything but a lose robe because my skin was so tender and sore. This made it hard to work - they prefer I come to work in clothes! Now I manage fairly well.

There is an emerging scientific basis for fibromyalgia. There is a physical pathology. I do believe that there are bad doctors that prescribe opioids for any number of conditions in order to lower their work load. But, please stop putting fibromyalgia into this category. I am really tired of having to justify my illness to others that do not suffer from it and do not understand.

[Drahthaardogs]

162. I am not being dismissive, I just think we are looking to fix the blame and not the cause

I believe the symptoms are real. I also believe future discoveries may parallel something like Lyme disease. Real symptoms manifested, but no one understood the cause. Then suddenly, a EUREKA moment.

I also feel for anyone taking SNRI's. I was given a very low dose myself for about a year to treat chronic pain caused from a L4/L5 grade II slip. They did not work (but a fusion did - THANK GOD!). Coming off of those drugs was one of the worst experiences of my life. Zaps, tingling, etc.

Anyway, I am on your side. I just hope they keep digging and find out what is really going on with people because I do believe this has to have a root cause.

[momto3]

166. Thanks.

I do not mean to come off as rude. As I said, I am tired of having to justify my pain to others. I'm glad your fusion worked.

Peace.

[HuckleB]

60. Novella covers it very well in this piece.

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/is-fibromyalgia-real/

[arithia]

74. WAS one such disease

Fibro is characterized by abnormally high levels of sensory nerve fibers in the skin, a finding repeated in multiple clinical studies... so that would fit the bill in the pathology department.

Your knowledge of the disorder is severely out of date.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150517071813.htm

[momto3]

163. A few studies I found on PubMed examining the pathology and etiology of fibromyalgia.

Lim M, Roosink M, Kim JS, et al. Augmented Pain Processing in Primary and Secondary Somatosensory Cortex in Fibromyalgia: A Magnetoencephalography Study Using Intra-Epidermal Electrical Stimulation. Antal A, ed. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(3):e0151776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0151776.

Christidis N, Ghafouri B, Larsson A, et al. Comparison of the Levels of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Released in the Vastus Lateralis Muscle of Patients with Fibromyalgia and Healthy Controls during Contractions of the Quadriceps Muscle – A Microdialysis Study. Cordero MD, ed. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(12):e0143856. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0143856.

Üçeyler N, Zeller J, Kewenig S, Kittel-Schneider S, Fallgatter AJ, Sommer C. Increased cortical activation upon painful stimulation in fibromyalgia syndrome. BMC Neurology. 2015;15:210. doi:10.1186/s12883-015-0472-4.

Staud R, Nagel S, Robinson ME, Price DD. Enhanced Central Pain Processing of Fibromyalgia Patients is Maintained by Muscle Afferent Input: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Study. Pain. 2009;145(1-2) 6-104. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2009.05.020.

Staud R, Weyl EE, Riley JL, Fillingim RB. Slow Temporal Summation of Pain for Assessment of Central Pain Sensitivity and Clinical Pain of Fibromyalgia Patients. Sommer C, ed. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(2):e89086. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0089086.

Lee YC, Nassikas NJ, Clauw DJ. The role of the central nervous system in the generation and maintenance of chronic pain in rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. Arthritis Research & Therapy. 2011;13(2):211. doi:10.1186/ar3306.

Staud R, Bovee CE, Robinson ME, Price DD. Cutaneous C-Fiber Pain Abnormalities of Fibromyalgia Patients are Specifically Related to Temporal Summation. Pain. 2008;139(2):315-323. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2008.04.024.

Kim H, Kim J, Loggia ML, et al. Fibromyalgia is characterized by altered frontal and cerebellar structural covariance brain networks. NeuroImage : Clinical. 2015;7:667-677. doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2015.02.022.

Staud R. Abnormal Pain Modulation in Patients with Spatially Distributed Chronic Pain: Fibromyalgia. Rheumatic diseases clinics of North America. 2009;35(2):263-274. doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2009.05.006.

Bradley LA. Pathophysiology of Fibromyalgia. The American journal of medicine. 2009;122(12 Suppl):S22. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.09.008.

Reichling DB, Levine JD. Critical role of nociceptor plasticity in chronic pain. Trends in neurosciences. 2009;32(12):611-618. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2009.07.007.

[Drahthaardogs]

165. Thanks, I will read some of these this evening

After my Game of Thrones fix

[ismnotwasm]

53. I am a transplant nurse

A dialysis nurse and as well as a member of ANNA and TNA. I deal with the patients suffering devastating effects of diabetes every day of my caraeer. Diabetes is a deadly condition causing billions of dollars spent in health care. Pre-diabetes is very real. The ADA is not part of some plot to take give dollars to pharmaceutical companies. This is irresponsible bullshit.

[HuckleB]

56. Exactly.

And many of the people "liking" this nonsense, will advocate for alt med hooey as soon as they get a chance. It's ludicrous. Pharmaceutical companies are desperately in need of additional regulation. TV ads need to go, but this OP is just a ridiculous piece of ugliness from the word go.

[ismnotwasm]

70. I agree.

This is not just bad information it's frightening.

[Ms. Toad]

67. Yes and no.

Diabetes is real, and the damage starts when blood glucose levels are in the pre-diabetes range - so lowering the criteria for earlier diagnosis is appropriate - and critical to truly address the epidemic.

BUT - lowering the threshold, without an attitude adjustment by the ADA also supports Big Pharma, with minimal to no decrease in the consequences of diabetes. The ADA, unfortunately, has bought hook, line, and sinker into a diet that increases ineffective dependency on medications feeds, rather than pulling its head out of the sand and recommending steps that actually address the symptom of diabetes that causes the damage - the high blood glucose levels.

I was diagnosed with diabetes in October. Within 3 days I had my blood glucose within normal ranges (below 140 virtually all the time) except for morning fasting levels (which should be below 100, but continued to be as high as 126 for a few weeks). My last A1C was 5.6.

Had I followed the advice of the ADA (which suggests eating a steady diet of carbohydrates including approximately 50 grams of carbs per meal), I would still not have normal blood glucose. My maximum carb tolerance is 20 grams in a 3 hour period. Rather than wake up and realize that for most people - at least in the early stages of Type 2 diabetes diabetes - blood glucose (and the harmful consequences thereof) are entirely controllable with a strict, carb-limited diet, the ADA continues to recommend eating quantities of carbohydrates that most people with Type 2 diabetes cannot handle. (The management of Type 1 diabetes - or insulin dependent Type 2 diabetes - is different, but can also significantly benefit from eating a much lower (but relatively stable) quantity of carbs). For people with Type 2 diabetes, following the ADA recommendations leads quickly to maximum doses of Metformin (which isn't terribly effective), followed by sulfonylureas (that temporarily or permanently exhaust the beta cells), and ultimately to insulin dependency - and all of the consequences that accompany chronically elevated blood glucose levels.

[ismnotwasm]

69. The ADA is NOT interesting in furthering damage from diabetes at any stage

Anecdotal stories notwithstanding. I am not going to get into a technical discussion here--and trust me, I can. I am completely appalled at this thread.

[Ms. Toad]

71. The ADA may not be actively interested in furthering damage,

BUT its recommendations DO lead to further damage.

If sulfonylureas or insulin are necessary, then the recommendations for relatively high, steady levels of carbs are necessary to prevent hypos. The ADA's problem begins with ceding the inevitability or necessity of these medications at a time when dietary control is far more appropriate. (Even at later stages - and for individuals with Type 1 diabetes - the need for medication can be dramatically reduced by recommending significant limitation of carbohydrate intake - rather than continuing the relatively high carbohydrate diet the ADA recommends.)

I suspect the ADA's continued recommendation of a relatively high carbohydrate diet is a consequence of the reality that their recommended dietary restrictions (25% whole grains/45-60 grams of carbs per meal) aren't followed by most people with diabetes - and that they don't halt the progress of the disease even when they are followed. I expect it seems quite futile to consider making even more stringent recommendations, when the very lax current ones aren't generally followed. The reality is, that with regular screening, nearly all diabetics would be diagnosed early enough that they could completely control their blood glucose levels by limiting carbohydrate intake. Even without regular screening to catch diabetes early, limiting carbohydrates significantly enough that blood glucose remains below 140 at all times permits even most people with longstanding or insulin dependent diabetes to significantly reduce their dependence on medications. (Yes, I am aware that they "permit" low carb, but it should be the primary dietary recommendation - something you have to discover on your own and then confirm that they no longer vehemently oppose.)

FWIW, it is not just anecdotal stories. I don't stake my health on anecdotal stories. Here is a summary of much of the relevant research:

http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/abstract

There's plenty more supporting research, if you care to search for it.

[REP]

85. Everyone's diabetes is different

I became diabetic due to prescribed steroids. My highest numbers are my overnight (fasting) BG; my liver dumps glucose at night.

Metformin is nephrotoxic. Due to pre-existing non-diabetic kidney disease, I was never put on it. I was on an old sulfonylurea - until there was a nationwide shortage last year and it was unattainable. A substitute gave me pancreatitis so I was switched to Lantus, a long-acting insulin with no peak action.

I'm not advocating a high carbohydrate diet for anyone - I never ate that way, even when I was "normal" and after, I was appalled at the 'diabetic' all-bread meals I got in the hospital - but diabetes is a complicated, sucky disease that fucks with each individual in its own special way. I don't process white rice in a helpful way, yet can eat reasonable amounts of brown rice and all the wild rice I can afford as an example.

[Ms. Toad]

87. Steroid induced diabetes is significantly different,

than run-of-the-mill Type 2 diabetes - in general much harder to control by diet. But I know a number of people with steroid induced diabetes who are able to make a significant difference by substantially reducing carbohydrates.

There are individual variations, but it is universally true that all carbohydrates are ultimately converted into glucose - so for ordinary, run-of-the-mill diabetes, the first line of treatment ought to be a significant reduction in carbohydrates (particularly starchy ones) - rather than buried as an after thought recommendation by the ADA, That is my entire point. The ADA continues to make two primary recommendations: fill 1/4 of your plate with grains and eat 40-60 carbs every meal. Both are disastrous recommendations that, for most people with type-2 diabetes, translate into a chronic progressive disease.

Rather than pushing meds as a first line, the ADA should be recommending starting with the far less intrusive - generally far more effective - true reduction in carbs (guided by careful monitor-based selection of foods). If that doesn't work, then move to meds. As I noted in my last post - what should be the first line of care is identified as an acceptable diet, if you know where to look to find it. The default is a diet that is generally keeps diabetics with chronically high blood glucose.

BTW, your overnight liver dump is the norm, not an exception. It is part of normal metabolism for nearly everyone - the liver dumps glucose around the time you are expected to wake up, in order to give you enough energy to get out of bed. It is just more extreme for most people with T2 diabetes.

[REP]

168. My dump is extreeeeeeeeeeeeme!

If I forget to inject myself at night, it's between 160-200 even if I went to bed at 79. During the day, it generally doesn't go higher than 110, and I only do the one nightly injection.

Before the last course of steroids, which was a heavier course than was really needed, I was tested frequently because of the strong family history on both sides of my family of both T1 and T2. I was "old school" pre-diabetic, aka hypOglycemic and it was likely that I'd have become diabetic in my 60s. Instead, during that round of steroids, my vision was severely impaired, I was drinking 4 to 5 gallons of water a day, and I presented with a BG of 660. Additionally I was in nephrotic syndrome from my non-diabetic kidney disease. For patients like me, drugs really are the answer. Then again, I think pasta is boring as hell and don't like it, and was never a big bread eater. Lantus has caused hypokalemia in me, which does have an upside; I no longer have to limit or cook the day lights out of vegetables (part of my renal modifications).

When I became diabetic, I was fortunate to come under the care of a diabetes specialist who became my primary physician for 10 years. He was an encyclopedia of knowledge and research about this disease, and it's because of what he taught me I believe I've had success in managing it. I hope you do, too; at first it's a little overwhelming but it gets to be routine.

[Ms. Toad]

192. My morning dump isn't extreme -

But by noon it is close to as high as I'm willing to tolerate (140), even if it was in the 70s when I went to bed. (Part of that, at the moment, is physical stress from the cancer battle). But like I said - steroid induced diabetes is much more challenging to manage - glad to hear you're managing so well!

Mine, so far, is very easy as long as I'm willing to eat a low carb diet and keep testing new foods so I know how I react. What I miss are whole grains - which I can sneak a bit of as long as I have it with wine. (5 oz of wine drops my BG to around 70 - giving me about 30 net grams more carbs to play with - thank goodness for a liver with a one-track mind.

Once I completely recover from the cancer treatment, I'm going to do one more go at the 8-week blood sugar diet, based on two studies (with a third ongoing) by Roy Taylor. It's a very small data set, but very well documented as to many different measures. In 6 weeks I progressed from diabetes to prediabetes (based on an OGTT - so not just management, an actual difference in the ability to tolerate carbohydrates). Not safe, though, for cancer recovery because of the risk of inadequate calorie and micronutrients. If it doesn't work - I still have the very adequate dietary management. If it does work, I'll have a bit more leeway with what I can eat - although I don't expect to take many liberties with it just to be on the safe side.

[REP]

194. Cancer sucks too

That's quite a bit to deal with! Best wishes!

I thought I was done with cancer 20 years or so ago, but preliminary tests suggest I've developed a new one in another area. I hope they're wrong, and if they're not, I keep remembering I'm not Rob Ford

[Ms. Toad]

195. I hope they're wrong, too!

If I have to have cancer, I have the very best kind. Stage 1, and either grade 1 or grade 2 (I should know by next Thursday - two of the three pathologists disagree, and the third has yet to weigh in), all of the best receptors - and none of the worst.

Cure rate is near 100% - as long as I consent to radiation. Slightly less if I don't consent to radiation. We'll begin that conversation on Thursday. But clean surgical margins and no cancer cells in the lymph nodes. So - I hope to be done with it soon!

Good luck on this latest round for you.

[laundry_queen]

86. great post

I have a comment about low carb...I agree their carb per meal recommendation is ridiculous. It should be MUCH lower. However, then they would also have to face the fact that many people cannot afford to eat low carb. I mean, let's face it, it's a very expensive diet.

I was diagnosed type 2 recently, after holding it off for nearly 19 years (had gestational diabetes w/my first pregnancy 19 years ago and tested pre-diabetic for years afterwards until recently...). I've done the low-carb diet off and on for a few years now and I've always found it VERY effective. But...as a single mom of 4 I cannot afford it. I tried it for my whole family and our grocery bill went up $400/month. So, for now, I make 2 meals every night. One for me and one for my kids. I manage to eat mostly low carb but it's not easy with tempting stuff around all the time. I've even thought to myself...gee, at least if I go on insulin it will be covered by my insurance, so why not eat carbs and take insulin, it will be cheaper. But I know that is not the healthiest way to go.

And I know, too, after researching treatment and meds that it's pretty futile unless you do go drastic low carb. Type 2 is quite progressive. Maybe there is some kind of relationship there between needing more and more meds and funding...conflicts of interest perhaps?

[Ms. Toad]

91. I'm actually more cheaply on a low carb diet, than I was before diagnosis

although I'm not feeding my entire family - and I'm currently eating a lower quantity. I spend $50-$70 total for food every 2 weeks (so about, for one person, what the per person increase in your food bill was.)

But I don't eat avocados, bacon, heavy whipping cream - for example. Fortunately, I'm also not tempted by things sitting around the house. (It's been 7 months, and I've had two days I've gone over calories & no days when I've gone over carbs - aside from intentionally for an OGTT to see if I'd made any progress in decreasing insulin resistance {down from diabetes to pre-diabetes})

But - definitely more expensive than macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, or hot dogs.

[Gormy Cuss]

184. Please do get into a technical discussion in this thread and ones like it.

It may elevate the discussion, provide valuable insight, and alleviate some fears.

"Pre-diabetic" does seem like a made-up condition, especially because it sweeps up so many more people than the diagnosis of diabetic. Consumers need a better understanding of why it's called that and more knowledge of how lifestyle changes may affect this designation. I'm part of the 54% majority of Californians who are neither pre-diabetic nor diabetic. I like knowing that lab result but I'm also interested in why that may be -- is it genes, lifestyle, a combo? If it changes because of meds for other conditions, it will be helpful to know.

[SheilaT]

118. My younger sister was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

five or six years ago. I forget exactly when.

She's always struggled with her weight, and we all understand that being overweight is perhaps the single largest risk factor in type 2 diabetes.

In any case, she attacked her disease head on. She lost weight. She changed how she ate. She exercised more. Several years ago, when asking her about how things were going, she said that the nurse practitioner she was working with was totally amazed, because in that nurse's experience, NO ONE had ever done the things they should have done.

The result? Today my sister no longer has diabetes. Her official medical record shows that she has a history of diabetes, but not the disease itself. That is one disease that can be conquered by lifestyle changes.

[Ms. Toad]

133. Congratulations to your sister!

For many people, weight plays a role. But not for all of us. The old theory was a 10% weight loss could reverse diabetes. In the face of so many for whom a 10% weight loss has made no difference - a few folks are not positing that it may take as much as 15%.

My blood glucose was under control within 3 days of diagnosis - before I had lost any weight. So it is lifestyle, as in what I put i my mouth on a daily basis, but not lifestyle - as in the cumulative effect of what I put in my mouth for years.

I have now lost 60 lbs, 2-3 times the weight loss that is supposed to reverse diabetes, and am "normal" weight. In terms of what I can tolerate eating without elevating my blood glucose - that has not changed. It is still net 20 carbs in any 3 hour period. So - my diabetes is managed, as long as I tightly control what I eat, but it is not in remission. I didn't really expect a weight-related change - since the diabetes that runs in my family hits every single person my age or older who is a descendant of my skinny-as-a-rail grandfather.

(I have managed a small change from diabetic to pre-diabetic, following a different dietary protocol. This change seems to be an actual change rather than dietary management. Unfortunately that protocol had to be interrupted for a few months because it was not compatible with recovering from cancer treatment. I'll try again in 6 months or so, once I'm past the effects of radiation)

But my doctor has a similar response to your sister's nurse practitioner - he put me on 500 mg Metformin, as a stepping stone to 2000 mg/day, and was astounded when my A1C was normal by my 5-month follow-up visit.

[Warpy]

66. This is the most heartless and ignorant thread I've seen on DU in months.

Congratulations to all of you who sit in judgment of your fellow Democrats as to who's ill and who isn't.

[momto3]

155. Thank you.

I have a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, SLE and peripheral neuropathy. I get really tired of having to justify my pain, and my need for medications, to others that do not have any idea of how I feel.

Peace.

[CanSocDem]

172. And once again...

...you avoid thinking about the real problems of the American Medical Industry and choose to label its' critics as "heartless and ignorant". Clearly the irony escapes you. Or did you not read the OP?


.

[HuckleB]

175. Your fictions are of no concern to people who choose reality.

[CanSocDem]

178. "Choosing reality" isn't.....

...about ignoring social science in favour of medical science. The only reason to do that is because that is where the money is and I can't fault any American who doesn't want to die in poverty because of the lack of a safety net.

So you and the rest of the alt-med haters, while maybe not benefiting financially from slamming alt-med practises, you are certainly doing the general public a disfavour by systematically ignoring the very real effects of social science.



.

[Warpy]

180. Oh, FFS

I've got a little list, I've got a little list, and they'd none of them be missed...

[HuckleB]

174. Exactly.

[progressoid]

207. Yeah,

I guess if we just eat right we'll snap out of it.

[meow2u3]

73. Big Pharma also redefined existing diseases such as hypertension

by fudging the numbers. It used to be that HBP was diagnosed at 140/90 and there was no such thing as "prehypertension." Now, 120/80 is no longer regarded as normal BP; it's now prehypertension, a bullshit diagnosis designed to sell more meds.

And I think the notion of prediabetes is a 2-ton crock of shit. It's another pharma-invented condition designed to make the drug companies richer by prescribing diabetes meds to people who don't really have the disease.

On the other hand, adult ADHD is real. It's the hyperactive kids now grown up but still struggle with focus. I know because I suffer from it.

[RufusTFirefly]

78. An early advocate for recognizing ADHD is appalled by its over-diagnosis

New York Times: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

“The numbers make it look like an epidemic. Well, it’s not. It’s preposterous,” Dr. Conners, a psychologist and professor emeritus at Duke University, said in a subsequent interview. “This is a concoction to justify the giving out of medication at unprecedented and unjustifiable levels.”

...

Behind that growth has been drug company marketing that has stretched the image of classic A.D.H.D. to include relatively normal behavior like carelessness and impatience, and has often overstated the pills’ benefits. Advertising on television and in popular magazines like People and Good Housekeeping has cast common childhood forgetfulness and poor grades as grounds for medication that, among other benefits, can result in “schoolwork that matches his intelligence” and ease family tension.

...

Now targeting adults, Shire and two patient advocacy groups have recruited celebrities like the Maroon 5 musician Adam Levine for their marketing campaign, “It’s Your A.D.H.D. – Own It.” Online quizzes sponsored by drug companies are designed to encourage people to pursue treatment. A medical education video sponsored by Shire portrays a physician making a diagnosis of the disorder in an adult in a six-minute conversation, after which the doctor recommends medication.

[Dont call me Shirley]

80. They sell drugs for diseases they create and/or exascerbate.

[RufusTFirefly]

83. It often makes me think of this guy

[malaise]

84. And the media sells their shit

the same way they sell Trump - they will do anything for money - anything - even mass murder.

[Socal31]

90. ADD being the most disturbing.

[HuckleB]

96. How?

[Socal31]

98. Pumping children with powerful amphetamine salts is a crime.

Sorry, something I feel passionate about for my own reasons.

[HuckleB]

99. Well, you're very, very wrong.

Passion doesn't create reality.

[Socal31]

100. The reality lead to the passion.

Keep buying that GlaxosmithlillyPfizer BS.

[HuckleB]

128. That's simply not true.

You have no idea what you're talking about.

[Socal31]

144. Although your argument was very in-depth and persuasive.....

It just wasn't enough to win me over.

[HuckleB]

173. You've made it clear that you have bought into a fiction.

I'm not wasting my time giving you information you could get if you chose to challenge your preconceptions. It's on you. You can choose to work to harm people, as you are now, or you can do the right thing. I'm not doing it for you.

[Major Nikon]

198. It was your argument

That you are disturbed is all you really offered. Very convincing that.

[arithia]

124. Treating a real medical disorder with drugs that work isn't a "crime"

ADD is a genetic condition marked by physical changes to the brain. It shares multiple mutations with Bipolar disorder, so many so that the two diseases are often mistaken for one another in cases of early onset Bipolar.

It is also marked by widespread lack of dopamine in the brain across the patient population. Lack of dopamine in the brain can cause various long term health problems outside of the "mood disorder "spectrum, including severe ones like Parkinsons disease. (Lack of dopamine creates stress on the brain. Stress affects cell function, mutation, reproduction and telomere decay. Stress and depression can quite literally break your body if left untreated.)

It is, in fact, a real disorder.

Those "amphetamine salts" you feel to be criminal dosing? They normalize brain function in children with the disorder, as revealed by numerous MRI studies. Many of them do so by normalizing dopamine levels to where they should be, others do so by stimulating specific brain regions.

Feel as strongly as you like, Socal31, but it wont change the fact that ADHD is real and the medications that treat it work.

[womanofthehills]

127. Maybe use less pesticides than you won't need drugs for ADD and ADHD

Study links exposure to common pesticide with ADHD in boys

Date:
June 1, 2015
Source:
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Summary:
A new study links a commonly used household pesticide with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and young teens. The study found an association between pyrethroid pesticide exposure and ADHD, particularly in terms of hyperactivity and impulsivity, rather than inattentiveness. The association was stronger in boys than in girls.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150601122535.htm

[Socal31]

140. "ADHD" may be an actual disorder,but not at the rate that lazy parents and teachers have you believe

"Nearly one in five high school age boys in the United States and 11 percent of school-age children over all have received a medical diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to new data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

“Those are astronomical numbers. I’m floored,” said Dr. William Graf, a pediatric neurologist in New Haven and a professor at the Yale School of Medicine. He added, “Mild symptoms are being diagnosed so readily, which goes well beyond the disorder and beyond the zone of ambiguity to pure enhancement of children who are otherwise healthy.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/health/more-diagnoses-of-hyperactivity-causing-concern.html?_r=0



Keep buying it. Lazy parents, teachers, and doctors have succum to the sales reps of Big Pharma, as they have with Benzos and Opiates.

I don't care if an adult chooses to take these chemicals. But the forced ingestion on developing children is disgusting.


You can either believe that "ADD" was a miracle discovery that was prevalent in 10%+ of the population, or you can believe that parents and teachers have justified the administration of powerful psycho-stimulants in order to achieve temporary cognitive and behavioral improvements.

[momto3]

157. What?

You obviously don't understand. Lazy parents and teachers??? Really?? Do you have hyperactive children or know anyone diagnosed as ADD?

[CanSocDem]

176. SoCal31 is right.

Simple behavior problems that could be dealt with at school or in the home are, instead sent to the school nurse and forwarded to the med/pharm industry.

And that is where you all are...in the nurses office and NOT IN CLASS. That is why this thread wonderfully illustrates that learning about the sociology of health in the classroom, should have taken precedence over the free-market brainwashing in the 'nurses office'.

And seriously, what kind of society "treats" hyperactive children with drugs that 'crash' their natural spirit? The same kind that treats adults with drugs to crash their natural spirit.

Only In America.


.

[momto3]

179. I am sure that there are behavior problems that should be dealt with at home.

That is not what I meant. You cannot classify all kids this way. The problem with this entire post is the vague broad brushing and dismissal of ailments that I would be willing to wager most have not experienced first hand. The true "hyperactive" or "ADD" student cannot function in a normal classroom. They are disruptive to the other children. This is not a behavior problem that can be changed counseling or by positive reinforcement. It is also not always the fault of the parent - actually many parents of these children feel as if they have failed their child and that is the cause of the behavior.

When medicated, these kids remain in their classes and are able to contribute. A lot of these kids do not need to remain medicated for their entire childhood. There is emerging data showing that ADD and other minor mental illnesses in kids tend to flair at the beginning of puberty, but resolve themselves once the hormones stabilize.

What do you think about mental illness in children? Do you believe that is the result of lazy parenting? Do you think they should be medicated?

I am curious about your reasoning.

[CanSocDem]

182. Overall...

...I'm in agreement with the OP.

Specifically, on the mental 'health' of children, I favour a non-pharmaceutical approach. Dear friends of mine, both teachers and parents of active children, (and I might add fellow cannabis users) allowed their children to be diagnosed by the industry and ended up as you expressed, 'able to do the classroom work' and graduate.

Now adults, the youngest is still heavily dependent on the pharma industry while the other two appear to function normally with occasional cannabis.

In the spirit of full disclosure, when the quite normal adolescent angst hit me back in the early 60's, my parents response was to let me quit school. I swear there is no better cure for disruptive behaviour than the threat of extinction.


.

[momto3]

197. I am sorry to hear about your friends.

When my daughter was 10 years old, she crawled in my lap crying because the "voices" told her to stab people. This was the most terrifying night of my life. I know first hand the benefits and side effects of pharm drugs. We dealt with the whole gamut of side effects as we cycled through several drugs trying to find the right cocktail for her. I also know that they prevented her from hurting herself or others. So, I have very little patience for the crap you are spewing. I would say that your 3 good friends is not a big enough sample size to show any statistical significance. Should I move to a state with legalized pot so that my daughter can smoke away her problems? I am proud to say that I now have a fairly stable - as stable as a young teenage women can be - 16 year old.

I agree that big pharmacy should be better regulated, but the arrogance of some posters on this thread is truly astounding. I am "heavily dependent" on big pharmacy and will be the rest of my life. Within the past 4 years, I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia (yes, it is a real disease), SLE and peripheral neuropathy. I also suffer from depression due to the fibromyalgia and SLE. I ate well, had a normal BMI for my age and had just received my black belt in Tai Kwon Do. Over all, I was healthy and active. Then, seemingly overnight, I developed pain in most of my joints, my hair started falling out and my skin hurt to be touched. I have had to give up almost everything I previously enjoyed doing; TKD, my motorcycle, gardening, etc. The pills I take keep me alive and provide me with enough energy to work and take care of my family. I will take this any day over the alternative.

I am finished with my conversation with you over this. I am not going to convince you and it is no longer worth any of the energy I have left this evening to keep trying. Just know that ever time you make posts like this, you may be influencing the decision of someone whose life could be saved or bettered by these drugs.

Peace.

[arithia]

185. what kind of society treats biochemical imbalances like discipline problems?

Ours.

ADHD isn't a "behavioral problem". It's caused by lack of dopamine and abnormal brain function, as verified by countless studies, genetic evaluation and MRIs.

The drugs normalize brain function in sick kids. Only in America would we deem it immoral to normalize brain function in sick kids.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC24401/

[arely staircase]

190. the behavioral problems would be symptoms of the embalance. the embalance is detected by and treated

because the symptoms. often it is an inability to stay on a task. that is a behavioral problems in the broadest sense of the term.

[Major Nikon]

199. Really?

So you think prescribing medicine with proven efficacy to children is a crime, because SoCal31 does.

[CanSocDem]

201. If your only interest is acquiring another customer. (eom)

[arithia]

191. I'm guessing not

but I could be wrong. I'd rather have been able to PM this to you directly, but as I am a chronic lurker it seems I cannot initiate those. XD (Some people here also need to realize that their ignorance is not as good as people's first hand knowledge of these disorders. Sad that I need to say that on a supposedly liberal site, but oh well....)

I was diagnosed with ADHD by a specialist in the field when I was 8. It was my third diagnosis of ADHD and my nurse mother was finally satisfied with the label and began treatment. I had years of cognitive and behavioral therapy before that due to the presence of symptoms pointing to some kind of cognitive problem, so thankfully I was already pretty well equipped with social and developmental skills when the clinical diagnosis was given.

When I was finally started on Ritalin, my family reacted much the same as some of the posters here- they assumed I was being "doped" for a fake condition. My hyperactivity just meant I had to do more sports. My inability to concentrate was just me needing more discipline. My loudness was just boisterousness, my forgetfulness a sign that I didn't really care about anything beyond the immediate. I cannot begin to describe to others how devastating it is as a child to hear adults around you saying you are broken, lazy, aloof, rude and need to be punished physically- all because I couldn't sit still, focus or remember my homework.

I'll never forget hearing my mother being told "you need to spank her if you want her grades to improve". I'm lucky that my mother has more sense than that. I'm also lucky I had good therapists to help me work through the adults around me tearing me down as a person just because they didn't understand biochemistry.

3 months into the course of Ritalin treatment, they all shut up. I went from a C student to straight A's. There were no more notes from the teachers. There were no more concerns about discipline or blunted affect or lack of interest. I picked up new hobbies and extracurricular activities. My depression faded (it helped that I wasn't getting such destructive feedback from adults around me). I was in control of my mind and my body for the first time- all thanks to maintenance medication. 4 of my cousins were diagnosed immediately after me- none of whom were medicated and none of whom got any better. It wasn't until the oldest of them turned 18 and he put HIMSELF on ritalin (and subsequently improved), that the others were allowed by their parents to get the necessary meds they needed.

None of us had *severe* ADHD. I knew kids from group therapy who had it. It wasn't pretty. I remember their parents frustration, self blame and tears. I remember the screaming, the crying, the frustration from the children who couldn't give their parents what they wanted. I'd say I pitied them, but they were the ones getting help. The ones I worry about are the ones who dont- who grow up with biochemical imbalances, lack of therapy and parents who would rather live in a state of willed ignorance than see their child healthy.

[arithia]

183. when you resort to comments like "keep buying it"

without being able to have a fact based discussion about the disorder and treatment, it looks like you're the one who drank the kool-aid. I apologize if that offends you, but you are peddling some really dangerous misconceptions about mental health care that could cause someone harm in the long term.... and that offends ME.

Descriptions of ADHD exist in medical texts dating back to 1902. This isn't a new disorder- it's a newly RECOGNIZED disorder, much as bipolar and major depressive disorder (and a host of other biologically caused mental illnesses) used to be clumped together and called melancholia. Our understanding of illnesses, particularly the ones that affect our brain or our bodies at the cellular level, has improved over the years. Disorders that were once considered "personal weakness", "lack of discipline" and imaginary now fall squarely into the realm of the biological.

Misdiagnosis is a completely separate issue from the disease being "real" or the medications being effective. So is overdiagnosis, for that matter. Too many physicians are quick to whip out the prescription pad for EVERYTHING (from antibiotics to painkillers) and they rarely spend the time needed for proper observation and evaluation, let alone behavioral education which should be the first step for all ADD/ADHD diagnosis.

This is not the fault of the pharmacy industry. It's the fault of physician laziness, our culture which demands everything now now now.... and most importantly, it's the result of medical ignorance and lack of access to care. I guarantee most people out there taking their kids to the doctor don't follow up with a secondary or tertiary evaluation. I can guarantee this because most people cannot afford subsequent consultations. That isn't the fault of the parents either- it's the result of poverty and lack of access to a diverse physician population.

Add racial issues (african american boys are more frequently misdiagnosed) and gender issues (females with ADD often have different symptoms than the boys) to the mix and you have the perfect storm of mis/overdiagnosis and incorrect course of care.

It's part of a parents job to make sure their child is healthy and well. Reduced dopamine levels in the brain cause severe health problems later in life, particularly coupled with the social stress that ADD and ADHD can cause. Frak's sakes, the low dopamine alone can cause attention problems, memory issues and difficulty concentrating. It can also cause tremors, balance issues, speech problems, Parkinsons's disease.... would those be better health outcomes for kids than taking a pill that normalizes brain function for a few years?

***Stress causes epigenetic changes that last a lifetime. Biochemical imbalances are very stressful on the body***

Would you ask a diabetic child to go without insulin because it's not a permanent solution to their medical problem? Cause that's more or less what you are advocating......

[Deadshot]

95. What hogwash.

[Jesus Malverde]

97. May cause...

And

Anal leakage.

There are however other medications for those symptoms, the doctors will take "care" of you.

[Rex]

105. There is fraud in every industry on the planet.

Sadly.

[jtuck004]

130. They could not do this without the doctors who take their blood money. n/t

[Jane Austin]

135. Overactive Bladder Syndrome

Means your bladder will contract without your being able to control it. These spasms mean you will urinate all over yourself, your car, and your furniture.

It means you can't hold a job and that you really can't travel. It means you can't stand in line.

There isn't a Depends made that will absorb all of that.

It's not funny, and it is very, very real.

[womanofthehills]

143. My friend had a sling procedure for overactive bladder

but she had to have the procedure twice because the material they used in the first surgery was recalled. She seems fine now though.

[rhett o rick]

136. This has Hillary Clinton-Sachs written all over it. She would deny those suffering from cancer

in pain the use of medical marijuana because she has zero empathy.

[TeacherB87]

156. Great post!

We definitely need to tighten up the regulations on these crooks.

[sendero]

161. Those who bleat about "science"...

... should take note. There is no "science" when there is a conflict of interest.

[progressoid]

205. Those bleat about those who bleat about "science"...

...should note the difference between science and marketing.

[DCBob]

164. The EPI poop commercial is a perfect example of this.

I hate that commercial. Stuff like this should be banned.

http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/hey-doc-i-have-poop-disorder-6-diseases-big-pharma-trying-make-you-believe-you#.V0rhVRU1_iA.mailto

[kdmorris]

170. I don't have a problem with pre-Diabetes

as long as diet/exercise are the treatment suggestions for it.

My blood sugar was 122 (before Pre-Diabetes was a thing)and my doctor just nonchalantly said my sugar was a little high. It remained "a little high" for years, but I didn't realize it was really that serious.

Fast forward about 5 years and my fasting blood sugar was 151 and THEN, I was sent to a specialist. And while diet and exercise are probably the primary way that I control it, I do now have Diabetes. I take metformin and have recently had to go on insulin. Diet and exercise were never really suggested by anyone... I did that on my own. I don't know if doctors just figure we are all going to ignore them or what.

I will never know if things could have been staved off longer had there been a "Pre-Diabetes" category back then... had someone said "you have pre-diabetes. Go see this Nutritionist, get 5 days of at least 30 minutes of exercise per week and come see me in a month".

I do agree, though, that the diagnosis most likely results in people being put on drugs rather than lifestyle changes being suggested.

Like a few others have said, I lowered my cholesterol by almost 100 points with diet and exercise and the doctor didn't even seem to be curious about how I did it. He told me that it was unlikely to be permanent unless I took the cholesterol medication. I have NEVER taken a cholesterol medication and have kept my cholesterol < 200, HDL around 90 and LDL < 100 for about 10 years now.

I also got a different doctor that supports my lifestyle changes as the primary means of controlling my Diabetes and only intervenes with medications if absolutely necessary.

[arely staircase]

177. spontaneous human combustion

disorder

Along with "event", "disorder" drives me nuts.

The sound of the rain event agrivates my overactive bladder disorder.

Take event and disorder out of that sentence and it says the same thing, just less pompously.

[annabanana]

187. Deaths are just the "cost of doing business".. caveat emptor folks . . n/t

[andym]

200. Sometimes new diseases are identified because of science or patient advocacy groups

There are many rare disorders, often genetic in nature, that are being uncovered with modern techniques and better communication among medical scientists. Furthermore, there are advocacy groups of people with illnesses who are urging the medical community to recognize their ailment. One example of the latter was chronic fatigue syndrome, which had been controversial for quite some time. It's not just big pharma.

[Jesus Malverde]

204. Giving hormone replacement therapy resulted in 20k breast cancer patients.

Billions of dollars made by the medical industrial complex.