Are the pills you are taking worth it?

I was walking through my living room and there was one of those attorney’s ads that advocate rights for people suffering from side effects from whatever medications they had taken.  This particular ad was for “Accutane” and the announcer proceeded through the list of side effects you may have suffered, and if you have suffered from any of these symptoms, including death, please call. 

Huh?  Death?

Must have missed the side effect part of you dying and then reviving long enough to file a lawsuit.  Hopefully they buried you with your cell phone.

As a person that tries to avoid any medication, I am amazed of the “side effects” of medications supposedly administered to treat one ailment, but may cause a myriad of others.

Most of the meds I checked on all have some sort of digestion distress (e.g., diarrhea, upset stomach, nausea). 

Probably because your body is trying to tell you that it’s not good for you and trying to expel it.

An natural practitioner told us that if his body was experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, runny nose or any other type of bodily expulsion, that he was happy because his body was attempting to rid itself of the harmful items.

For instance; a sleep aid (“Ambien”) may cause drowsiness (Really?) or a drugged feeling (You ARE taking a drug).  Confusion, abnormal thinking (?!?!?), behavior changes (Good or bad?), memory loss (How are you supposed to remember to take the meds?), swelling of the body (All over, including the head), new or worsening depression (Great), suicidal thoughts or actions (Youtube!), and vision changes (For the better?).

So if you experienced some confusion or abnormal thinking from taking the “Ambien”, the doctor would probably prescribe some mood-altering drug such as “Cymbalta”, “Prozac”, “Xanax”, “Paxil” or “Zoloft”.

Side effects of those?  Same nausea, diarrhea, headaches, vomiting as before.

How about loss of sleep? (Take some “Ambien”) Mood changes including hostility, irritability, confusion, “bizarre behavior”, suicidal thoughts, etc.

The other disturbing side effect?  Different colored stool.  Pale, bloody, black, tarry, etc. Urine may take on a kaleidoscope effect too. Might be entertaining in the bathroom while you look for the end of the rainbow.

Severe allergic reactions can occur resulting in rashes, hives, itching, difficulty in breathing or swallowing and swelling.

Seems like the drug(s) you would be taking to boost your mood would actually depress you further.  The doc may be happier since you would be visiting the office more frequently.

How about your cholesterol medications?

Same side effects as before with the whole nausea, constipation, headache, stomach pain, etc. and again with the severe allergic reactions, the palette of color waste products, etc., etc.

Most of the cholesterol meds as well as most other meds cause liver stress and require constant monitoring by the doc (Are you seeing a pattern yet?) because, guess what?  The doc has a med for the stressed liver.  When your body organs are stressed, especially the most important organs such as your liver and kidneys, it can lead to high blood pressure (Doc’s got a pill for that), diabetes (Yup, pills or shots for that), weight gain (The new fad is injecting a female hormone into your body) and other maladies that the doctor will readily prescribe a pill, inhalant, patch, injection or other temporary remedy for you.

Many of the side effects were listed on drugs.com, but many were not listed, including my favorite, death.

How about the “little blue pill Viagra”? Again with the diarrhea, headaches (not that one), upset stomach, allergic reactions, chest pains, fainting (hope you fall backwards), memory loss (that really sucks since you took the pill to do what?), painful and prolonged erection (painful for who?), and possible loss of vision AND hearing. 

Of course, you should contact your doctor if any of the symptoms pop up (sorry).  But if you lose your hearing and vision, how are you supposed to call your doctor?

Picture this.

Dialing the phone.  Ring.  Ring.  Ring.  “Hello?”.  “Hey Doc, I took the little blue pill and have a raging erection that won’t go down.  My girlfriend’s worn out and won’t let me near her again.  I can’t see and can’t hear too well.  What do I do?” “Oh, sorry mom”.

Seriously, everyone should pick their medical professional carefully.  The doctor should have your best interest at heart, not how fast they can get you in and out of the office.  If you’re walking out with a handful of prescriptions, it’s probably time to get a second opinion. 

Ask Dr. (soon to be ex-Dr) Conrad Murray (soon to be inmate Murray). (insert Conrad pix here)

How many Conrad Murry’s are there, how many are here in Las Vegas? The Pill Mill industry providing drugs on demand to consumers is a thriving business.

Las Vegas Police are becoming more active and court dockets are being filled with cases such as Dr James Tinnell. Dr Tinnell (age 74) using the front of a Pain Clinic was convicted following a guilty plea of supplying prescription narcotics without medical cause. In essence Dr. Tinnel was charging consumers a Doctors fee or clinic fee and receiving a narcotic prescription of their choice. Most often the drug of choice is the highly addictive narcotic Oxycodon.

How prevalent is this practice of providing consumers with Prescription narcotics on demand? The efficiency of this practice and the numbers are so high that Prosecutors around the country are making these cases a top priority.

 In Florida (see story) the State has created an entire State-wide program “Pill Nation I and Pill Nation II” which has generated 69 arrests since February of this year. Pill Mills as they are often referred to by law enforcement consist of Doctors, Nurses and Medical Assistants using the front of a “Pain Clinic” to distribute narcotics to consumers and pretty much on demand. Seventy doctors and six pharmacies there have lost their ability to dispense controlled substances so far this year in Florida. In addition, more than $18.9 million in cash and other assets have been seized.

Here in Nevada Pill Mills are active but under huge scrutiny by the Attorney General. (Full Article in the Las Vegas Sun)  Nevada’s U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden condemned illegal prescription drug distribution conspiracies, vowing to continue targeting “pill mills and pharmacist co-conspirators.” Officials have filed federal charges against 70 people for illegally distributing addictive prescription painkillers since January 2010, Bogden said.

Nevada as a State was on the forefront of passing legislation 15 years ago allowing Law Enforcement to track Doctors prescriptions and patients receiving narcotics via Pharmacy records.  Now there is an effort by ethical pharmacy’s and federal law enforcement to create a national tracking system of narcotic drug prescriptions to address the Doctors and Clinics that are coordinating efforts across State lines and outside  individual State jurisdictions. The National Law enforcement effort would address cases similar to the case against Las Vegas Dr. Wetselaar who was arrested last month in Las Vegas while his counterparts were arrested in Michigan.

So why are Pill Mills so popular and why is the number growing? The answer is as obvious as it was easy to create. Money for everyone! The Pharmaceutical companies continue to profit even during a bad economy, selling more of their “higher cost” medications. The pharmacies sell more prescription meds and the Pain Clinics/ Doctors have a steady stream of return addicts. Most all the “patients” are highly addicted to Oxycodon or their narcotic of choice. The price of a visit to the pain clinic is usually nominal ranging between 80.00 and 140.00 dollars. If a insurance company picks up 80% the tab then the cost conscious consumer pays between 16.00 and 30.00 for the visit. 

What makes this abuse and crime so difficult to prosecute? Physician’s unique status and authority in society and the Doctor / Patient privilege make it difficult for Law Enforcement to get a clear case quickly. Added to the complexity are the patients who are often Doctor Shopping or Pharmacy pricing. In order to begin investigation law enforcement must utilize a series of metrics including mathematics, technology, drug usage standards and statistics to build a case.

While the case of Dr. Conrad Murry brought worldwide attention on the issue of Doctor Standards and Practices with regards to prescription drug abuse and medical ethics there is no doubt many more criminal cases involving the same issues will be coming forward here in Nevada.

Rick Singer and Dave Robbins, VegasNewsReview.com