Prescription drugs and side effects

[my3labs]

My mom is 67 years old. Myself and several people close to her are noticing memory problems.
Examples:
*She'll ask a question and then ask the same question five minutes later.
*She forgets that she's supposed to work on a certain day and doesn't show up.
*She forgets mine and my sisters' birthdays as well as her grandkids.

I could go on and on with some specific examples but I don't want to bore you.

Anyway, I had lunch with her today and brought it up. She said she's aware of it (but other times she's denied it and has become very defensive about it). She said that her doctor told her that it was common after anesthesia (she had heart surgery in February). I've been doing some research on memory loss and anesthesia and can't find much but I did find some scary potential side effects for some of the drugs she takes. She's currently on four different meds:
Atacand (blood pressure)
Plavix (blood clots)
Toprol (beta blocker)
Tricor (cholesterol)

Like I said, she's 67 and I wonder if it's dementia but also, some of the side effects of these drugs mention memory loss.

I talked to her today about her cholesterol and again mentioned that eliminating ALL animal products would probably help a lot. She keeps bringing up the fact that she will just eat more oatmeal and cheerios to bring down her cholesterol. UGH!!!! MOM!!!!!!!

[Gliondrach]

We'll have to put our thinking caps on to find a way to convince your mother to improve her diet.

[my3labs]

After her heart attack she decided to go vegan. That lasted for maybe a few weeks (at best). She now claims to be a vegetarian but I don't know if I even believe that.
I would love to get her off all the pills unless they are absolutely necessary and her heart issues can't be controlled by any other means.
It's just so frustrating because she's kind of old school and would NEVER question a doctor.

[Gliondrach]

Have you told her that 100,000 Americans die every year because of the drugs that were prescribed to them? And even the FDA admits that that is probably a very low percentage of the actual number. Not to mention the 2 million who suffer serious side effects each year.

So, the medical profession doesn't always know best.

[thevegantwins]

On Monday, I mentioned to my doctor that I didn't want to go on statin drugs to lower my cholesterol even though my cholesterol is high and he agreed with me. He said the drug side effects were dangerous. A medical doctor admitting that, unbelievable. :speechless:

[my3labs]

On Monday, I mentioned to my doctor that I didn't want to go on statin drugs to lower my cholesterol even though my cholesterol is high and he agreed with me. He said the drug side effects were dangerous. A medical doctor admitting that, unbelievable. :speechless:

That really is amazing TVT.

[Gliondrach]

Good for him.

[Oracl]

Good for you too, TVT! :)

[1vegan]

Like I said, she's 67 and I wonder if it's dementia but also, some of the side effects of these drugs mention memory loss.



For what I know of it, did she have a recented change in the doses she takes? It seems that some side effects temporarily get worse when the doses goes up. After a while the side effects should get less again.

My experience (in short) is that people like that, (like my mum) deeply believe in doctors and the myth that pills cure it all.

And changing their habits, like how they eat, is sort of the last thing they'll do .....

Maybe you should stress the safety issue, and get your mum to discuss it with the doc, maybe you can go together?
Cause if your mum forgets things, she could put herself or others in danger ; leaving the stove on, forgetting things while driving.....

[Fauxmage]

Baldwin warns of prescription drug dangers

From World Entertainment News Network
January 28, 2008 5:00 PM EST

Jan 28, 2008 (WENN via COMTEX) -- Actor DANIEL BALDWIN has spoken out about the dangers of becoming addicted to prescription drugs, warning it's easy to accidentally develop a habit.

The recovering drug addict insists the problem of abusing prescription medication is an epidemic that is currently sweeping Hollywood.

And, following the news that police found sleeping pills by Heath Ledger's bed after his sudden death last week, Baldwin hopes authorities will turn their attention to the growing problem.

He says, "They (authorities) are not really regulating the number of prescriptions that can be made to someone.

"So now you can go and ask a doctor and say, 'I have this pain,' and it's like (handing) out candy. They will give you Vicodin and these things and you can get hooked on them so quickly, it's scary.

"I've never been hooked on prescription meds. But the problem is how sneaky this disease is. These people probably had - the vast majority of them - a legitimate reason, a concern. They've had surgery on their back, they've had some kind of problem, where they've took these medications and they were given them with the best intentions.

"As you start to go along, and you don't realise - and it's not given to you educationally - that you can become dependent on these drugs - and, after a little while, you start to say, 'You know what, maybe two will make me feel a bit better.'

Ledger, 28, was found dead in his New York apartment last Tuesday (22Jan08). An autopsy failed to reveal how the actor died, although police believe his death could be drug-related as prescription medication was found by his bed.

[Bowwowmeow]

FDA Links Anti-Wrinkle Drugs to Deaths

By LAURAN NEERGAARD (AP Medical Writer)
From Associated Press
February 08, 2008 7:23 PM EST

WASHINGTON - The popular anti-wrinkle drug Botox and a competitor have been linked to dangerous botulism symptoms in some users, cases so bad that a few children given the drugs for muscle spasms have died, the government warned Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration's warning includes both Botox, a wrinkle-specific version called Botox Cosmetic, and its competitor, Myobloc, drugs that all use botulinum toxin to block nerve impulses, causing them to relax.

In rare cases, the toxin can spread beyond the injection site to other parts of the body, paralyzing or weakening the muscles used for breathing and swallowing, a potentially fatal side effect, the FDA said.

Botox is best known for minimizing wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles - but botulinum toxin also is widely used for a variety of muscle-spasm conditions, such as cervical dystonia or severe neck spasms.

The FDA said the deaths it is investigating so far all involve children, mostly cerebral palsy patients being treated for spasticity in their legs. The FDA has never formally approved that use for the drugs, but some other countries have.

However, the FDA warned that it also is probing reports of illnesses in people of all ages who used the drugs for a variety of conditions, including at least one hospitalization of a woman given Botox for forehead wrinkles.

The FDA wouldn't say exactly how many reports it is probing.
"We're not talking hundreds. It's a relative handful," said Dr. Russell Katz, FDA's neurology chief.

But the agency warned that patients receiving a botulinum toxin injection for any reason - cosmetic or medical - should be told to seek immediate care if they suffer symptoms of botulism, including: difficulty swallowing or breathing, slurred speech, muscle weakness, or difficulty holding up their head.

"I think people should be aware there's a potential for this to happen," Katz said. "People should be on the lookout for it."

Friday's warning came two weeks after the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to strengthen warnings to users of Botox and Myobloc - citing 180 reports of U.S. patients suffering fluid in the lungs, difficulty swallowing or pneumonia, including 16 deaths.

Nor is it the first warning. The drugs' labels do warn about the potential for botulinum toxin to spread beyond the injection site and occasionally kill, but the warnings link that side effect to patients with certain neuromuscular diseases, such as myasthenia gravis.

That's what's different about these latest cases, said FDA's Katz: The botulism toxin seems to be harming people who don't have that particular risk factor. (Cerebral palsy involves a brain injury, not a disease.)

Still, the FDA cautioned that its investigation is in the early stages. It has asked Botox maker Allergan Inc. and Myobloc maker Solstice Neurosciences Inc. to provide additional safety records.

Allergan spokeswoman Caroline Van Hove said children with cerebral palsy receive far larger doses injected into their leg muscles than the doses given adults seeking wrinkle care.

In a statement, Solstice said it supports FDA's probe but stressed that the agency hasn't concluded the drug poses any new risk.

While the FDA said the problems may be related to overdoses, it also has reports of side effects with a variety of doses.

Public Citizen's Dr. Sidney Wolfe criticized FDA's warning as falling short. He asked that the agency order a black-box warning, the FDA's strongest type, be put on the drugs' labels and require that every patient receive a pamphlet outlining the risk before each injection.

"Every doctor needs to notified about this, every patient needs to be notified," Wolfe said. "Children are showing the way, unfortunately some dead children."

He said drug regulators in Britain and Germany last year required that sterner warnings be sent to every doctor in those countries.

Shame the FDA had so many dollar signs in their eyes that they couldn't make the simple connection between botulism and death. :rolleyes: They should've asked me before they allowed it on the market for "wrinkle care". Ahem. Wrinkle care???? Since when did wrinkles become a chronic disease requiring care? :shakehead: :shakehead: :shakehead:
Its the kids I feel sorry for.

[Gliondrach]

They want a drug for every disease. And if there aren't enough disseases, they invent new ones.

[Soynut]

Thanks for posting this, Bow. Botox won't be an option for me whatever it's for cosmetic or medical purposes. I have actually had to consider botox for a medical problem, but I refused, it's gross on so many levels.

As for beauty, sunscreen works wonderfully to prevent wrinkles, and whatever is there is there... and if it gets too bad, I can always put a sheet over my head.:D

[Gliondrach]

Speaking as a wrinkleless person, I would say the best protection against sun damage is a hat. If the brim is wide enough you could carry your sandwiches on it.

[Soynut]

Oh, yeah, I use a hat too. If a sun umbrella didn't look so silly I would use that too... at least during the sunniest days. Those chinese (small made of paper) ones are actually cute.

I believe that exercise is effective against wrinkle too... it's something about blood circulation. My skin is so nice after the gym that no facial or botox could make it look like that. The glow goes away after a day or two, though, but I think it's good in the long run too.:flirt:

[Gliondrach]

Yes. Exercise is good for everything - mind, body and spirit. I know about these things.

[Bowwowmeow]

Only because Fuzzy keeps you informed. :fuzzy:

[Gliondrach]

And Professor N. Nagev.

[Gliondrach]

Acetaminophen may be linked to asthma in children and adults

Public release date: 5-Nov-2009

New research shows that the widely used pain reliever acetaminophen may be associated with an increased risk of asthma and wheezing in both children and adults exposed to the drug. Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, conducted a systematic review and metaanalysis of 19 clinical studies (total subjects=425,140) that compared the risk of asthma or wheezing with acetaminophen exposure.

The analysis showed that the pooled odds ratio (odds ratio for all studies combined) for asthma among users of acetaminophen was 1.63. The risk of asthma in children who used acetaminophen in the year prior to asthma diagnosis or in the first year of life was elevated to 1.60 and 1.47, respectively.

Furthermore, results showed a slight increase in the risk of asthma and wheezing with prenatal use of acetaminophen by mothers. Researchers speculate that acetaminophen's lack of inhibition of cyclooxygenase, the key enzyme involved in the inflammatory response of asthma, may be one explanation for the potential link between acetaminophen use and asthma.


This study is published in the November issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/acoc-amb110409.php

[Gliondrach]

This the beginning of a long article by the sourcewatch team. I like them. They report on the underhand tactics of big business.

Pharmaceutical industry.

According to IMS Health, a company which provides market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries; the estimated worldwide sales for prescription drugs was about $400 billion in 2002. Americans spent roughly 200 billion dollars on prescription drugs in 2002, accounting for approximately half of all sales world wide. Yet, as of 2006, the U.S. infant mortality rate ranked at 21st in the world (under Greece and South Korea and slightly higher than Poland). U.S. life expectancy ranked at number 17. [1] By 2008, IMS Health reported that sales for U.S. prescription drugs had reached $291 billion dollars a year. [2]

sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Pharmaceutical_industry#_ref-28

[Gliondrach]

German report casts doubt over Roche's Avastin -paper

Report questions effectiveness of cancer drug Avastin

ZURICH, May 3 (Reuters) - A new report in Germany has cast doubt over the effectiveness of Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding's (ROG.VX) cancer drug Avastin, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Monday.

The report, which was compiled by experts in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, has also been seen by the German medical association, prompting the body to also question how well the blockbuster works, the newspaper reported.

Germany's Federal Joint Committee of doctors and health insurers, which makes widely followed recommendations on drugs reimbursement, was also looking into the report and could consider taking Avastin off the list of drugs covered by health insurance, Handelsblatt said.

At 1027 GMT, the group's stock was trading 1.8 percent lower at 167.30 Swiss francs, underperforming a 0.5 percent fall in the European pharmaceuticals sector .SXDP.

A spokesman for Roche said he was unable to comment on the contents of the Baden-Wuerttemberg report as he had not yet seen it.

"Avastin in the last five years has proven survival benefits in multiple tumour types. It has been established as a backbone therapy in cancer. Over the past five years nearly 1,000 trials have been conducted," the spokesman said.

"Avastin also has a well-established tolerability profile. Over three-quarters of a million people have been treated with Avastin. All over the world regulatory bodies have decided to reimburse Avastin."

The drug, which starves tumours of blood supply and is a key weapon in the fight against colon, lung, breast and other cancers, is poised to become the world's top-selling medicine.

Avastin raked in sales of 6.2 billion Swiss francs ($5.73 billion) last year, making it Roche's biggest drug.

The report, issued by a panel of advisers to health insurers in Baden-Wuerttemberg, said follow-up studies since the drug was first approved in 2005 had not shown patients lived longer when taking the drug and that there was "significant toxicity", according to Handelsblatt.

"The limited additional use of the drug compared with other treatments is not in proportion with the monthly treatment cost of 5,000 euros ($6,660)," Peter Schwoerer, head of the grievance committee in Baden-Wuerttemberg was quoted by the newspaper as saying. (Reporting by Katie Reid; Editing by Mike Nesbit) ($1=1.082 Swiss franc) ($1=.7508 euros)

h-ttp://ww-w.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6420LM20100503?type=marketsNews

[Vinnie]

Sponsoring by the Pharmaceutical Industry Can Bias the Results of Drug Studies, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (May 7, 2010) — Drug studies financed by pharmaceutical companies frequently show positive results in favour of the sponsor.

In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107(16): 279-85), a research group headed by the Chairman of the Drug Commission of the German Medical Association, Prof. Wolf-Dieter Ludwig, describes the influence of sponsoring on the results, protocol and quality of drugs studies.

The authors conclude that pharmaceutical companies exploit a wide variety of possibilities of manipulating study results. Apart from financing the study, financial links to the authors, such as payments for lectures, may tend to make the results of the study more favourable for the company. Not only the results themselves, but also their interpretation, are significantly more often in accordance with the wishes of the sponsor.

In some publications, the authors detected evidence that sponsors from the pharmaceutical industry had influenced study protocols. For example, placebos were more frequently used in drug studies than was the case with independently financed studies. On the other hand, some favourable effects were linked to financial support from the pharmaceutical industry. The methodological quality of studies with industrial support tended to be better than with independent drug studies.

Deutsches Aerzteblatt International. "Sponsoring by the Pharmaceutical Industry Can Bias the Results of Drug Studies, Study Suggests." ScienceDaily 7 May 2010. 9 May 2010 <sciencedaily.com* /releases/2010/05/100507092335.htm>.

[Bowwowmeow]

I wonder why that possibility isn't blatantly obvious to all but unborn fetuses. :disbelief:

[Vinnie]

I've just seen lots of other cases like this in the Regular News part of this forum. Should it have been posted there? :o

[nagev]

Sponsoring by the Pharmaceutical Industry Can Bias the Results of Drug Studies, Study Suggests

I'm surprised more people can't see this. Or realize that the medical field isn't some completely saint-like and unbiased field.

[Gliondrach]

I've just seen lots of other cases like this in the Regular News part of this forum. Should it have been posted there? :o

It would be better if the things about drugs and the harmaceutical industry were posted in this thread. What idiot posted them there?

[Gliondrach]

I'm surprised more people can't see this. Or realize that the medical field isn't some completely saint-like and unbiased field.

Most people must believe the 'scientists'. Probably just like most believe that we need meat. Or pretend they believe it.

We vegans are free thinkers. :professor: :eat:

[Vinnie]

It would be better if the things about drugs and the harmaceutical industry were posted in this thread. What idiot posted them there?

You did. :rofl:

[Gliondrach]

:slappy:

On second thoughts, they fit in well there.

[Gliondrach]

Film in which Al Jazeera investigates fraud and corruption in the US pharmaceutical industry.

http://www.wimp.com/pharmaceuticalindustry/

[Bowwowmeow]

Ah that makes me so angry. But you know what? People probably very much like those harmed by drugs are probably the same people who might once have laughed at me and called me paranoid or crazy for mistrusting profit-based medicine. I feel sorry for them, but at some point each individual has an obligation to themselves to THINK for themselves, and not let television advertising do it for them. We treat doctors like priests and put them on pedestals for being superhuman when almost any one can learn and research and find out even more about how to take care of their health than a doctor has.

It's a real shame that it takes lawsuits and news stories to reveal what I have felt for decades. Profit based drug companies do not want to make people well. They want to keep them on a smorgasbord of prescriptions for as long as they live. I don't know why this isn't intuitively obvious to even the dumbest among us.

I used to hold doctors fairly blameless in this, Not so much anymore.

And the idea of putting children and teenagers on psychiatric drugs is obscene.

[Gliondrach]

Well said. I feel the same.

And the drug companies are always on the lookout for something that they can classify as a disease so they can sell a drug for it.

[Bowwowmeow]

Yes exactly. Hence all those "You may not even know you have this disease!" ads. And calling the state of being weaned "lactose intolerance". :disbelief:

[Gliondrach]

Not a prescription drug but still a potential danger,

Giving babies Calpol or other forms of paracetamol 'doubles the risk of them developing asthma and allergies'

By Sophie Borland

Babies given Calpol or other forms of paracetamol are twice as likely to develop asthma, research shows.

Those fed the medicines in the first 15 months of their life are also at much higher risk of suffering from allergies when they are older.

Researchers believe that the surge in childhood asthma in the last 50 years may be linked to increasing numbers of parents giving their children paracetamol for pain or fever relief.
A study found that babies who had Calpol or similar medicines in the first 15 months were twice as likely to have suffered wheezing and other symptoms of asthma by the time they were six.

They were also three times more at risk from having allergies such as hayfever, researchers in New Zealand found.

Since the 1950s childhood asthma has risen three-fold and around 1.1 million of the 5.4 million Britons suffering from the condition are children

Allergies are also on the rise and since 2001 the numbers of patients receiving treatment for some form of allergic reaction or intolerance has increased by 25 per cent.
Meanwhile the popularity of Calpol - whose main ingredient is paracetamol - has steadily increased in recent decades and it now occupies 50 per cent of the market of drugs taken for pain and fever relief.

Researchers at Otago University in Wellington studied 1,500 babies and young children up to the age of six in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Popular: Calpol is chosen half of the time an infant is given drugs for pain or fever
Their study, published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy found that 95 per cent of the children were given paracetamol - and were far more likely to suffer from asthma or allergies.
They cannot be sure why there appears to be a link but some experts believe paracetamol causes changes in children's body that make them more vulnerable to certain inflammations and allergies.

Professor Julian Crane, who led the study, said: 'The major finding is that children who used paracetamol before the age of 15 months (90 percent) were more than three times as likely to become sensitized to allergens and twice as likely to develop symptoms of asthma at six years old than children not using paracetamol,' Crane said in a statement.

'However, at present we don't know why this might be so. We need clinical trials to see whether these associations are causal or not, and to clarify the use of this common medication.'
But he added that the benefits of the drug by far outweigh the allergy risk, so parents should not stop giving it to their children.

Paracetamol is by far the most popular painkiller, having overtaken aspirin which fell out of favour due fear over its link to a potentially deadly condition known as Reyes Syndrome.
This latest study adds to growing evidence that paracatemol is somehow linked to an increased incidence of asthma.

Two years ago a major study published in the Lancet found that the drug increased the risk of wheezing amongst six and seven year olds by almost 50 per cent.

More than 5.4 million people in Briton suffer from asthma, of which 1.1 million are children.
Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK said: 'Several studies from around the world have suggested there may be a link between giving children paracetamol and an increase in their risk of asthma and other allergic conditions. However, they have not established that paracetamol causes asthma.

'We know that paracetamol is a safe and effective treatment for pain and fever if given according to the manufacturer's directions and at this stage we believe the benefits of using paracetamol far outweigh the potential risks.'

ht--tp://w--ww.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1334099/Paracetamol-given-infants-raise-risk-asthma-allergy.html#ixzz16nKw7TC2

[Bowwowmeow]

My parents never gave us anything for pain relief. Unless a kid has a serious injury requiring surgery I don't see the need personally. Pain is no fun, but it is part of a natural process, and causes no harm in itself.

I really don't understand the urge to medicate anyone under the age of 15 for anything but the most serious, immediately life threatening conditions. I am especially taken aback by the push to sell behavioral drugs to parents whose kids won't do their homework or make their beds. That is not a mental disease, it is typical childhood behavior.

[nagev]

My parents never gave us anything for pain relief. Unless a kid has a serious injury requiring surgery I don't see the need personally. Pain is no fun, but it is part of a natural process, and causes no harm in itself.

I really don't understand the urge to medicate anyone under the age of 15 for anything but the most serious, immediately life threatening conditions. I am especially taken aback by the push to sell behavioral drugs to parents whose kids won't do their homework or make their beds. That is not a mental disease, it is typical childhood behavior.

I agree. I was just reading reading a thread on VB about someone medicating their child for ADHD. I can understand the frustration, and wanting to do what is best for one's child but... :(

As a child I don't remember anything other than the occasional Dimetapp though and even to this day I don't go looking for pills to ease my discomfort.

Having said that, 'Pain is no fun, but it is part of a natural process, and causes no harm in itself. ' I'm not sure about. My migraines are no fun, and there sure are times I want to be gone from the world. I think it's the emotion and mental stress that kind of pain causes me. :( I have tried over the counter medications as well as been to the doctor's office in tears because I couldn't take it anymore. So far what I've been given never helped.

[Gliondrach]

That sounds nasty, Nagev. What have you tried for relief?

[nagev]

At first I tried modifying my diet, omitting potentially migraine causing foods. Sometimes it seemed like it almost helped, but mostly not. I have tried the various over the counter medications. At some of the worse times, I was getting migraines for a couple days, have a day of relief and back again, so most of a week would be like that for weeks on end. I've tried supplements and herbs and the combinations targeted for migraine sufferers (magnesium, feverfew, butterbur, etc). Stretching, yoga-like activities, weight lifting and targeting neck and back muscles.

At my more desperate times I end up seeking a doctor. Usually want happens is that they take x-rays, tell me it's stress (which I don't think there's a correlation, because I've been stressed before, often and have no headaches at all) give me muscle relaxants and tell me to go home. I'm really sensitive to that kind of stuff though, and the first time I took a muscle relaxant, it said to take one or two with every meal. I took one and was in and out of sleep for two days almost non-stop (mostly it was up to grab something to eat in my cupboards or going to the bathroom). It involved a lot of tossing and turning and really just made me super groggy, but still with a migraine. It wasn't until the third day I could get up and be someone alive to the world and then the forth it was wearing off. :(

I've tried a few others, but they upset my stomach and typically don't do much. Sometimes, I do get relief though.

I know at least a few triggers, like not eating enough as well as intense cardiovascular workouts (as in I've tried activities where I'm running around a lot, like racket ball or soccer and I always get headaches), as well as certain chemicals (I've worked construction and wood flooring refinishing and installing and some glues or some houses with new pain, carpet, vinyl flooring, etc the off gassing has given me a migraine within a minute of smelling it or within an hour of being in some of those houses). I haven't noticed a correlation with any particular food, but then I haven't systematically gone through them all. I've done more common ones, but not gluten for instance.

Last round that I went to the doctor's was about 7 or 8 years ago. After several thousands of dollars later, I still had no answers and was chewed out by a doctor and a nurse, was told by one that it was all in my head and eventually was directed to an on campus psychiatrist (I was still attempting grad-school). After a couple sessions he told me I was manic depressive (I was also having back pain at the time) and that my pain was "a physical manifestation of my mental disposition" and wanted to put me on some drugs where I had to have regular blood work and if I wanted to stop I had to be weened off and couldn't just stop. That's the last I've been to see a doctor about it. I guess I might have better luck if I went to a specialist, but I think at the time, I had insurance through my university and so had to be referred from them or the insurance wouldn't cover anything and they wouldn't refer me.

College was a bit of a struggle, but grad school was even more so with my migraines. They had a big effect on me not finishing grad school (which came down to two courses that I tried to take several times and withdrew each time as well as finishing my thesis).

Now I work from home (and so can make my own hours) as well as have a really flexible job and understanding bosses so they have no problems with me taking any days off that I need even me calling that morning.

I guess in short, I haven't tried many of the drugs (that can be prescribed by a doctor) targeted specifically for migraine sufferers (nor can I remember the names of any of them) nor have I seen a specialist. I'd really just like a 'why it happens' answered so I can hopefully avoid it or change my lifestyle or something rather than to rely on drugs. Mostly I try to cope and when they start I avoid the world, try hot or cold packs and showers (they provide sometimes minor relief).

Sorry for the long story. I've been doing alright, but then about three months ago, I had a two month long spell of getting one or two a week. Luckily I haven't had one in the last 3 or 4 weeks. I get frustrated by it, and it's terribly upsetting and I've been worried that it'll start again, especially since I've been going up trying to help my parents get stuff done (due to my father's recent fall from a ladder), my house construction (I haven't finished all of my ceiling wood work and a few other projects), plus I had a sudden pile up of Physics work and last minute 'before the snow is too deep' project for the creek restoration work.

[Gliondrach]

That sounds really nasty. It seems like you have a lot on your plate just now. I hope that doesn't cause you too much stress. I was reading that some volatile scents can set it off so that probably explains the paint. And the intense exercise could explain part of it too, with changes in blood flow. Have you tried just relaxing on a regular basis - not meditation, just relaxing and breathing slowly?

In Green Pharmacy, by James Duke the former head of the Medicinal Plant Resources Laboratory of the USDA, he says that migraines are thought to be caused by the release of serotonin. He recommends bay leaf (Laurus nobilis) because it contains a compound that inhibits the release of serotonin. I looked on pubmed to see if there are any medical studies using this for migraine but didn't find any. Drugs called triptans - which bind to serotonin receptors - are used for some migraines. It might be worth cooking with bay leaves.

He and others recommend feverfew. I know that some people eat the leaves in sandwiches - because the leaves on their own can irritate the mouth. Or they take capsules.

Have you tried homeopathy, supposing you believe in it?

[nagev]

I do use bay leaves in my cooking, but only once or twice a week. I have tried feverfew, in leaf, capsule, and processed pill form. :shrug: I don't notice a correlation.

I have tried relaxing techniques, as well as meditation. I don't notice a correlation either. I worry about the stress, not because of a correlation that I've found (between stress and migraines), but because it's more stressful and upsetting to me when I'm stressed and get migraines.

I have tried some homeopathy, but it's a big category. Certain forms of it I don't think are supported by empirical evidence, but that doesn't mean it's all bunk. :)

I've made journals, recorded food, what I did, what I took. I don't see a correlation other than the few I mentioned. Oh, also sometimes my allergies (hay fever) seem to trigger a migraine. I don't notice anything related to my mood or what I eat, other than sometimes certain B vitamins (I can't remember which) when I take too many will trigger a migraine. I noticed a correlation with some multivitamins and then some B complex vitamins before.

I've read a lot on migraines and after awhile it's all blends together or is confusing and contradictory. I think there are a lot of hypotheses, but it's not clear. Some people react well to certain medications or herbs, other don't. So I'm open to what might work as well as if I try it and it works, then great.

[Gliondrach]

I think for homeopathy to work, it has to be personalised and not just something off the shelf.

I've heard of weekend migraine, which is thought to be caused by feeling stressed during the working week and then relaxing at the weekend. This is supposed to result in relaxation of the blood vessels leading to the brain and a headache caused by the extra blood flow.

What about visualisation? People have increased their strength and muscle size simply by imagining it. There are studies about it. So, imagining something in your brain might help you. Perhaps something being relaxed - such as a rope. Or some protective barrier. Or some work gang repairing something. It sounds daft but it has worked for some people for some things.

[nagev]

I have also seen three different chiropractors (with different techniques) as well as tried massages.

So I'll share something that has been on my mind that I haven't really talked about with other people (I briefly brought it up to my parents). I've been thinking about going to see a doctor again. After my father recently fell he was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (also known as bamboo spine). Basically it's a type of arthritis that primarily affects spine and parts of the pelvis, where eventually the spine can fuse (not that it will, but that it can).

Anyways, I read some of the stuff with my father and it sounds familiar. I started having back pain when I started college (around 19) and that's also when my migraines started. I do sometimes notice a correlation when my back pain flares up and migraines, and I had initially treated it as muscle tension and stress (or carrying a back pack or slouching or sitting, that kind of stuff). The doctors did too. Although what the prescribed never helped and if anything made things worse. It seems to be more than that. I remember some x-rays as well as my MRI about some calcium deposits on my spine, but each time they were dismissed (I remember bringing it up with doctors as well as two chiropractors a few times).

When I read about it, it states that it's more common in males and symptoms appear between ages 20-40. Often on flare ups, I'm really bothered at night and it wakes me, so I've slept before sitting (or tried to sleep), with activity and sometimes showers helping my back, which that kind of activity is a symptom. There's a genetic component too so it can be heredity. It's often misdiagnosed in earlier stages as simple back problems

I've thought about seeing a doctor to see if I have this, but I really hate going to doctors and this would be the first time I've gone asking if I have something specific and I don't want to be dismissed as a hypochondriac or go through a lot of stuff I've done before.

---

ETA: I don't have a normal work week, as my creek restoration work is now seasonal (although we're doing a little bit into the winter) as well as I only do it 2 or 3 times a week. My Physics consulting job is irregular and I just fit it into my schedule when I can. Perhaps that weekend migraine might have been something in the past when I had regular work weeks (although not really when I was a student, since I had class and when I didn't have class I worked). So I'm not sure about that.

As for visualization, I have done a lot of that, and not just relating to my migraines. When I was younger I believed that belief could do a lot. I guess based on my experience, other than some placebo, I don't put much faith in belief.

[Bowwowmeow]

Having said that, 'Pain is no fun, but it is part of a natural process, and causes no harm in itself. ' I'm not sure about. My migraines are no fun, and there sure are times I want to be gone from the world. I think it's the emotion and mental stress that kind of pain causes me. :( I have tried over the counter medications as well as been to the doctor's office in tears because I couldn't take it anymore. So far what I've been given never helped.
I'm sorry about that nagev. I really meant that pain isn't what causes injury or infection, it is a sign that there is something wrong somewhere, and merely covering up pain won't get at the cause.

I used to suffer from migraines til I spent 6 months on an anti-candida diet. I had other problems, and had no idea the migraines would also go away, but they did. It is a very restrictive diet to be on when one is vegan. I do now eat the same things I ate before the candida, but my migraines have not returned. I can still get a headache due to a change in the weather, or my monthly cycle, but they are nothing compared to the migraines of the past. I can usually banish them with caffeine now, and need no pain killing medicine.

[Gliondrach]

If your father has ankylosing spondylitis and it can be heriditary it would be a good idea to get it checked. Anything that can affect the spine can have an effect on any part of the body.

If you don't believe in belief, trying to believe could cause more problems. But this type of visualisation is more than belief, I believe. I think it can affect the genes or at least the cells. At the very least it is another form of relaxation but one with a directed goal and a concentration on part of the body. Often, just concentrating on a part of the body can increase blood flow to it - not as much as exercise that might cause too much - and nutrients. But, if it could cause mental conflicts, it is probably better to stay away from it. Especially if you do visualization instead of visualisation.

[nagev]

I'm sorry about that nagev. I really meant that pain isn't what causes injury or infection, it is a sign that there is something wrong somewhere, and merely covering up pain won't get at the cause.

Ahh. Then I completely agree. :)

I used to suffer from migraines til I spent 6 months on an anti-candida diet. I had other problems, and had no idea the migraines would also go away, but they did. It is a very restrictive diet to be on when one is vegan. I do now eat the same things I ate before the candida, but my migraines have not returned. I can still get a headache due to a change in the weather, or my monthly cycle, but they are nothing compared to the migraines of the past. I can usually banish them with caffeine now, and need no pain killing medicine.

That's great.

I don't really know anything about candida. I know you've mentioned it before and I remember reading about it, but I think I forget more than I'm able to read. :D

[Bowwowmeow]

I am always willing to experiment on myself and will try almost anything that doesn't sound completely wacko, like psychic surgery. I often try several different things at the same time, so I never know which one actually worked, but I have had great success healing my gall bladder without surgery. I would have to say I would prefer the migraines I used to get over those attacks. They were truly agonizing, and I feared I would have no choice but to get it removed. The only thing I've ever had that was worse was the shingles. I had them on my face, inside my mouth and teeth, and even on my eyeball. That was horrific. :(

[nagev]

If you don't believe in belief, trying to believe could cause more problems.

I wasn't trying to believe in belief, I really did think reality and my body would bend to my thoughts. :shrug:

But this type of visualisation is more than belief, I believe. I think it can affect the genes or at least the cells. At the very least it is another form of relaxation but one with a directed goal and a concentration on part of the body. Often, just concentrating on a part of the body can increase blood flow to it - not as much as exercise that might cause too much - and nutrients. But, if it could cause mental conflicts, it is probably better to stay away from it.

As a child I was really good at slowing (or increasing) my breathing and heart rate even after strenuous exercise. I also didn't have much problem with pain when I felt like I got the hang of it (some kind of mental focusing and stuff, I can't put it into words very well). I also healed fast (and seemed faster than other people), which at the time I took as indication that I could really focus my body. Maybe all that took it's toll...

Especially if you do visualization instead of visualisation.

:p

[nagev]

I am always willing to experiment on myself and will try almost anything that doesn't sound completely wacko, like psychic surgery. I often try several different things at the same time, so I never know which one actually worked, but I have had great success healing my gall bladder without surgery. I would have to say I would prefer the migraines I used to get over those attacks. They were truly agonizing, and I feared I would have no choice but to get it removed. The only thing I've ever had that was worse was the shingles. I had them on my face, inside my mouth and teeth, and even on my eyeball. That was horrific. :(

That's great about the gall bladder, but not so good about the rest. :(

[Gliondrach]

A fairly small risk but still dangerous.

Analysis shows heart and stroke risk of pain drugs

Common painkillers such as ibuprofen and diclofenac as well as branded pain drugs from Pfizer Inc, Merck & Co Inc and Novartis AG can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, a review found on Wednesday.

Scientists from Bern University in Switzerland analysed data from 31 trials involving more than 116,000 patients taking either naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, Pfizer's Celebrex, or celecoxib, Merck's Arcoxia, or etoricoxib, Merck's Vioxx, or rofecoxib, Novartis' Prexige, or lumiracoxib, or a placebo, to try to give an estimate of the heart risks of such medicines.

The drugs studied included traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) as well as new generation anti-inflammatory medicines known as COX-2 inhibitors.

While the absolute risk of cardiovascular problems among people taking painkillers was low, the researchers found that relative to placebo the drugs did carry "important risks."

Reporting their findings in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on Wednesday, the scientists said that compared with a placebo or dummy pill, rofecoxib and lumiracoxib were associated with twice the risk of heart attack, while ibuprofen was associated with more than three times the risk of stroke.

Merck's Arcoxia and the generic drug diclofenac were linked with around four times the risk of cardiovascular death.

"Although uncertainty remains, little evidence exists to suggest that any of the investigated drugs are safe in cardiovascular terms," said Peter Juni of Bern University's Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, who led the study.

WIDELY USED

Overall, the number of heart attacks and strokes reported was low compared with the large number of patients. Data from 29 of the trials showed there were 554 heart attacks in total, and stroke data from 26 trials showed there were 377 strokes. Death figures were available from 28 trials and showed a total of 676.

But Juni said the findings suggested doctors should ensure they take potential cardiovascular risk into account when prescribing painkillers.

Anti-inflammatory drugs are widely used to manage pain in patients with osteoarthritis and other painful conditions. In 2004, Vioxx, a COX-2 inhibitor, was withdrawn from the market after a trial showed it increased the risk of heart disease.

The researchers said that since then, there has been much debate about the heart safety of COX-2 inhibitors and NSAIDs, but various studies have failed to give clear results.

After analysing data from the 31 trials, the Swiss team said that in general naproxen seemed to be the safest painkiller for patients with osteoarthritis, but this advantage should be weighed against potential side effects including possible stomach problems. An alternative could be Celebrex, they said, as long it was a 400 milligram dose given only once a day.

Commenting on the findings, Simon Maxwell, a professor of clinical pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh, said it was important to see them in context.

"Most users of these drugs will only take them for a relatively brief duration to treat short-lasting episodes of pain and are at minimal risk," he said in an e-mailed comment.

He added that patients with chronic pain may need to use painkillers for longer periods and while the study suggested they might be exposed to some excess risk, the alternatives "may be less acceptable."

(Editing by David Holmes)

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[Gliondrach]

Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2009 Mar 15;29(6):677-87.

Quantifying the 'hidden' lactose in drugs used for the treatment of gastrointestinal conditions.

Eadala P, Waud JP, Matthews SB, Green JT, Campbell AK.
SourceDepartment of Gastroenterology, Llandough Hospital, Cardiff CF642XX, UK. peadala(AT)hotmail.com

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Lactose intolerance affects 70% of the world population and may result in abdominal and systemic symptoms. Treatment focuses predominantly on the dietary restriction of food products containing lactose. Lactose is the most common form of excipient used in drug formulations and may be overlooked when advising these patients.
AIM: To identify and quantify the amount of lactose in medications used for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders and to identify 'lactose-free' preparations.

METHODS: Medications used for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders were identified from the British National Formulary (BNF). Their formulation including excipients was obtained from the Medicines Compendium. The lactose content and quantity in selected medications was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

RESULTS: A wide range of medications prescribed for the treatment of gastrointestinal conditions contain lactose. We have quantified the lactose content in a selection of medications using HPLC. Lactose is present in amounts that may contribute towards symptoms. Lactose-free alternatives were also identified.

CONCLUSIONS: Lactose is present in a range of medications and may contribute towards symptoms. This may not be recognized by the prescribing doctor as excipients are not listed in the BNF, and the quantity of lactose is not listed on the label or in the accompanying manufacturer's leaflet.

Comment in
Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Apr;31(8):924-5; author reply 925-6.
Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Jun 1;29(11):1212; author reply 1213.

PMID: 19035974