Drugs/Medical Archive

ADHD Depakote & Clonidine Cocktail Settlement: No Cheers Heard

January 27th, 2011. By LucyC

Remember Rebecca Riley? The four-year old who died of a clonidine overdose at the hands of her parents, Michael and Carolyn Riley, on December 13, 2006? This utterly tragic cautionary tale reached its final conclusion this week, with the announcement of a $2.5 million settlement to be paid by the Tufts Medical Center psychiatrist Dr. Kayoko Kifuji, who prescribed the clonidine and depakote cocktail as treatment for Rebecca’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder. Most settlement announcements can have an air of the bittersweet coupled with a sense of vindication—but in this case, the settlement was for a cocktail that would never be followed by a “cheers!” from anyone—so there is only the sense of sadness all around.

When this case broke, Dr. Kifuji’s role ignited quite a controversy around her having prescribed these drugs in the first place. Clonidine is a high blood pressure medication that can be used as a sedative in children—for ADHD. Depakote was prescribed for bipolar disorder—it is an anti-convulsant also known as valproate semisodium or divalproex sodium. 

According to the state medical examiner in Massachusetts, the four-year-old girl’s death at her family home was indeed the result of a drug overdose. Dr. Elizabeth Bundock, who served as the deputy chief medical officer in Vermont, concluded in her autopsy that Rebecca died from intoxication after being administered a combination of clonidine, Depakote and two over-the-counter cold and cough medications. Bundock testified during the trial that the drugs affected Rebecca’s brain, heart and lungs, leading to “a pump failure of the heart,” overworked lungs filled with bloody fluid, coma and death. 

In 2007, the father, Michael Riley, and mother Carolyn Riley were charged with first and second degree murder respectively. They were found guilty. During those trials, in the summer of 2009, Dr. Kifuji was cleared of the criminal charges. Consequently, she had her medical licence reinstated and she returned to her practice at Tufts. 

Dr. Kifuji had voluntarily surrendered her medical licence in 2007—when the Riley’s were Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ADHD, depakote, Rebecca Riley
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 4 Comments »

Deadly Medicine, Even More Deadly Oversight…by the FDA

January 26th, 2011. By Hunter West

Anyone with any misgivings about the state of the Drug Union in this country and the role the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays—or doesn’t—would not want to pick up a copy of the January issue of Vanity Fair in their doctor’s office.

Especially if their doctor is about to prescribe yet another drug…

In ‘Deadly Medicine,’ writers Donald Barlett and James Steele reveal troubling aspects of the prescription drug culture in America.

In sum, it is estimated that prescription drugs kill more than 200,000 Americans each year. That figure is based on information from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices that identified 19,551 people who died as a direct result from a prescription medication.

That, in itself is a huge number. However, according to Vanity Fair that figure is low, given the widely held belief that only about 10 percent of such deaths are ever reported. Thus, a ‘conservative’ estimate would be 200,000 deaths a year from drugs that the FDA considers, according to its mandate, as safe and effective and whose benefits outweigh the risks.

When compared against other maladies and behaviors that are known to have life-ending outcomes, that’s three times the number of people who die from diabetes, and four times the number who succumb to kidney disease. Prescription drugs claim more lives than heroin and cocaine. Fewer people die each year in car accidents in America, than those whose lives are cut short from a drug written to their care by a physician.

It gets better…

Clinical trials are moving offshore, where regulatory authority is lax and drug companies have greater control over the outcomes than they otherwise might on US soil.

By the numbers, the Department of Health and Human Services reported 271 clinical trials Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Big Pharma, Clinical Trials, FDA
Posted in Drugs/Medical | No Comments »

Been Floxed by Levaquin or Cipro? Maybe Fleeced, too…

January 24th, 2011. By AbiK

Floxed. Sounds so innocuous—or at least like some casually tossed remark about the previous night’s escapades—as in “yeah, I got really floxed up last night”. But to the victims who have come to add the word “floxed” to their everyday vocabulary—and who are a part of the been-floxed wall of photos (aka, Wall of Pain, see pic) on the Facebook page, Fibroquins Levaquin—”floxed” is insiders’ jargon for having gone through serious adverse side effects from taking a fluoroquinolone drug. Getting floxed, therefore, isn’t like picking up a mayor badge over at foursquare—it’s more like a badge of camaraderie that ties fluoroquinolone victims together—better not to have it.

Fluoroquinolones are part of a class of antibiotic drugs—i.e., drugs typically prescribed to treat bacterial infections such as urinary tract infections (UTI), ear infections, bronchitis, inflammation of the prostate, typhoid fever, salmonella, chlamydia, pneumonia, etc…so chances are, either you or someone you know has been prescribed a fluoroquinolone at some point. Fluoroquinolones are more commonly known by some of the brand names that get prescribed: Levaquin, Cipro, Floxin, Avelox, Noroxin, Tequin.

So what is getting floxed all about? How do you know if you’ve been floxed?

In 2008, the FDA added a black box warning to Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox and all fluoroquinolone-class drugs. The black box warning is for risk of tendon rupture and tendinitis—the FDA alert (7/8/2008) stated:

Fluoroquinolones are associated with an increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture. This risk is further increased in those over age 60, in kidney, heart, and lung transplant recipients, and with use of concomitant steroid therapy. Physicians should advise patients, at the first sign of tendon pain, swelling, or inflammation, to stop taking the fluoroquinolone, to avoid exercise and use of the affected area, and to promptly contact their doctor about changing to a non-fluoroquinolone antimicrobial drug.

The Levaquin stories we hear at LawyersandSettlements.com are real and heart-breaking—and for those who have been floxed, they are life-altering—and not in a good way. The victims who’ve started to band together on Facebook share their stories of lives shattered and forever changed: cane-assisted walking, wheelchairs, numbness, burning sensations, cramps and worse.

And those who’ve been floxed are angry—at the FDA, at their doctors, at the pharmaceutical companies. Sure, they can try to file a lawsuit against Levaquin or Cipro—that’s what I’d be doing—but doing so won’t bring back their lives. And as such, one can only wonder if getting floxed is really akin to getting fleeced.

Tags: Avelox, avelox-antibiotic-tendon-rupture, Cipro, Levaquin
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | 95 Comments »

Time to Wake up to “Awake” Cosmetic Procedures

January 21st, 2011. By LucyC

It’s that time of year when everyone—well almost everyone—thinks about losing weight and getting in shape. Gym memberships go nuclear as do memberships to organizations like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig. All good. But there’s also some not so good.

One trend—that sounds too good to be true—is “Awake Procedures.” According to a report on MSNBC.com, bargain prices are being offered on cosmetic procedures such as breast augmentation and liposuction without general anesthetic—and apparently without an anesthesiologist, or even a qualified plastic surgeon.

The procedures, such as Awake Liposcuplture and Awake Abdominoplasty, are aimed at women who are afraid of having or don’t want a general anesthetic, who want to remain in control during the procedure (?), or who don’t want to go to a hospital. Here’s a blurb from a website offering information about Awake Liposculpture:

“Because liposculpture is generally performed under local anesthesia, it is an outpatient procedure that can be performed in a short 1-2 hours in the comfort of the liposculpture surgeon’s office or clinic.”

Sounds comfortable, safe, private, non-threatening…but what if things don’t go according to plan? Let’s take breast augmentation for example. In the piece on MSNBC, Dr. McGuire, M.D., a director of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, cites numerous potentially life-threatening complications that could occur during the procedure “including blocked airways, blood pressure changes or collapsed lungs.” The most invasive procedure, full tummy tucks—presents even Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Awake Breast Augmentation, Awake Liposuction, Cosmetic Procedures
Posted in Consumer Fraud, Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | 1 Comment »

Does your Town Need a Disclaimer as a Defense?

January 16th, 2011. By Hunter West

Imagine, driving down a highway enroute to a major city and encountering the ‘Welcome’ sign that often heralds a municipality’s singular asset, or slogan. “Welcome to Anytown: the Friendly City,” or for that matter ‘You Are Entering the Sunshine State…” 

Well how about this… 

“Welcome to Anytown. Our Smog Can Kill You. Wear a Mask. Stay Indoors, Shut the Windows and Have a Nice Day.” 

Or, 

“Welcome to Anyville. You’ve Been Warned…” 

A study appeared last week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that warns against the possibility of adverse effects for healthy people living in, or within close proximity to air pollution. 

Specifically, the impact air pollution may have on heart arrhythmias that could lead to sudden death. 

The possibility that dirty air could prove a problem for people with heart conditions has been debated for some time. But this is something new, because now we are talking about healthy people, with relatively healthy hearts. 

The small study found that air pollution could interfere with the heart’s inherent capacity to reset its electrical properties in an orderly manner, according to the researchers involved. That can lead to arrhythmias—which can cause sudden death in certain individuals. 

Mind you, the study was small—just 25 participants. However, this is the first time that concern Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Air Pollution, Heart Arrhythmias
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Environment | No Comments »