Toyota Recalls for Idiots

February 3rd, 2010. By AbiK

“Dummies” was already taken so I’m going with “Idiots” (no trademark infringement!). But the Toyota recall—actually make that plural: recalls—needs a down and dirty IKEA-type schematic for anyone to get what the hell is going on.

Why I Need an Idiot Guide to the Toyota Recall

See, this morning, I was tracking the latest info on the Toyota Prius. For the brakes. According to reports, at least 100 complaints have flowed into the NHTSA. About potentially poorly performing brakes. Oh, but wait a minute—didn’t we just see “Prius” listed somewhere on a recall list?

Yes! We did! That was when the Prius was recalled for risk of “floor mat entrapment of accelerator pedals”—but not for sticking accelerator pedals. Are you with me? And that’s on 2004-2009 Prius models.

Now, if we’re talking the Toyota Camry, the recalls are for the 2007-2010 models—BUT Camry Hybrids are not included in that. And if you’re Camry has a VIN that starts with lucky “J”—you’ve won a mini lottery—YOUR Camry isn’t in the sticking accelerator pedal recall. BUT otherwise (lucky “J” folks stay alert here) ALL Camry’s from 2007-2010 are part of both the floor mat recall and the sticking accelerator pedal recall.

See my confusion? So rather than go on here and try to sort out all the other models, let’s skip over to what you’re supposed to do if you have, say, a 2007-2010 Camry without a “J” VIN.

Why I Need an Idiot Guide to the Toyota Recall Remedy

Well, first up, the floor mat recall. Toyota says you’re supposed to take out any removable driver’s floor mat and not replace it with any other floor mat until you receive the vehicle-based remedy. Sounds pretty simple. Then Read the rest of this entry »

The Research on Reglan

February 3rd, 2010. By janem

Sixteen years ago, the Health Research Group of Public Citizen published a report in its Worst Pills, Best Pills News regarding the heartburn drug Reglan and the link to tardive dyskinesia-often an incurable and irreversible disorder. But the FDA didn’t slap a black box warning on this treatment for heartburn until last February, 2009. Talk about closing the barn door after the horse has bolted…

When you consider how many people are prescribed Reglan–dispensed 6.5 million times in 2008–it’s mind-boggling that the FDA didn’t act sooner.

My friend suffers from tardive dyskinesia and it’s not a pretty sight. His eye is constantly twitching and he can barely control his jaw when he’s talking-like he’s grimacing all the time. Some people think he has Parkinson’s disease. Because of this disorder, he lost a job in retail and now works as a line cook in a chain restaurant-a job that doesn’t suit him.

My friend is 50. He doesn’t know how he got this disorder and neither does his doctor, but he does remember taking a med for heartburn years ago…

The FDA approved metoclopramide, the generic name, way back in June 1985. I wonder how many people have tardive dyskinesia and took Reglan years ago and haven’t connected the dots?

This is how Reglan works: it stimulates the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract including the muscles of the lower esophageal sphincter, stomach, and small intestine . That in turn stimulates more rapid emptying of the stomach as well as decreasing the reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus. Some patients, particularly those with diabetes, have nerve damage in the stomach and that causes delayed emptying of the stomach, resulting in heartburn and other symptoms.

I’d take heartburn over tardive dyskinesia any time. Or take another drug for heartburn!

Getting back to Public Citizen, I’m a big fan. When my doctor prescribes a new med, Worst Pills, Best Pills is my bible. You can subscribe to their website and get more current news than the FDA provides, or biased information from the drug companies.

And what about your doctor? Most of us trust our physicians to prescribe the right meds and think it unfathomable that we could be given a harmful drug. Yesterday I asked health expert Judy Norsigian of Our Bodies Ourselves to shed some light on the doctor dilemma with drugs.

She told me that many doctors don’t keep track of the latest findings and what happens with post-marketing surveillance. “Reports from the medical community usually become one of the key ways we find out about low level effects of any drugs, and not all the information from clinical trials, because there are not enough [people] involved in the trials to collect data,” Norsigian explained. ” And doctors are not always paying attention, so they aren’t even aware that there is a problem…”

All the more reason to do your own research, both online and by talking to your doctor and pharmacist about possible side effects. Another great source is the online Physicians’ Desk Reference. Just keep in mind that you can’t rely on the FDA (the “Foot Dragging Administration” as columnist Herb Denenberg calls it) to protect you.

But Occifer, it’s Magic! And so it’s Tortelicious…

February 3rd, 2010. By LucyC

Welcome to Totally Tortelicious—a review of some of the more bizarre lawsuits making news. Goodness knows there’s no shortage of them. 

I’ll have what he’s having…A 49 year-old Oregon man is suing Idaho police for $25,000 alleging that they destroyed the mystical powers of a medicine bag he had with him, when the police opened it during his arrest for drunken driving. Apparently, the bag had been blessed by a medicine woman in 1995 and had remained closed ever since. (I’m not sure I’d want to open it after all that time…) The bag was supposed to provide him with protection. Personally, I’d be suing the medicine woman for providing a defective product. 

So this fellow was pulled over while riding his Harley, and apparently blew a blood alcohol level of 0.16. FYI—0.08 is legally drunk, and 0.16—according to generally accepted guidelines established by Radford University in 1996—is associated with “Emotional instability; loss of critical judgment, impairment of perception, memory and comprehension, decreased senses; prolonged reaction time…etc. In this case, I would add delusional to that list…Speaking of which, what is his lawyer drinking? 

Polly Want a Chocolate? A 19-year old Scottish man was sentenced to a weekend in the clanger, and ordered to buy his grandmother a box of chocolates as an apology for threatening his gran’s parrot. 

Stefan McKinsely apparently attacked the parrot’s cage because, he said, it was interrupting his sleep. His gran tells a different story, however, claiming that her grandson was intoxicated. She did the right thing and called the police at the sociable hour of 2:34 in the morning. No wonder the parrot was pissed. 

In fact, he’s probably, the only creature who actually did know what was going on and decided to sing… (Ok. That was bad…) 

Curb Your Enthusiasm…A woman who was getting into the spirit of Jefferson’s birthday, albeit in her own way—dancing away to tunes on her headphones at the  Jefferson memorial—was arrested for her show of enthusiasm. 

Mary Oberwetter was part of a group of 17 people who were dancing, silently, around midnight on April 12, 2008 at the memorial when they were told to stop by a National Park Service officer. She was charged, but the charges, goodness only knows what they were, were dropped. 

But Mary sued the Park Service, claiming that her rights to free expression had been violated. Not so, according to a US district judge, who said that the memorial is not a public forum where people can dance—no matter how quietly.   

I have to admit  if I wanted to go out dancing, the Jefferson Memorial would not be my first pick, I don’t think it’s licensed…

Zyprexa – Making Lemonade out of Lemons

February 1st, 2010. By LucyC

You may recall a study that hit the news last October, published in JAMA, on the use of four new generation antipsychotics—Zyprexa, Risperdal, Abilify and Seroquel—used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder in adults and adolescents. Long story short—it was not a good news story for the kids on these drugs, and most especially kids on Zyprexa.

Why not? Weight gain, increases in triglyceride levels and associated risks for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

The average weight gain over the 12 week study period was the highest for Zyprexa—17 pounds. You’d be hard pressed to gain that kind of weight sport-eating your way through the holidays… 

Suffice to say an editorial in JAMA called the study results “timely and sobering,” suggesting that the new generation of antipsychotics are not all they’re cracked up to be. “These results challenge the widespread use of atypical antipsychotic medications in youth,” University of Washington, Seattle child psychiatrists Christopher K. Varley and Jon McClellan wrote. 

Well, maybe not. On January 29^th, nearly three months after the study was published, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to doctors regarding prescribing information for Zyprexa, but it’s not exactly strong…here’s part of the FDA Safety warning: 

“Section 1, Indications and Usage: When deciding among the alternative treatments available for adolescents, Read the rest of this entry »

Asbestos News Roundup: 1.28.10

January 28th, 2010. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of.

Asbestos Lawsuits

St. Clair, IL: Leonore Hall has filed an asbestos lawsuit on behalf of her father, Leon Hanger, who recently died from asbestos lung disease. She has named 43 companies as defendants, alleging that her father’s fatal illness was caused from exposure to inhaled, ingested or otherwise absorbed asbestos fibers, and therefore his death was wrongfully caused. 

Hanger worked in the US Air Force from 1949 until 1953. From 1953 to 1986 he worked as a manufacturing mechanical foreman. 

Leonore is seeking economic damages of more than $150,000, compensatory damages of more than $100,000 and punitive and exemplary damages in excess of $50,000. (St. Clair Record)

St. Clair, IL:Thirty seven companies have been named in an asbestos lawsuit filed by Clara Conley on behalf of her husband, Albert Conley, who recently died from asbestos mesothelioma. 

Clara claims that Albert’s death was wrongfully caused, because he was exposed to asbestos through his work as a machinist at Paper Ball from 1955 to 1956, as a printer at Beaumont Enterprise and Journal from 1956 until 1957, as an aviation machinist mate in the US Navy from 1957 until 1977, and as a self-employed salesman from 1977 until 2007.

In her lawsuit, Clara claims that Albert incurred substantial medical costs as a result of the disease, as well as experiencing great physical pain and mental anguish. (St. Clair Record)

Asbestos Hot Spots

Martinsburg, CA:  The Dunn Building at 400 W. Stephen St, which houses several Berkeley County government Read the rest of this entry »