This story illustrates the issues described in Polypharmacy: when is enough, enough? It also illustrates how important the voice of the patients and, when they can’t advocate for themselves, their family. The experience of this family has motivated Johanna Trimble to become an advocate to help others avoid a similar situation. We hope stories like this family’s and tools like … [Read more...] about Is Your Mom on Drugs? Ours was and here’s what we did about it.
Memory
The Strange History of Lariam
Editorial Note: This is the second part of a Lariam Odyssey by Dr Sam Ramsay Smith. The first part ran last week - Lariam Hell. Like most good stories this one involves expediency, hegemony, immorality, greed and even scientific bias, blindness and dishonesty all in the quest for power and money at the national and international levels. At the personal level there is a range … [Read more...] about The Strange History of Lariam
Lariam Hell
Editorial Note: This post and the following one on the strange story of the Birth of Lariam come from Dr Sam Ramsay-Smith who has some questions he wants answered. In October, ‘The Independent’ printed the news that the US Armed Forces had banned the use of the anti-malarial drug mefloquine, otherwise known as Lariam. To many this may mean little or nothing, but to quite a few … [Read more...] about Lariam Hell
Nearly Invisible: Drug Traffic Accidents
Editorial Note: Many years ago, Moyra Peralta lost her eldest son in a Road Traffic Accident. As she put it, she flipped out. She spent several years afterwards working with homeless people on the streets of London. Out of this she created an extraordinary "book", Nearly Invisible - see Worldly Goods - covering lives lived on the street. Nearly Invisible is about the … [Read more...] about Nearly Invisible: Drug Traffic Accidents
Amnesia on Statins
Editorial Note: This is a third post on Statins. The first two were Birth of a Statinista and The Legacy Effects of Statins. This one deals with one of the more complex problems these drugs can cause - cognitive failure. Many people might ask why post a story like this here and court media attention - this is a scientific issue to be dealt with in journals. This case has … [Read more...] about Amnesia on Statins
The Legacy Effects of Statins: A Role for RxISK
Editorial Note: This chilling account of the effects of statin drugs brings out a key role for reporters to RxISK.org - we need good data on how long the after-effects of drug treatment can last. This data is rarely collected but is of critical importance when it comes to insurance and disability assessments. A statin is a lipid-lowering agent and although the mechanism is not … [Read more...] about The Legacy Effects of Statins: A Role for RxISK