Posts Tagged ‘ IBD ’

Prescription Hell: When Curing Your Ill Causes More Ills

August 4th, 2011. By AbiK

True Story: I saw a comment from a reader here at LawyersandSettlements.com who had gone to the doctor to get some help for his acne. While there, the doctor noticed that this guy’s hair was starting to thin. Long story short, the guy walked out of the doctor’s office with a prescription for Propecia. He now claims he suffers sexual side effects (like erectile dysfunction and impotence). Oh, and btw, he still had his acne.

It got me thinking…

I’m not a glass-half-empty type, but it’s easy to see how, with prescription drugs, one can envision a worst-case-scenario downward spiral of things—especially given the potential side effects with some drugs that are on the market.

So then I started thinking, what if…

What if a guy goes to the doctor for acne. What could happen based on which drugs he’s been prescribed and what the side effects of those drugs could be? The graphic above depicts “The Snake Pit” (classic movie if you haven’t seen it) version of taking prescription upon prescription. A modern day Dante’s “Inferno”. Only in this little vignette, no one emerges from hell in their attempt to mitigate (via new prescriptions) the snowball effect of increasingly negative side effects.

Here’s how this plays out.

(Note, yes, it’s hypothetical, assumes various doctors/specialists involved, and yes, assumes worst case and/or rare scenarios…but still, it could happen. And before you get on me for Accutane being off the market, the drug isotretinoin is still alive and kicking…)

A guy goes to the doctor for acne. He’s given Accutane (isotretinoin). A possible side effect of Accutane is Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). To treat the IBD, he’s given Cipro (antibiotic) and Prednisone (corticosteroid). Cipro has been linked to tendon rupture. Reported, though rare, side effects of Prednisone can include high blood pressure and osteoporosis. Assuming his luck is nil, he experiences these side effects and is given Lisinopril (ACE inhibitor) to combat the high blood pressure, and Fosamax to help combat the osteoporosis.

As we know, Lisinopril has been linked to liver damage (or worse, liver failure). And Fosamax has been under fire for femur fractures. Which, outside of pain meds—which have their own set of side effects—requires another form of medical intervention (surgery). So we come to a “STOP” on that path.

But between the Accutane and the Lisinopril, he begins to experience some hair loss as well—a rare side effect of both drugs, and he’s Mr. Unlucky. So next up, Propecia. Propecia side effects include sexual dyfunction. And he finds himself having some “issues” on the love-making front. Well, there’s a drug for that—Viagra! But let’s face it, between hair loss, sexual dysfunction, a broken thigh bone, a ruptured tendon, high blood pressure and some bowel problems, is it any wonder this guy’s now depressed? So, it’s time for some SSRI’s—like Prozac. And Prozac’s been linked to suicidal behavior.

And, with that, I guess it’s another “STOP”.

Tags: Accutane, Cipro, Depression, femur fracture, Fosamax, Hair Loss, IBD, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Isotretinoin, Lisinopril, Osteoporosis, Prednisone, Propecia, Prozac, Sexual Dysfunction, SSRI, Tendon Rupture, Viagra
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 82721 Comment »2011-08-04+16%3A19%3A39AbiK

Week Adjourned: 4.2.10

April 2nd, 2010. By LucyC

Good thing as you won’t be getting overtime. (Shirt available at CafePress.com)

Top Class Actions

Underwriters Underpaid. JP Morgan Chase got hit with an unpaid overtime class action lawsuit earlier this week. Seems to be a pretty common practice these days.

The allegations? Chase had a “common practice” of misclassifying their loan underwriters as exempt and failed to pay them for all overtime hours worked in violation of federal overtime pay laws. In other words, they saved themselves the overtime payments by reclassifying their employees as exempt.

But it’s not like Chase can’t afford the overtime—especially when you consider that their loan underwriters are pivotal in bringing in the big bucks. Chase is one of the country’s largest commercial banks, and “performs a significant amount of real estate loan origination and underwriting.” In order to do that business, Chase employs roughly 500-1,000 underwriters nationwide, many of whom allege they worked nights and weekends to get the job done.

Top Settlements

$15M Plane Crash Settlement. Several months ago small plane crash killed 37-year old Michael Waugh, a Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Accutane, Chase, Hoffman LaRoche, IBD, JP Morgan, Michael Waugh, plane crash, Roche
Posted in Week Adjourned | 3236No Comments »Week+Adjourned%3A+4.2.102010-04-02+23%3A39%3A15LucyC

First Zits, then Accutane, then IBD, then Kidney Stones?

March 12th, 2010. By AbiK

Remember that book, “Because a Little Bug went Ka-CHOO!”–the one where there’s this tiny little sneeze that leads to a chain reaction that winds up with a huge circus marching through town? Yeah, that one. Well, this article from over at HealthDayNews this week kind of reminds me of that book, only not in a warm ‘n fuzzy kind of way. kachoo First Zits, then Accutane, then IBD, then Kidney Stones?

The article is about Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)—which has been linked to the anti-acne prescription medication Accutane. And it seems IBD can affect more (actual quote is “much more”) than just your digestive system.

The National Women’s Health Information Center states that IBD can actually contribute to the following health problems:

Arthritis and pain in the joints
Fractures and weakening of the bones
Problems with the eye, including inflammation
An inflamed liver
Kidney stones or gallstones
Skin ulcers or a red, bumpy rash
Problems with growth and delayed onset of puberty in children and teens
Problems with the lungs (though such cases are rare)

The article just helps to highlight that IBD is a serious disease that can not only wreak havoc on the intestines, but also a number of other areas. And, as such, careful consideration should be taken when considering anti-acne treatments that use the drug, isotretinoin—Accutane, Amnesteem, Claravis or Sotret. And, as we previously posted, parents should be aware that a number of these drugs are available online, sans prescription.

Tags: Accutane, IBD, Isotretinoin
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 2981No Comments »2010-03-12+15%3A23%3A24AbiK