Junkies, Part II

Junkies, Part II

   In the earlier post, the discussion was on the onslaught of prescription drugs, primarily pain-killers and anxiety-reducing drugs, how such prescriptions had gotten out of control and how many people in the U.S. had become hooked and were suddenly (and perhaps unexpectedly) medical "junkies."  So how did we get here and how prevalent is the problem?  Before that question arrives,  one needs to step back for a bit of historical perspective.  Those little flyers that come with each bottle or container of prescription drugs, advising you of all the studies and testing done and all the possible side effects (the papers one usually just tosses aside before crazily opening the bottle and taking the pills)...that's pretty recent, like 1962.  One reason is that the FDA, which oversees much of our dietary safety, is controlled by Congress;  and for the most part, Congress has told the FDA to back off, that our citizens are more than capable of deciding on their own, what's is and isn't good for them.  This is part of the reason the FDA is banned forever (that's not a typo, this was actually passed into law by Congress back in the 60s) from testing or regulating any of our vitamins or supplements or protein powders or minerals...that is, until the deaths and disfigurements begin to roll in (as happened with  L-tryptophan, a naturally occuring amino acid that appears naturally in many foods, but is quite damaging when taken by itself*).  When that happens, Congress cautiously gives the FDA the approval to test or question or recall that specific item only.  This is the power of lobbying, and that vitamin/supplement industry (at about $7.2 billion...with some state such as Utah, that industry being the largest draw) is dwarfed by the pharmaceutical industry which is about 50+ times more powerful financially (in the years 2013-2014 alone, "drug and medical device companies paid at least $3.53 billion to just 681,432 doctors...for consulting, speeches, travel, and meals," says a report from ProPublica)...so, with that in mind, are you ready to hear what Congress is doing with your meds?

   Let's jump first to the testing of those drugs you're taking.  It's tough, and costs quite a bit of money.  New drugs are first tested on cells, then animals, then move to human trials with a few dozen (Phase 1), then several hundred (Phase II), then several thousand (Phase III).  This often takes a dozen years or so and costs over $5 billion per drug, on average, says Forbes.  Add in the FDA inspecting labs and production facilities and, says the 2013 analysis by the magazine, over 95% of the new drugs don't make the grade (remember, none of this applies to vitamins, supplements and such).  Ah, but that was 2 years ago...this was simply too expensive and so, back to Congress (which controls the FDA) and now, in a new analysis, 96% of new drugs are approved!

   So how did this happen?  Some of this can be explained in a quick piece by Harvard lecturer and former editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Marcia Angell.  When drug companies submit their test results to the FDA for approval, all that is needed is 2 positive results.  There could be 50 tests that showed negative or no results; but if just two tests show a positive result, the drug can head to approval.  And after investing so much money in developing a drug, the pressure is on to get it to market.  Imagine a drug company (notice how easily we accept the term "drug company" but not the term "drug usage") announcing a cure for dementia or Alzheimer's or cancer to Congress...and the FDA trying to impose the 12-year time scale for testing.  To Congress, such developments can't wait and often, drugs are fast-tracked, sometimes with bad effects...Vioxx, Bextra, Rezulin, Meridia, all were pulled from the market due to resulting deaths or other adverse effects after being released, according to the newsletter Worst Pills, Best Pills.  An estimated 100,000 people have died from the adverse effects of prescription drugs; and despite doctors' hands being tied on just how much opioids they can prescribe, bills are already in Congress (the most recent being introduced in late-May by Senators Rand Paul and Edward Markey) to loosen those restrictions.

   Here's an excerpt from Angell's review of the book Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker:

Imagine that a virus suddenly appears in our society that makes people sleep twelve, fourteen hours a day.  Those infected with it move about somewhat slowly and seem emotionally disengaged.  Many gain huge amounts of weight—twenty, forty, sixty, and even one hundred pounds.  Often their blood sugar levels soar, and so do their cholesterol levels.  A number of those struck by the mysterious illness—including young children and teenagers—become diabetic in fairly short order…. The federal government gives hundreds of millions of dollars to scientists at the best universities to decipher the inner workings of this virus, and they report that the reason it causes such global dysfunction is that it blocks a multitude of neurotransmitter receptors in the brain—dopaminergic, serotonergic, muscarinic, adrenergic, and histaminergic.  All of those neuronal pathways in the brain are compromised.  Meanwhile, MRI studies find that over a period of several years, the virus shrinks the cerebral cortex, and this shrinkage is tied to cognitive decline.  A terrified public clamors for a cure...

Now such an illness has in fact hit millions of American children and adults.  We have just described the effects of Eli Lilly’s best-selling antipsychotic, Zyprexa.

   Scary?  But there's more...and yes, it will attempt to be explained in the next posting (sorry)...

*Author Catherine Price adds this from testimony by Dr. Richard Wurtman whose lab published some 400 reports on tryptophan and amino acids, that "pure L-tryptophan can interact dangerously with a number of psychiatric and cardiovascular drugs.  'Tryptophan was,' he said, 'in every sense, an accident waiting to happen.' "  In those same hearings, here was the testimony from one of the victims:  After four months of L-tryptophan, I felt a strange sensation in my legs.  Painful muscle spasms attacked my body.  Tests showed elevated enzymes, high white blood count, and other abnormalities, plus eosinophilia.  My doctor knew of no illness with these symptoms...Soon I had trouble getting up from chairs, walking stairs, my menstrual cycle stopped, body hair thinned, I lost my appetite.  I fell frequently.  Weakened dramatically, I was hospitalized.  An EMG and nerve biopsy showed extensive nerve damage.  A cancerous breast mass was found...I had to be moved from a lying position to a sitting position.  Bed sores developed.  My jaw locked...I am irreversibly paralyzed.  The excruciating pain, spasms, electric shocks, burning and aching muscles have grown worse...I suffer from exhaustion, weakness and muscle fatigue, which often makes it impossible to undress, (or) transfer from the wheelchair...I need an aide to help me shower and do the basic things that most people take for granted."   She had taken the supplement to help her sleep (tryptophan occurs naturally in milk and turkey, which is why you're often sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner).  Congress didn't budge on letting the FDA test such supplements.