The Myth of the Tough Prosecutor as a Distraction from Health Care Corporate Executives' Impunity
The tragic case of the Boston Marathon bombing illustrates how myth making about tough law enforcement obscures the impunity enjoyed by top health care executives. A "Tough to a Fault" ProsecutorA recent Reuters article touted the toughness of the prosecutor who will take on the case of the surviving accused Boston terrorist:As the top federal law enforcer in Massachusetts, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz has taken heat for being tough to a fault and coming down too hard on some defendants. But as she builds a possible death penalty case against suspected Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, the unflinching a...
Source: Health Care Renewal - April 25, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: US Department of Justice impunity legal settlements public relations Source Type: blogs
Medications that Increase the Risks of Patient Falls
Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older.
Alzheimer's Reading Room
“Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don’t – perhaps two to three times greater,” said Susan Blalock, Ph.D., an associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
In 2007, more than 21,700 Americans died as a result of falls and more than 7.9 million were injured by a fall including over 1.8 million older adults who had a fall-rela...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - February 14, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Bob DeMarco Source Type: blogs
Withdrawal from Psychiatric Meds Can Be Painful, Lengthy
This article was edited to clarify a few sentences on Feb. 14, 2013.
References
Kotzalidis, G.D. et al. (2007). The adult SSRI/SNRI withdrawal syndrome: A clinically heterogeneous entity. Clinical Neuropsychiatry: Journal of Treatment Evaluation, 4, 61-75.
Nielsen, M., Hansen, E.H., & Gøtzsche, P.C. (2012). What is the difference between dependence and withdrawal reactions? A comparison of benzodiazepines and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. Addiction, 107, 900-908.
Therrien, F. & Markowitz, J.S. (1997). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and withdrawal symptoms: A review of the literature...
Source: World of Psychology - February 13, 2013 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: John M. Grohol, PsyD Tags: Antidepressant Antipsychotic General Medications Policy and Advocacy Psychiatry Research Treatment Caffeine Stimulants Celexa Cymbalta Discontinuation Fluoxetine Hand Experience Hyperactivity Illicit Drugs Lengthy Time Le Source Type: blogs
EU Charges J&J And Novartis With Pay-To-Delay
In the latest bid by regulators to squash so-called pay-to-delay deals, the European Commission has filed a complaint against Johnson & Johnson and Novartis – and its Sandoz generic subsidiary – for allegedly conspiring to delay the generic introduction of a version of the fentanyl pain patch in the Netherlands.
The move had been expected after European antitrust regulators opened a probe into the drugmakers in October 2011 as part of a widening crackdown on such deals (back story). The concern has picked up steam in recent years as governments attempt to grapple with rising healthcare costs and investigat...
Source: Pharmalot - January 31, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Ed Silverman Tags: Uncategorized AARP American Medical Association Antitrust FTC Generics JJ Johnson & Johnson Lundbeck Merck KgGA Novartis Pay-To-Delay Ranbaxy Laboratories Sandoz Teva Pharmaceuticals Source Type: blogs
EU Charges J&J And Novartis With Pay-To-Delay // Pharmalot
In the latest bid by regulators to squash so-called pay-to-delay deals, the European Commission has filed a complaint against Johnson & Johnson and Novartis – and its Sandoz generic subsidiary – for allegedly conspiring to delay the generic introduction of a version of the fentanyl pain patch in the Netherlands. The move had been expected after European antitrust regulators opened a probe into the drugmakers in October 2011 as part of a widening crackdown on such deals (back story). The concern has picked up steam in recent years as governments attempt to grapple with rising healthcare costs and investigators have...
Source: PharmaGossip - January 31, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, January 30, 2013
This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Some SSRIs Tied to Heart Rhythm Problems. Citalopram and two other antidepressants were associated with prolongation of corrected QT interval — a marker of increased ventricular arrhythmia risk.2. RUC Targeted at Senate Hearing on Primary Care. The nation’s primary care physician (PCP) shortage might be eased by requiring more transparency from the group that helps set Medicare pay rates.3. Combo Therapy Shines in Colon Cancer. First-line combination bevacizumab and capecitabine therapy may be an optimal first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer in t...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - January 30, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: Meds Cancer Heart Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
#Citalopram and #Escitalopram confirmed as triggering a heart rhythm disturbance. #MentalHealth #ukmh #Depression
Click for the article
Filed under: Mental Health, The News & Policies. (Source: Dawn Willis sharing the News and Views of the Mentally Wealthy)
Source: Dawn Willis sharing the News and Views of the Mentally Wealthy - January 30, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: Dawn Willis Tags: Mental Health, The News & Policies. Source Type: blogs
Popular Antidepressants May Put Patients At Risk For Serious Arrhythmias
In August 2011 the FDA issued a safety communication recommending that the extremely popular antidepressant citalopram (Celexa) not be used at doses greater than 40 mg/day because of a potential increased risk for serious cardiac arrhythmias associated with prolongation of the QT interval. Now a study published in BMJ lends support to this warning and suggests that other antidepressants may also prolong the QT interval. Click here to read the complete story on Forbes. (Source: CardioBrief)
Source: CardioBrief - January 29, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Larry Husten Tags: Uncategorized Antidepressant BMJ Citalopram FDA food and drug administration Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor Source Type: blogs
Finding Back My ‘Margaret-Ness’ by Margaret Franklin
The other night my husband and I saw the movie �You, me and DuPree and the more I think about it, the more I find myself relating to the character of DuPree and thinking that he, too, definitely had some �Aspie-ish� traits. Not all Aspies are shy, introverted bookworms. In fact many of us are also quite bouncy, sociable and outgoing, very much like DuPree, who often spoke his mind and got himself into some pretty awkward situations by basically diving head-first into everything. Although he could not get a job and his actions often got him into trouble, DuPree had some very interesting and wonderful gifts and talents...
Source: The Autism Acceptance Project - January 18, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: ADTP Tags: Autspoken Source Type: blogs
The Tragic Case of Aaron Swartz: Unequal Justice for Web Activists vs Health Care Corporate Executives
The recent tragic case of the suicide of Aaron Swartz raises many issues, and has inspired an outpouring of news coverage and internet discussion. Yet one issue it should raise that has not received much notice so far is that of how individuals and top executives are treated differently before the law.Summary of the CaseAaron Swartz was a prodigy who developed helped develop the RSS system for disseminating updates on web-site contents, and who helped develop the Reddit web-site. He was an advocate for information freedom, and more broadly, according to Matt Stoller, "a political activist interested in he...
Source: Health Care Renewal - January 15, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: US Department of Justice impunity Forest Pharmaceuticals legal settlements St Jude Medical GlaxoSmithKline Source Type: blogs
Q/A – Am I in depression denial? Read explanation?
You guys might also have this question so I’m posting it here with a good answer too. It comes from ‘Audie89′ who asks:
I’m 22 years old, and until I was 18…my social skills were painfully awkward. Finally, however, I came out of my shell. I got into the nightclub/rave scene and began working as a promoter for the biggest nightclub in the US while attending a university. I had tons of friends, I dated some gorgeous girls, and I loved going out and having a good time. Life was good. After 1 1/2 years, however, I started getting into prescription painkillers (namely oxycodone). I was in wa...
Source: Addiction Recovery Blog - January 10, 2013 Category: Addiction Authors: Addiction Recovery Author Tags: Opiate Treatment Source Type: blogs
Notes on autism severity and the DSM-V
I was asked briefly to comment onthe notion of " severity " of autism as currently proposed for the DSM-V. Here are some far from complete notes (some from earlier writing or work of mine) I organized in response:Currently, “severity” of autism most often refers to the attempt to quantify the obviousness of autistic traits and abilities. The more obvious these traits and abilities are judged to be, and therefore the more atypical a person is judged to be, the more “severe” autism is considered to be.Being “more severe” (having more obvious autistic traits and abilities, or being more obviously atypical) is wide...
Source: The Autism Crisis - June 15, 2009 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
