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boylocke,
as much as I love you in other threads your response in this one bothers me. Of course medicine can do wonders to allergy sufferers but when someone is complaining about allergies in the context of different areas and outgrowing them, don't you think they know about medicines? Also, a lot of people would like to get by without having to take something that can cause dry mouth, drowsiness, or whatever the symptoms are. Not to mention how expensive the non OTC stuff is. My daughter is on zyrtec (claritin OTC and prescription didn't work) and it costs an arm and a leg!
Trust me, I *know* medications do wonders: My 4 year old daughter had a heart transplant and wouldn't be alive were it not for the ever improved and advanced combinations of immune suppressants to keep her body from rejecting her heart and other vital meds to keep her blood at healthy levels! That does not mean I enjoy having her on Zyrtec, too, or that I want to have my entire family take allergy stuff! I don't give my children cold meds, usually just pain reliever and old fashioned remedies (tea, vaporizer, heat packs etc)
It isn't too surprising that you'd say most of the allergy medicine is completely harmless considering the field you're in but I suggest a little more empathy for people who are trying to go without chemical interference. A lot of vaccinations used to be considered harmless and then were taken off the market later when newer research showed they did in fact have an adverse effect. I don't have much background knowledge on allergy meds, but for a future professional in the field I urge you to be open-minded about the cautious folks.
A lot of vaccinations used to be considered harmless and then were taken off the market later when newer research showed they did in fact have an adverse effect.
I am probably crazy for getting into the anti-immunization thing, but immunizations are my passion. I worked in the immunization program for my local health dept for 11 yrs, and have been giving immunizations in my work for most of my career.
The only immunization that I am aware of that was ever taken off the market was the old Rotavirus vaccine, which maybe caused a few cases of intususscetion (sp?), a twisting of the intestines which is a surgical emergency. The old DTP vaccine was reforumulated to cause fewer side effects, but there was really scant evidence that the old vaccine ever caused any seizure disorders or deaths. Recent research has proved that thimerosol in vaccines does not cause autism, but the vaccine manufacturers removed thimerosol in virtually all vaccines because of parental concerns. In countries that stopped immunizing against pertussis (whooping cough) b/c of concerns about the vaccine, the disease pertussis came back into general circulation and caused many deaths (Sweden and Japan). Polio vaccine put a stop to the outbreaks of the 1950s. In this country, we have returned to using the inactivated polio vaccine b/c the live virus vaccine can cause polio in a very few cases, and there is no polio in the US. In countries where polio is present, the live virus vaccine is used b/c it gives better immunity.
It is my personal opinion that most parents who oppose immunization actually don't like seeing their kids get shots. If all the immunizations could be oral or delivered via patches, I think opposition to vaccines would drop dramatically. This opinion is based on 30+ years of giving immunizations.
When the FDA approved Seldane (terfenadine) in 1985, the drug became the first prescription antihistamine to relieve allergies without causing drowsiness — a side effect that can cause accidents and injuries. A few years after approval, it was discovered that Seldane could cause fatal heart rhythm irregularities when it was used together with drugs that slowed its elimination from the body, or in patients with liver disease.
Major efforts to warn against use in such patients were partly successful, but fatal rhythm abnormalities continued to be reported. According to Temple, removal of the drug was considered, but that would have left only one non-sedating antihistamine, so Seldane remained available.
Of course medicine can do wonders to allergy sufferers but when someone is complaining about allergies in the context of different areas and outgrowing them, don't you think they know about medicines?
Honestly? Sometimes they don't. There are many people who don't have primary care physicians or who may believe medicine is worthless or aren't aware that there are many prescription options for allergy sufferers that are leap years ahead of what's OTC. Many people think if OTC medicines don't work, nothing will. That's not true. My original post was quite benign and cheerful, all I said essentially was that there are a lot of options to treat allergies and let me know if you need any advice. I only started to get a little out of control when oktaren got snide with me for no reason about "yay put more chemicals in your mouth, that's the answer" or whatever. If he said something more human, like "well boylocke, thanks for your advice on the matter, but some people would rather try to avoid medicine if they can," (more like you did, actually, beemajabee!) I would have been more than fine. If you disrespect me I'll disrespect you back. :P
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Also, a lot of people would like to get by without having to take something that can cause dry mouth, drowsiness, or whatever the symptoms are. Not to mention how expensive the non OTC stuff is.
You're quite right, and I am a big believer in changing your lifestyle and avoiding triggers rather than pumping yourself full of chemicals, truly, I am. But in terms of allergies, there is very little one can do to get relief. It's sort of like, you have allergies, or you don't. It's not like blood pressure or cholesterol where exercise, weight loss, and eating right can make such a difference! Believe me.. I know how expensive medicine is. It's not right. Also believe me when I say Phamacists have nothing to do with prices and we don't get kick backs, either!! So me pushing pharmaceuticals on you doesn't profit me, I'm just as fine pushing lifestyle modifications and education!! Thankfully, the second and third generation allergy medicines have very few side effects and are non-drowsy. The drugs can't pass through the blood brain barrier, that's a good thing and an engineering marvel!!
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That does not mean I enjoy having her on Zyrtec, too, or that I want to have my entire family take allergy stuff! I don't give my children cold meds, usually just pain reliever and old fashioned remedies (tea, vaporizer, heat packs etc)
I commend this!! I agree, too. I would never want to be on anything more than was absolutely necessary. The less the better. In fact, when I need to be on meds later in life to treat whatever, I will make sure my doses are tapered down to the "lowest effective dose." Most pharmacists try to do this for patients. We truly aren't drug pushers, we have no ties with pharmaceutical companies and definitely aren't salesmen. We are educators.
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It isn't too surprising that you'd say most of the allergy medicine is completely harmless considering the field you're in but I suggest a little more empathy for people who are trying to go without chemical interference.
Well, when taken as directed!! I do have that empathy and employ it myself!! I just got crazy when we started to talk about denying children medicine. That REALLY bothers me immensely. I apologize.
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A lot of vaccinations used to be considered harmless and then were taken off the market later when newer research showed they did in fact have an adverse effect.
I take your point. :P But Pittnurse has a valid point in her thread. Not to mention that just recently research has shown that vaccines do not cause autism, which was something believed for a long time due to the mercury remnants in vaccines (that has been removed from most vaccines anyway) but I do take your point!
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I don't have much background knowledge on allergy meds, but for a future professional in the field I urge you to be open-minded about the cautious folks.
I am quite cautious myself, I just got a little carried away for one reason or another. I also urge caution. But it's important to know there are options, and many people, in fact, do suffer by choice as they refuse to take medicine. I can accept it's your choice to not take medicine, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. As a healthcare professional, seeing people who suffer bothers me when I know they don't need to!! I wish there was more I can do, sometimes. By the way, I would be just as upset if I knew someone who had diabetes and was obese but refused to lose weight!!
To get back to the beginning, we were talking about allergy medicines. They are some of the safest ever engineered. Singulair is approved for children six months
old now. SIX!!!! It doesn't get much safer. :P If we were talking about, say, oncology medicine, I would be quite reserved. LOL.
PS. I'm very glad to hear that your daughter is okay!!
I too am opposed to the whole "a Pill for everything" approach to medicine. Accutaine, fen-phen, many of the anti-depressants that MAKE you depressed/sucidal, etc, etc.
The pharmaceutical companies along with the insurance industry control the entire practice of western medicine. Even those of us in our early 30's recall when medicine was less controlled by the Pharms/Insurance companies.
If you move you leg at night before you fall asleep, you have "Restless leg Syndrome"; If your 10 child wants to be outside build forts or anywheree other than sitting quietly in the classroom, he's ADHD; Depressed? Try one of the multitude of "treatments" availibile. Don't worry that it may make you suicidal or homicidal or that it may cause rectal bleeding, explosive diarrea, bleeding gums; It most likely won't effect you, right?
Another scurge of this era is anti-bacterial soap. Do any of you remember the days before we had pocket sized anti-bacterial hand sanitizers? Yet we continue to wonder why bacteria like MRSA Staph that live and are often present on our skin have mutated and become resistant to anti-biotics.
A lot of people think the FDA is asleep at the wheel. What has actually happened is the pharms/insurance companies have spent their lobbying money with such wisdom that they now control the whole game. THEY now deem what is "medically nescessary" and what isn't, not your doctors.
I too am opposed to the whole "a Pill for everything" approach to medicine. Accutaine, fen-phen, many of the anti-depressants that MAKE you depressed/sucidal, etc, etc.
The pharmaceutical companies along with the insurance industry control the entire practice of western medicine. Even those of us in our early 30's recall when medicine was less controlled by the Pharms/Insurance companies.
If you move you leg at night before you fall asleep, you have "Restless leg Syndrome"; If your 10 child wants to be outside build forts or anywheree other than sitting quietly in the classroom, he's ADHD; Depressed? Try one of the multitude of "treatments" availibile. Don't worry that it may make you suicidal or homicidal or that it may cause rectal bleeding, explosive diarrea, bleeding gums; It most likely won't effect you, right?
Another scurge of this era is anti-bacterial soap. Do any of you remember the days before we had pocket sized anti-bacterial hand sanitizers? Yet we continue to wonder why bacteria like MRSA Staph that live and are often present on our skin have mutated and become resistant to anti-biotics.
A lot of people think the FDA is asleep at the wheel. What has actually happened is the pharms/insurance companies have spent their lobbying money with such wisdom that they now control the whole game. THEY now deem what is "medically nescessary" and what isn't, not your doctors.
Another scurge of this era is anti-bacterial soap. Do any of you remember the days before we had pocket sized anti-bacterial hand sanitizers? Yet we continue to wonder why bacteria like MRSA Staph that live and are often present on our skin have mutated and become resistant to anti-biotics.
Don't even get me started!!!!!!
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If you move you leg at night before you fall asleep, you have "Restless leg Syndrome"; If your 10 child wants to be outside build forts or anywheree other than sitting quietly in the classroom, he's ADHD; Depressed? Try one of the multitude of "treatments" availibile.
You're right to a point, PApisces. There is a lot of over-medication and misdiagnoses. However, you can't punish the people who actually do need the help or medicine. It's easy for us to say things like you just did. What about someone who truly suffers from severe restless leg syndrome? Trust me, it's not fun, it's horrible actually. I've seen people in tears over it because they haven't slept properly in weeks. And ADHD, although it is one of the most overly diagnosed conditions in the world, DOES exist. I've seen real ADHD, and the parents are desperate for help. They are usually quite medicated themselves so they aren't suicidal!! So it's fine to believe western medicine isn't as cracked up as people think it is, but just like I have to be empathetic towards those who refuse medicine, you have to empathetic to people who truly suffer and require it.
Western medicine may not be perfect, but I wouldn't want anything else!!! You also have to realize you are talking about two separate things. Western medicine and lobbyist/pharmaceutical companies are not the same thing. Western medicine can be broken down into one mindset, a very important and ingenious one.
My poor husband suffers restless leg syndrome. It's a very real disorder. It can absolutely drive a person insane.
Actually my girlfriend has it extremely bad as well, she usually only sleeps a few hours a night, unless of course she takes a few herbs, then she is usually fine. That doesn't mean, as the person stated, that everyone who moves around before bedtime has such a problem.
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