Medications: A Leading Cause of Death
Healthy For Life Newsletter
January, 2007 Vol. 4 No. 1
Death By Prescription
By Dr. Ray Strand
Medications and Death
When I released my book,
Death by Prescription
[Thomas Nelson 2003], I alerted people to the fact that the 3rd leading cause of death in the US and Canada was legal
medications
. The medical literature has shown us that over 100,000 deaths annually are due to properly prescribed and properly administered prescription drugs. When you combine these numbers with the 80,000 deaths due to improperly prescribed or administered medicines, you have a total of 180,000 deaths each and every year due to adverse drug reactions. This makes adverse drug reactions to LEGAL medication the third leading cause of death, this following only
heart disease
(750,000 deaths) and cancer (580,000 deaths) and just ahead of strokes (140,000 deaths). I also revealed in this book that there are over 2,000,000 hospital admissions in the US alone each and every year that are directly related to adverse drug reactions.
A recent study has shown that about 25% of the patients have an adverse drug reaction to outpatient medication. This means that you have a one in four chance of having some type of adverse drug reaction to any drug prescribed by your physician. The major reason that I wrote this book was because the medical literature has also shown us that over half of these adverse drug reactions could and should be avoided, if people just knew what to do. I would encourage you to take advantage of a special, limited-time offer to get a copy of my book, Death by Prescription, for just $7.95 [$6.95 each when you order 5 or more] through the bookstore located on my website at http://www.nutritional-medicine.net/bookstore.There have been some recent revelations from the pharmaceutical industry and the medical community in regard to adverse drug reactions involving the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), like Motrin and Naproxen, and what are now known as Cox-2 anti-inflammatory drugs, like Vioxx and Celebrex. This month’s Healthy for Life Newsletter will detail these amazing concerns about the world’s most widely used category of medications. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) The October 4th, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) devoted two major review articles and an editorial regarding the safety concerns with the use of these drugs used to treat inflammation and pain. Arthritis is the most common chronic degenerative disease that we deal with as physicians. I have never had any patient die because of their arthritis; however, I have had hundreds of patients who have suffered serious complications and even death trying to treat their arthritis using these drugs. I share the well-known fact in my book that there are over 100,000 admissions and over 16,000 deaths due to the toxic gastrointestinal effects of these drugs (upper GI bleeding) that NSAIDS cause. If this is not enough reason for concern, a review article in the October 4th issue of the JAMA revealed that this class of drugs also causes kidney damage to over 2.5 million individuals each and every year in the US alone.When you consider that Motrin (Ibuprofen) and Aleve (Naproxen) are now available over-the-counter, it brings this situation full circle. Now it not only a major cause of upper GI bleeding, but it is also one of the major causes of kidney damage. When you take into consideration that these drugs are primarily used for the treatment of pain and the inflammation of arthritis, which is not a fatal disease, you quickly begin to realize that the danger of developing arthritis is going to be the medications you consume for this disease. COX-2 Anti-inflammatory Drugs Enter the Picture The pharmaceutical industry and medical community have been aware of the inherent dangers of taking NSAIDS when it comes to their toxic effects to the lining of the stomach. Pharmaceutical companies have been trying to develop new and safer medication to replace these NSAIDS as the primary treatment of inflammation and pain. NSAIDS are known to non-selectively block the COX-2 enzymes, which is the primary cause of the inflammation of arthritis and gives the NSAIDS their therapeutic effect. The problem with NSAIDS is the fact that they also block COX-1 enzymes, which are critical for protecting the lining of the stomach. Generally, this is one of the main problems with pharmaceutical drugs. They block a natural enzyme system in order to produce a beneficial pharmaceutical effect. However, the body is an amazing and intricate creation. When a natural enzyme system is blocked in one part of the body, it can cause an adverse reaction by blocking another enzyme system in another part of the body that is not desirable. This was the problem with NSAIDS. So the pharmaceutical industry felt that the best way to improve these drugs was to create an entirely new class of drugs that would specifically block the COX-2 enzyme system and not affect the COX-1 system. This would gain the benefits of decreasing inflammation and pain, while at the same time; decrease the risk of upper GI bleeds. The introduction of Vioxx followed shortly by Celebrex in 1998 allowed us to enter the world of these COX-2 anti-inflammatory drugs. Initially, the clinical trials did show that the risk of upper GI bleeds was about 50% of the risk experienced by NSAIDS. Due to the intense marketing of these drugs to the physician and consumer, these COX-2 drugs quickly became one of the most prescribed medications in the world. As I share in my book, Death by Prescription, when a drug is first approved as safe and effective by the FDA, the FDA only knows about half of the serious adverse drug reactions of the newly approved drug. They also have established a policy that states that they will not list a safety risk on a drug unless there is “complete certainty” that the drug causes the problem. The entire drug approval process has shifted dramatically in favor of the pharmaceutical industry and away from the safety and protection of the consumer. This, in large part, is due to the fact that the pharmaceutical industry now finances over 50% of the FDA’s budget via the use of “user-fees.” A drug company is now required to pay the FDA over $300,000 each and every time they submit a new drug application to the FDA. That is correct. This popular program established by the US Congress in 1992, known as the Drug User-Fee Act, now provides over half of the financing to operate the FDA. So they are supposed to be monitoring for our protection, the FDA is literally in bed with the pharmaceutical industry. Early Concerns about the safety of COX-2 Inhibitor Drugs In the pre-clinical trials done involving Vioxx there was strong evidence that this drug increased the risk of blood clotting and heart attacks. However, because of the FDA’s practice of requiring “complete certainty” before acting on safety concerns, these drugs were still approved for use in the general population. Amazingly, the potential increased risk of having a heart attack was not even placed in the drug warning labels given to the doctors.Within months of release of these drugs to the public, the Vioxx Gastrointestinal Outcomes Research (VIGOR) study did show a 50% reduction in serious upper GI bleeds. However, in this same study there was a five-fold increased risk of having a heart attack in those individuals who took Vioxx. This meant that for every upper GI bleed that was prevented, a patient suffered a heart attack instead. Merck tried to cover this finding up by reporting that the control group, which was taking Naproxen, actually had 1/5 the risk of having a heart attack, instead of stating that there was a five-fold increased risk in taking Vioxx. They told the physicians and the medical community not to worry because it was not that Vioxx increased the risk of having a heart attack, but instead, that taking Naproxen had a cardioprotective affect much like aspirin. The FDA and the physicians bought this argument and Vioxx was allowed to remain on the market again with no warning to the physicians or public that Vioxx may increase your risk of having a heart attack. Then in 2004, Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market after the Adenomatous Polyp Prevention Trial (APPROVE) showed a two-fold increase risk of developing a heart attack even on very low-dose Vioxx (25 mg daily). However, Merck claimed at the time that this risk did not occur until after the participants had been on Vioxx for at least 18 months. This move by Merck was an attempt to avoid numerous lawsuits following the withdrawal of their drug from the marketplace. The problem was the fact that Merck had performed their statistical reporting improperly and this statement by Merck was an outright lie. In 2006, two years later, Merck corrected this statement and admitted that they had reported these findings incorrectly. Their review of the same data showed that the increased risk of developing a heart attack happened early on with the use of Vioxx and possibly even with the first dose. The real concern is the fact that entire class of COX-2 inhibitor drugs that are still on the market are showing similar risks in increasing the risk of having a heart attack when taking these drugs. Celebrex also increases the risk of a heart attack with doses greater than 200 mg; however, the risk for lower doses of Celebrex is not clear at this point. Several other NSAIDS and COX-2 selective drugs have also now been shown to increase the risk of a heart attack. These drugs are Voltaren, Mobic, Indomethacin, and Motrin. The only NSAID at the present time that does not seem to increase your risk of having a heart attack is Naproxen or Aleve. Now Let’s Get this Straight……. The development of the COX-2 anti-inflammatory drugs by the pharmaceutical industry was motivated by the fact that thousands of people were dying each and every year due to upper GI bleeding, due to an adverse drug reaction to the NSAIDS. It was very evident that early on during the pre-clinical trials with these drugs that they increased the risk of blood clotting and heart attacks. However, the FDA saw fit to go ahead and approve these drugs anyway because the FDA was not “ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN” that these serious adverse reactions were due to the COX-2 drugs. Shortly after the release of these drugs it was shown in very well done clinical trials that there actually was a five-fold increased risk in COX-2 users of having a heart attack. The FDA and the medical community then allowed Merck to deceive the public and claim that this was not due to their drug, but instead, it was the result of the protective effect of Naproxen. The evidence really showed that for every case of upper GI bleeding that was being avoided; an individual instead actually suffered a heart attack. Then Merck was again allowed to misrepresent the scientific data when it took Vioxx off the market by stating incorrectly that the increased risk of having a heart attack only occurred in those individuals who had been taking the drug for at least 18 months. Merck finally corrected this statement 2 years later by stating that the increased risk of having a heart attack began early in the use of their drug.How can this Happen? There really is not a short answer to this question. This is just one example of drugs being released to the public that are dangerous. Just think of the thousands of people who have suffered and died because of these drugs. Safety has definitely taken a back seat to the profits of the pharmaceutical industry. The FDA has totally changed its attitude and instead of asking, “Should this drug be approved?” they are asking “How can we get this drug approved?” The only way this can be accomplished is by overlooking possible safety hazards of the drugs they approve and then allowing pharmaceutical companies literally to lie and deceive the medical community and the public as the dangers of their drugs become evident.I would strongly encourage each and every one of you to consider getting a copy of my book Death by Prescription and learn how you can better protect yourself, your family, and your loved ones from the third leading cause of death—legal medications. I detail the chain of events that can lead to a serious adverse drug reaction. When you consider the 100,000 hospital admissions and 16,000 deaths due to upper GI bleeds caused by NSAIDS, the new revelation that these drugs also cause damage to over 2.5 million NSAID users annually, and that all the COX-2 anti-inflammatory drugs dramatically increase your risk of having a heart attack, this book becomes a must- read. Safety of Nutritional Supplements Do you agree with me that it seems very hypocritical that the FDA is now very concerned about the safety of nutritional supplements taken at optimal or advanced levels? Especially when you consider that there have only been approximately 10 deaths reported with the use of
nutritional supplements
during the past decade. Almost all of these were due to the use of niacin prescribed by physicians at massive doses in attempt to lower cholesterol. This flies in the face of the fact that there are over 2 million hospital admissions and over 100,000 deaths due to properly prescribed and properly administered medications, which had been approved by the FDA. Nearly 25,000 to 30,000 deaths each and every year are now felt to be the result of these NSAIDS and COX-2 drugs.Just contrast all of this with the use glucosamine sulfate along with tumeric or some other natural anti-inflammatory for the treatment of inflammation and pain. You have no side effects and these natural products have been shown in clinical trials to actually decrease inflammation safely and actually slow down the progression of arthritis and in some cases even rebuild your joint cartilage. NSAIDS and COX-2 drugs not only do not slow down the progression of joint deterioration, but have also been shown in some clinical studies to make the progression of the disease occur faster. Doesn’t make too much sense, does it? The only thing that could explain the FDA’s attack on the safety of natural products while blindly approving harmful drugs is because of their willing support of the pharmaceutical industry and their greed.
Reprinted with permission from Dr. Strand. Please do not reprint without permission from the author.
More articles on this site by Dr. Strand
Ray Strand, M.D.
Quickly becoming one of the world's leading authorities in nutritional medicine, Dr. Ray Strand has been involved in a private family practice for over 30 years. During the past 12 years, he has focused his practice on preventive and nutritional medicine. He has lectured on this subject across the United States, Canada, and Australia. He is the author of Releasing Fat, What Your Doctor Doesn't Know about Nutritional Medicine, and Death by Prescription.
Click here for more information on the vitamins and health foods recommended by Dr. Strand
Dr. Strand's Website
RETURN TO ANTI-AGING PAGE
Information presented is of a general nature for educational and informational purposes only. Products and information presented herein are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a physician or other health care professional.
PRIVACY POLICY
|
