Many of the drugs tested are not harmful nor are they very beneficial either. There are inherent risks
“Two New York physicians, Vincent Dole, a metabolic specialist, and his colleague, Marie Nyswander, a psychiatrist, invented methadone maintenance.” (Velten, 1992) Methadone clinics are available in every state and the medication can be prescribed orally, as a tablet, or can be injected. Methadone’s effects last up to twenty four hours which allows the patient to take a once a day dose for opiate detoxification and maintenance. High dose methadone blocks the effects of heroin and opiate drugs such as pain pills. This discourages the continued use of drugs by addicts under treatment. Heroin and opiates release endorphins in the body, called dopamine, causing users to need an opiate continuously.
Nicotine Discrimination Since 2005, a nicotine-free hiring policy has been adopted by a growing rank of employers including, among others, the Cleveland Clinic, Medical Mutual of Ohio, Scotts MiracleGro Company, and USI Financial. In early 2010, Summa Health Systems, the largest employer in Akron OH, stopped hiring smokers. As of 1 May 2010, St. Luke’s Hospital and Health Network in Bethlehem PA no longer hires smokers. Employers justify the selective hiring practice, citing data that support this decision. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assert that smoking is the # 1 preventable cause of death, leading to heart disease, emphysema, lung cancer and other costly health problems.
Aside from treatment options of exercise and dietary supplements, bisphosphonates are the main class of drugs for the treatment of osteopenia and osteoporosis in early 2011, made from two phosphonic groups. The drugs worked by slowing the breakdown of bone by osteoclasts, resulting in an increase in BMD and a decrease in fractures. Despite the strong efficacy of bisphosphonates, compliance was low; studies indicated that about 50% of patients discontinued oral bisphosphonate therapy within the first year. Prolia’s competition: | U.S. Sales (mil) | Year | Boniva | $600.00 | 2008 | Reclast | $579.00 | 2010 | Evista | $682.00 | 2009 | Forteo |
Merck and Co., Inc. is a leading pharmaceutical company that is facing a dilemma about distribution and marketing of its novel anti-HIV drug. After research efforts of four hundred people and over $700 million (1996 Dollars), for a period of ten years, Merck was able to market a novel anti-HIV drug Crixivan that was classified under the class of protease inhibitors. 1 Undue prevalence of AIDS in the US had triggered a huge demand for the drug even before the drug was in the FDA approval stage. An “unparalleled and complex synthesis procedure” 1 resulted in a delayed large-scale production plan of Crixivan. Approximately fifty patients required a dose of almost one hundred pounds of this drug, this demand could only be fulfilled over a period of one year with the current manufacturing infrastructure available at Merck.
Beyond the science of pharmaceuticals is the science of care, a role which encompasses how pills affect our physiology. Critics argue that were placebos to be encouraged in the practice of medicine, patients could delay other treatments with longer- lasting benefits. Similar to the placebo effect, in which a fake medication can give patients the benefits of having taken the real drug, the nocebo effect is the little-studied fact that patients taking a fake drug can also experience real negative side effects. "In one remarkable case, a participant in an antidepressant drug trial was given placebo tablets—and then swallowed 26 of them in a suicide attempt. Even though the tablets were harmless, the participant's blood pressure dropped perilously low."
Many people choose Antidepressant medication as a treatment because that is the first thing their doctors suggest. Antidepressant medication may relieve some of your depression symptoms, but it also comes with significant side effects and dangers. What’s more, recent studies have raised questions about their effectiveness. Learning the facts about antidepressants can help you make an educated decision about what’s right for you. Most mental health experts agree that when depression is severe, medication can be helpful, even life saving.
Only 100 chemical messengers have been found to date. The pituitary and the adrenal glands is also part of the messenger system as it’s release of certain hormones can also affect the fine balance of the human brain. If diagnosed at an early stage, Drugs therapy can slow down the process depending on what type of Dementia has been diagnosed. Drugs like Donepezil, Exelon and Raradyne trick the brain into thinking it has a supply of Dopamine which is needed for dendrites to fire a connection to synapsis of another brain cell so a connection can be made. A better value and enrichment of life may be achieved.
The landmark study by the American Geriatric Society (AGS) conducted in 1998 found through a telephone survey that one in five older Americans are taking analgesic medicines regularly and 63% of those have taken prescription pain medications for more than six months (AGS, 1998, p. 635). Older people are more likely to suffer from arthritis, bone and joint disorders, back problems, and many other chronic conditions. The study by the AGS also found that 45% of people who take pain medications had seen three or more doctors in the past five years, 79% whom were primary care physicians. Previous studies also suggest that 25-50% of long term care facility residents suffer from chronic pain and 45 to
Other psychiatric problems such as depression, Alzheimer’s, and dementia are not based on lab test either. Almost all of today’s known mental disorders would be eliminated and go untreated if we recognized diseases based solely on test done in a lab. However, recent studies think that have found the cause of ADHD. According to Health and Daily News “Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a real disease linked to changes in production of the brain chemical dopamine, two new reports suggest.” In the first report researchers found that a variation in the dopamine receptor gene may help cause the behavioral condition of ADHD. Lead researcher Dr. Phillip Shaw said, "If you have a certain variant of this gene, you have a greatly increased risk of having ADHD."