The "Deadly" truth about opiates

I know that I have been spending a lot of my time writing about drugs etc recently, but I feel that this is a responsibility that I must take on as I have been working at a medical detox facility in Florida called Novus and we get people off drugs. The most prevalent drugs that I see in people coming to get clean are the use of "legal" opiates and some illegal as well. Oxycodone (Percodan), Hydrocodone (Vicodin), Raw Opium, Opium, Codeine, Morphine, Heroin, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), Methadone (Dolophine) and the list goes on... Oh and if purdue pharma has there way then a new one called remoxy.


"Possible" Effects of Opiates:

I put the above in parenthesis as I see these things happening all the time when people are coming off drugs and it is NOT fun for the user at all and so to me it should be classed as more than just "possible" effects...

General effects of narcotic analgesics include: sedation, slowed reflexes, raspy speech, sluggish "rubber-like" movements, slowed breathing, cold skin, and possible vomiting. However, as a user continues to abuse narcotic analgesics he or she will build a tolerance to the drug, therefore causing the effects to diminish. Heroin, a very strong narcotic depressant, completely destroys the users ability to reason. Its synthetic form, known as "designer drug" has been proven to be even more deadly and addictive. If the abuser wishes to maintain the same effect, he or she will have to take steadily larger doses as the tolerance develops.

Heroin users generally experience certain psychological effects immediately after injection. These include a feeling of euphoria: relief from withdrawal symptoms: and, relief from pain. Physical effects, if they are evident at all, typically will become evident after 15-30 minutes. Physical effects may not be evident if the user is tolerant and has taken a normal dose. With new users, the physical effects include: nodding off, poor motor coordination, depressed reflexes, and slow breathing.

If a user is addicted to opiates he or she will suffer withdrawal symptoms if they don't receive another dose, or "fix", before the drug is completely out of their system. Withdrawal effects can be chills, aches of the muscles and joints, nausea and insomnia. These symptoms normally start 4-6 hours after the last dosage of the drug. The withdrawal signs and symptoms intensify from 14-24 hours following the injection, and may be accompanied by gooseflesh, slight tremors, loss of appetite and dilation of the pupils. Approximately 24-36 hours since the last "fix", the addict experiences insomnia, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, depression and hot/cold flashes. Withdrawal signs and symptoms generally reach their peak after 2-3 days. At this point, the addict usually experiences muscular and abdominal cramps, elevated temperature and severe tremors and twitching. This twitching, especially of the legs, is referred to in the expression "kickin' the habit". The addict is very nauseated at this time, may gag and vomit repeatedly, and may lose 10-15 pounds within 24 hours.

Signs of an overdose of narcotic analgesics are depress respiration, slow and shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions, possible coma and death.
-
So I know that that your friends might tell you how cool it is and if your doing it yes you might enjoy the "high" BUT when you decide to stop it is going to be an extremely wild and un-fun ride so why get into it into the first place...

So I hope that you can use this information in your life as I see a lot of people that I work with do not realize just how hard it is to get off these legal and illegal opiates.

Later - Monty

USA using patriot act against our own citizens

Moose or Ostrich?

I have a dog... Funny thing is that his name is Moose" but as you can see from the picture I am starting to think that the more apt name would be "Ostrich" as this is exactly what they do when there scared... dig a hole in the ground and stick there head in it.

Crazy to think that if I took him to some pet doctors they would tell me that he is confused as to who he is and should be put on Pet Prozac...

Anyhoo - This picture was taken this morning when the beloved dog was on a walk and there are lots of desert tortoises around where he walks and so he was trying to dig into their hole and get them.

Don't you worry his hard work did not pay off and he got no turtle.

Well, that's it for now. Feel free to let me know anything.

Later - Monty

"Ban Oxy-Contin" Petition

Hello All!

I have a exciting petition that I need your help in not only signing it but getting it promoted, and this is on the banning of oxy-contin, this drug is evil and is killing thousands and thousands of innocent people a year. This has got to stop and that depends upon the work and actions of people like you and me.

Below is the context of the petition...


"OxyContin has been implicated in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of addictions since the FDA approved it in 1995.

OxyContin is molecularly almost identical and acts in the body in the same manner as heroin.

OxyContin has become the substitute for heroin on our streets in America.

Heroin was a legal drug in the United States until 1914 and our forefathers took action against its damaging effects.

OxyContin was unwittingly approved by the FDA as a way to help people suffering chronic pain that Purdue Pharma indicated was not as addictive as some alternatives.

Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, and three executives of the company pled guilty to lying about the addictive qualities of OxyContin and paid a fine of $680 million.

Even though the companys admitted lies have been a part of thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of addictions, no Purdue executive went to jail and the FDA has allowed OxyContin to remain on the market.

There are other products as effective as OxyContin at controlling pain But none with the overt history of abuse and misrepresentation as OxyContin.

OxyContin is the virus that started an epidemic of addiction and death that has infected every community in America.

The FDA must eliminate the virus that started the damage and destruction from a drug that is interchangeable with heroin.

It is time for the FDA to remove OxyContin from the marketplace.

By signing this petition, you are requesting the FDA to immediately ban the distribution of OxyContin to new patients. You are asking the FDA to create a compassionate program to be put in place for the relatively small numbers who are presently taking OxyContin that cannot be switched to another opioid. The compassion we feel for those in pain can be achieved without OxyContin."

Click here and it will route you to the petition...

Thanks and lets get everyone signing it, it takes about 20 seconds... seriously, who does not have 20 seconds spare for this good humanitarian deed... :)

Later - Monty

Drug overload!!!

Hello everyone!

I admit that I am a young man but in the last 25 years of me being on this lovely planet earth I have seen a few things. One of them is that every time I walk into a CVS or drugstore I notice that the amount of prescriptions being filled are getting bigger and BIGGER...

I mean look at this picture that I took in a Pharmacy last week. I was there to get something and while waiting couldn't help to notice how stacked these pills were.

Now obviously in the last decade we have had some breakthroughs in science on certain levels in pharmacology and this I think is good. BUT.... I asked one of the fine young ladies at this pharmacy what it is that she See's going through her place the most. She looked at me rolled her eyes and shook her head a little and said, SSRI's NSRI's Anti Psychotics, Benzodiazapines, Opiates, Anxiolitics... And if you read my blog from time to time you will agree that this was no new news to me.

The point that I am getting at is the fact that with all the new drugs for cardio, BP, Cholesterol, Ad Infinitum - That it was these damn harmful Psychiatric drugs that were taking over the world.

I was discussing with someone about a week ago the medications she was taking and she said "I want off the opiates but not my anti-seizure meds" I looked at her and asked "why not"? "when did you start getting Seizures"? She stated "oh, I started getting them from Paxil. Now this is an unfortunate occurrence as now that this poor lady took Paxil she will be on this medication to prevent the seizures... She does not even take Paxil anymore!!! Has not for years!

Sorry but this is just not right in my book that people can be hurt so badly by these Big pharma companies and not enough people care about it...

Do you agree? I want your thoughts...

Later - Monty

Recipe for disaster...

Well I was driving down the street today and I saw the above sign, now I know in most cases there is a joke after a statement like that but this is no joke to me. You see there are many a doctor today that make a profit off the demise of others, now I know that this is a harsh statement but the simple fact of the matter is its true. I am not even saying that this particular one is a that way but it was a red flag for me for sure...

"Weight loss" is on the sign and when its being prescribed by a doctor and is being advertised like this you can be sure that it will be an amphetamine of some sort "Dexedrine" "Phentremine" or something of that nature now what are these pills you ask? well they are defined as:
Amphetamine and related drugs such as methamphetamine are a group of drugs that act by increasing levels of nor epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine in the brain.[3] The group includes prescription CNS drugs commonly used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and children. It is also used to treat symptoms of traumatic brain injury and the daytime drowsiness symptoms of narcolepsy and chronic fatigue syndrome. Initially, amphetamine was more popularly used to diminish the appetite and to control weight.

You see I have asked a lot of people in my time that are using these drugs what they do and what they are and i find it unfortunate that not many of them actually know what it is that they are. These drugs are not only addictive but can cause many a problems with people taking them. I don't think its okay that doctors can use them for weight loss.

And the other writing on the sign was for suboxone, now i don't think that this is bad in itself as "Suboxone" is Buprenorphine (or colloquially, "Bupe") is a semi-synthetic opiate with partial agonist and antagonist actions. Buprenorphine hydrochloride was first marketed in the 1980s by Reckitt & Colman (now Reckitt Benckiser) as an analgesic, . In October 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States of America additionally approved Suboxone and Subutex, buprenorphine's high-dose sub lingual pill preparations for opioid addiction, and as such the drug is now also used for this purpose. In the European Union, Suboxone and Subutex, buprenorphine's high-dose sub lingual pill preparations were approved for opioid addiction treatment in September 2006. In the Netherlands, Buprenorphine is a List II drug of the Opium Law, though special rules and guidelines apply to its prescription and dispensation. In the USA, it has been a Schedule III drug under the United Nations.

Now that you know what the drug is I have seen a lot of success with this drug for opioid addiction but the one thing that I see all the time is that it is for way to long, I know of successful detoxes that use this an can ween people of all opioids or opiates in 7-15 days and I see doctors using it for people for months which I don't agree as it will, like any other drug or substance either become addictive or you become dependant to it.

I just had to get this out there as it is frustrating to see that when someone walks into a doctors office for help with either pain or weight loss etc that they can be taken advantage of by doctors whom they trust.

Agree? Disagree? I want to know.

Later - Monty

Novus Medical Detox makes the news

Its over again - A poem by Monty

It was nice while it lasted,
But now its come and gone,

Were all affected by it,
Even men that look real strong,

For women it seems a lifetime,
and for men a few short breaths,

For just 17 weeks a year,
you see laughing and song and cheer,

Oh and depending on where you frequent,
an awful lot of beer,

what is this virus, what is the reason?
C'mon boys!! Its freakin football season!

Monty

Rolling Stone article on Zyprexa

WOW!!!

Did anybody get to read the new Rollin Stone article on Zyprexa???

Man, If you did not then I am ordering you to!! It is very comprehensive and well written and best of all its true!

This is a great blow and I will tell you why I say this, I participate on a weekly radio show in Tampa Fl on prescription drugs and we regularly speak in outrage about this and other Atypical drugs, and sometimes it gets sorta old as I think that its just Nicole and Larry and I speaking on and on and on about the disaster that these drugs have caused and the lies that were told to get them as popular as they are today, BUT – With this article it shows me that AMERICA cares and that we are making a difference if only small and that people are waking up to the fact that these drugs are killing the elderly and causing suicides and causing diabetes in normal healthy people.

And for what... $$$ that's what it all about.

Anyhoo – Not to bore you but let me just give you a few quotes from it... To whet your desire..


“Zyprexa was created to treat schizophrenia, but it wound up being used on depressed moms and misbehaving kids. How one of the nation's biggest pharmaceutical companies turned a flawed, dangerous pill into a multi-billion-dollar bonanza — and who paid the price.”

-
"It was a very clever sort of con," says Dr. Peter Tyrer, a leading psychiatric researcher at Imperial College in London who wrote in the latest issue of the respected medical journal The Lancet about a new study that debunks the effectiveness of the atypicals. "Almost the whole scientific community was conned into thinking — as a consequence of good marketing — that this was a different and better set of drugs. The evidence, as it's all added up, has shown this to be untrue."


Well??? Need I say more.. read the article!!!

I want people to call up our radio show and give me their comments this weekend on this article, go to http://www.prescriptionaddictionradio.com/



Later - Monty

Waiting... A poem by Montana

Waiting

When oh when will you finally unfurl,

I wait and wait, Not even a referral,

I feel like I’m being painted, a part of some mural,

Like a woman at the salon waiting to have curls,

I realize you are different from the rest of the girls,

Its as if I’m the daylight and you are nocturnal

Or you a republican and I am a Liberal

I dress my self in black as if off to a funeral,

This day that’s just come has all been a swirl

But then in retrospect the week feels like eternal

and again I find myself waiting...

www.Shop to earn.net

Hey everybody!

I got something new for my blog today...

Recently I signed up for a thing called Shop to earn and I like it. Its a cool program that alot of my friends have gotten into recently and are making good money from it.

the website is look at is http://www.24hourtour.net/

And to sign up is www.shoptoearn.net/shopmonty

I like it as you sign up and do your purchasing through your website and then get money from it! Its really that simple. There are hundreds of websites to choose from and I think that its a pretty cool thing!

Most people might be skeptical about it but you know what thats fine, i was too but the proof is in the pudding.

Anyhoo - Wanted to share it - thought it could be cool!

Later - Monty

Zyprexa = Fraud = Death

Eli Lilly & Co. taught its sales force a catchy slogan to peddle the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa for treating the elderly.

Company salespeople told care providers that 5 milligrams of Zyprexa at 5 p.m. — or "5 at 5" — would help dementia patients sleep.

Only problem: Regulators never approved selling the drug for dementia, and federal prosecutors say marketing like that led to a record $1.42 billion settlement with Lilly announced Thursday.

The Indianapolis company agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commmerce and pay $615 million to resolve the criminal case.
It also agreed to pay roughly $800 million to resolve a civil case. The company said in a statement it admits no wrongdoing in that case.

Zyprexa is Lilly's top-selling product, a drug that rakes in more than $4 billion a year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved marketing it to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

But court documents show Lilly sales representatives also pushed it to treat generalized sleep disorder, aggression, Alzheimer's-related dementia and depression, among other unapproved uses, from 1999 through 2003. Doctors can prescribe drugs for unapproved uses, but companies aren't allowed to market drugs for those uses.

"The company made hundreds of millions of dollars by trying to convince health care providers that Zyprexa was safe for unapproved uses," said Laurie Magid, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

In 1999, Lilly started pushing the drug in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Sales reps said the weight gain caused by Zyprexa was actually a "therapeutic benefit," according to papers filed with the criminal case.

The drugmaker also marketed Zyprexa to primary-care doctors, even though the company knew there were "virtually" no approved uses for the drug in that market, the documents state. It trained salespeople to focus on symptoms rather than Zyprexa's approved uses.
At one point, Lilly had thousands of sales representatives involved in marketing the drug for unapproved uses, Magid said.

In 2006, the FDA approved a severe, "black box" warning tying Zyprexa to an increased risk of death in elderly patients, mainly from heart problems and infections.
Magid said Lilly was responsible for "putting thousands and thousands of patients at risk."
"Off-label marketing circumvents the very process put in place to protect the public," she said.
Lilly Chief Executive John Lechleiter said in a statement his company "deeply regrets the past actions covered by the misdemeanor plea."

On the civil side, Lilly will pay $438 million to settle allegations that it caused invalid claims to be submitted to government programs like Medicaid and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

The company will pay $361.8 million to state Medicaid programs, too.
Six former sales representatives helped trigger the government's investigation into Lilly. Those whistleblowers will share $78.8 million as part of the civil settlement, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Lilly also signed onto a corporate integrity agreement as part of the civil settlement. That calls for reviews by outside companies and more training for all U.S. employees, among other things, spokeswoman Angela Sekston said.
She said Lilly has a strong compliance program and is "fully committed" to the agreement as well.

Aside from Thursday's settlement, Lilly also has spent roughly $1.2 billion to resolve 32,000 claims related to Zyprexa product liability. About 125 cases are still pending.
For instance, a group of insurance companies, unions and others are suing Lilly for billions, saying it broke marketing laws and overcharged for the drug.

Lilly said in October it would set aside the $1.42 billion it agreed to pay Thursday and take that amount as a charge in its third-quarter earnings report. That led to Lilly's first quarterly loss in three years.

I am glad that this is taking place but am outraged by another failure by the FDA and also the fact that Lilly can walk away unscathed like this when there actions could have resulted in the deaths of innocent people.

Find out more on http://www.prescriptionaddictionradio.com/ and listen in live this Sunday where we will discuss this further.

Later - Monty