Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Voodoo Doctors It's been almost a year since Duncan resumed walking. He still needs a hand to hold, but his endurance is growing and the other day he actually took several steps unassisted. These were not his first unassisted steps, however. By last July, Duncan got up off the bed, walked out of the bedroom and across the kitchen, swearing a blue streak and threatening to remove my head and defecate down my lungs. But outside of the tantrum, he had no memeory of either what he said or did. But the very fact he could let me believe one day he would walk independenly once more, without any beserker adrenaline driving his body on. Medications still play havoc with his balance and proprioreception, (that sense of knowing where your feet are without needing to look), with one new addition to his pharmocopocia, Abilify, having profound Parkinsonlike side effects. But it helps his clrity and sense of humor so markedly, that we just keep experimenting with the doasage, give him Congentin to amelierorate its effects, and carry on. It has been a constant balancing act for most of his medications. When after a few months after Duncan returned to the first rehab facility he stil wasn't speaking more than a word at a time, we suggested that maybe they should try taking him off Resperdal. Finally they did, and Duncan was talking within the week. Why did we question thast particular drug, out of the 20 some he was dispensed round the clock? We read the label. 2:05:56 AM     comment []  US warns J&J on claims about antipsychotic drug Reuters, 04.27.04, 10:37 AM ET WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - U.S. regulators have warned Johnson & Johnson (nyse: JNJ - news - people) unit Janssen Pharmaceutica that a letter sent to doctors about its Risperdal drug to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania is misleading. In a warning disclosed on Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration told Janssen that its November letter failed to disclose information added to Risperdal's labeling about excess blood sugar and diabetes, and minimized the risk of serious events including coma and even death. The FDA also said the letter fails to recommend regular testing for diabetes and "misleadingly claims that Risperdal is safer than other atypical antipsychotics." The FDA told Janssen to stop distribution of any promotions that contain similar messages, and to disseminate "accurate and complete information" to the audiences that received the misleading information. A Janssen spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment. Risperdal has been on the market for schizophrenia since 1993 and in December received U.S. approval for the short-term treatment of the manic phase of bipolar disease. The drug's worldwide sales were $2.5 billion in 2003. 1:40:45 AM     comment []

Tuesday, February 10, 2004

It was a Friday evening, almost 2 years ago, that we started on this difficult, rewarding, frustrating, funny, horrifing, (you add the adjective,) journey. And we're going to be alright. 11:46:27 PM     comment []

© Copyright 2004 Henry Q Murphy .