Houston TX area has a population of 2.3 million +

If one presumes that 30% of the population are chronic pain pts… abt 690,000 chronic pain pts in the Houston area

If one presumes that each get their pain meds in 30 days supplies

Presuming that most pharmacies will hold chronic pain pts to a 2 day early refills..  some won’t even allow ONE DAY EARLY…

Since Harvey has been pounding Houston since Friday…

That would suggest that potentially up to  abt 23,000 chronic pain pts will be running out of their pain medication EACH DAY.. and being thrown into cold turkey withdrawal…

AND NOW… TROPICAL STORM HARVEY is headed for New Orleans/Louisiana … to impact more pts.

Of course, probably a lot of healthcare providers are more concerned about their own personal issues caused by this natural disaster … after all … now.. it is every person for themselves…

Filed under: General Problems | 4 Comments »

Former Cuyahoga County Jail inmate sues, says staff ignored severe withdrawal symptoms

http://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/index.ssf/2017/08/former_cuyahoga_county_jail_in_1.html

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Cleveland man is suing Cuyahoga County, county jail staff and employees of The MetroHealth System for what he says was negligent care provided to him while he was in jail and suffering obviously painful symptoms of drug and alcohol withdrawal.

Adam Bartlett, 29, says in a lawsuit filed Monday that he told jail staff when being booked in September 2016 that he was abusing alcohol and opioids and was also prescribed and dependent on Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication.

He did not get his Xanax or any treatment for his addiction or the corresponding withdrawal, and his mental and physical condition deteriorated in the days after being booked, the lawsuit says.

(You can read the lawsuit here or at the bottom of this story.)

Court records show that Bartlett was in jail from Sept. 7, 2016 to Sept. 26, 2016 on a community control violation after pleading guilty to a drug charge.

Staff from the jail and MetroHealth, which provides medical services for inmates, did not properly rate and treat the symptoms as serious, even though he was at times catatonic, disoriented and hallucinating, the lawsuit says.

At one point, a jail guard found Bartlett lying on the floor next to his cell, though he was treated like an uncooperative inmate, and a physician’s assistant determined that Bartlett was faking.

Filed under: General Problems | 3 Comments »

The slight changes in behavior represented a failed opportunity by the medical community, the authors wrote.

“Despite receiving medical attention for an overdose, these patients in Pennsylvania Medicaid continued to have persistently high prescription opioid use, with only slight increases in MAT engagement, signaling a relatively weak health system response to a life-threatening event,” they wrote.

Intervention has been shown to reduce overdose risk, and studies of commercially-insured patients found the potential intervention opportunities represented by overdoses are underutilized. The research letter found evidence of similar underutilization among Medicaid patients, who are three times as likely as their commercially-insured counterparts to have an overdose in the first place.

The authors acknowledged that the results may be specific to Pennsylvania, and that filled prescriptions were an imperfect measure of continued opioid use. Further, focusing on overdoses that required medical attention probably underestimated the number of overdoses and patients affected.

Filed under: General Problems | Leave a Comment »

FDA Designates MDMA As ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ For Post-Traumatic Stress

https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2017/08/28/fda-designates-mdma-as-breakthrough-therapy-for-post-traumatic-stress/#5f9d34e67460

Following years of lobbying and laboratory research on the medical uses of methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided to move forward with the drug.

Last week, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) announced that the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to MDMA for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Popularly known as a recreational drug, and as the main ingredient in ecstasy, MDMA has been shown to offer significant relief for sufferers of PTSD in clinical use trials conducted over the past several years, leading to the U.S. agency’s decision.

MAPS, which has been championing and fundraising for MDMA research for roughly 30 years, explained in a press release that the FDA’s granting of a Breakthrough Therapy Designation indicates the agency “has agreed that this treatment may have a meaningful advantage and greater compliance over available medications for PTSD.” It also designates the agency’s intent to help develop and review the treatment faster than other candidate therapies. 

See also: Cannabis Shows Promise In Treating Schizophrenia And Tourette Syndrome

 

According to MAPS, the non-profit organization has reached an agreement with the FDA under the Special Protocol Assessment Process for the design of two Phase 3 trials for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for patients with severe PTSD in the near future.  

“Reaching agreement with [the] FDA on the design of our Phase 3 program and having the ability to work closely with the agency has been a major priority for our team,” said Amy Emerson, Executive Director of the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation, in a release. “Our Phase 2 data was extremely promising with a large effect size, and we are ready to move forward quickly. With breakthrough designation, we can now move even more efficiently through the development process in collaboration with the FDA to complete Phase 3.”

 

National Institute on Drug Abuse

An illustration depicts how MDMA affects brain chemistry by binding to serotonin transporters, causing natural serotonin to temporarily flood the brain. (Public Domain courtesy National Institute on Drug Abuse via Wikimedia Commons)

The drug’s ability to help PTSD-sufferers cope with the lingering effects of trauma is attributed in large part to its capacity to produce feelings of euphoria, empathy, and heightened emotional and physical sensations–in other words, perhaps, giving sorely stressed brains the kind of neurochemical getaway that begets a little peace of mind. Those effects also seem to motivate recreational users, but unlike the self-dosed Saturday night version, official MDMA-assisted psychotherapy involves three administrations of the drug combined with established psychotherapeutic techniques.

Rick Doblin, Founder and Executive Director of MAPS, commented in a statement, “For the first time ever, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy will be evaluated in Phase 3 trials for possible prescription use, with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD leading the way … Now that we have agreement with FDA, we are ready to start negotiations with the European Medicines Agency.”

In Phase 2 trials completed by MAPS, 61% of the 107 participants no longer qualified for PTSD two months after they underwent three sessions of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, according to the group. After a year, that number grew to 68%, and among participants who had all suffered from chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD, on average for 17.8 years. 

See also: Global Survey Says Magic Mushrooms Are The Safest Recreational Drug

The randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trials will assess the efficacy and safety of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in a group of 200 to 300 participants with PTSD aged 18+ at sites in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. As Science reported, the trials could begin as soon as next spring and wrap up by 2021 if MAPS is able to find the estimated $25 million needed to conduct them.

As Science reflected, “That an illegal dancefloor drug could become a promising pharmaceutical is another indication that the efforts of a dedicated group of researchers interested in the medicinal properties of mind-altering drugs is paying dividends.”

David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist at Imperial College London, told Science, “This is not a big scientific step … It’s been obvious for 40 years that these drugs are medicines. But it’s a huge step in acceptance.”

Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »

Critical CVS App Flaw Shared Private User Data on 40+ Servers

www.idropnews.com/news/critical-cvs-app-flaw-shared-user-data-on-40-web-servers/48075/

Filed under: General Problems | Leave a Comment »

Aetna hit with lawsuit over HIV-status privacy breach

http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/aetna-hit-lawsuit-over-hiv-privacy-breach

Aetna is facing a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of customers who claim their privacy was breached when they received a letter containing a reference to filling HIV medications that was visible through a window in the envelope. 

The issue came to light last week when two advocacy groups—the Legal Action Center and AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania—issued a statement outlining the complaints they’ve received from Aetna customers who claim the mailings were seen by family members, roommates and neighbors. 

In response, Aetna issued a public apology and said it is “undertaking a full review of our processes to ensure something like this never happens again.” The insurer had also sent a letter to the 12,000 members who received the letters notifying them of the breach and their rights.

Now, though, the gaffe is a legal matter. Philadelphia-based law firm Berger & Montague filed a complaint (PDF) against Aetna on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, demanding that the company cease the practice, reform its procedures and pay damages. The lead plaintiff in the case, according to an announcement (PDF), is a Bucks County, Pennsylvania, man whose sister learned from seeing an Aetna letter that her brother was taking medications to prevent acquiring HIV. 

“My law firm and the nonprofit legal organizations with whom we are working believe that the best way to ensure a remedy for the people who received the letters, and suffered harm, is to file a class action suit,” said Sarah Schalman-Bergen, a Berger & Montague shareholder. “We are committed to prosecuting this matter and making sure that this never happens again.”

Indeed, the lawsuit noted that this isn’t the first time Aetna customers have complained about privacy issues related to their HIV prescriptions. Previously, the insurer settled cases brought by members who claimed its policy requiring them to fill HIV medications through mail order, rather than at a pharmacy, jeopardized their privacy. 

Thus, Aetna changed its policy and notified the affected members. But in doing so, it used a third-party mailing vendor, which sent the notices in an envelope with a “large transparent glassine window,” which in some cases made the instructions for how to fill HIV medications visible without having to open the letter.

These actions, the lawsuit said, “carelessly, recklessly, negligently and impermissibly” revealed HIV-related information of Aetna’s current and former members to their “family, friends, roommates, landlords, neighbors, mail carriers and complete strangers.”

When reached by email, an Aetna spokesman said the company had no comment on the lawsuit.

At least one state official, meanwhile, has also expressed concern about the privacy breach. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman tweeted last week that he sent a letter to Aetna asking for more information:

Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »

The Lead Vaccine Developer Comes Clean So She Can “Sleep At Night”

www.realfarmacy.com/the-lead-vaccine-developer-comes-clean/

Gardasil and Cervarix don’t work, are dangerous, and weren’t tested

Dr. Diane Harper was the lead researcher in the development of the human papilloma virus vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix. She is the latest to come forward and question the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines. She made the surprising announcement at the 4th International Public Conference on Vaccination, which took place in Reston, Virginia on Oct. 2nd through 4th, 2009. Her speech was supposed to promote the Gardasil and Cervarix vaccines, but she instead turned on her corporate bosses in a very public way. When questioned about the presentation, audience members remarked that they came away feeling that the vaccines should not be used.

“I came away from the talk with the perception that the risk of adverse side effects is so much greater than the risk of cervical cancer, I couldn’t help but question why we need the vaccine at all.”  – Joan Robinson

Dr. Harper explained in her presentation that the cervical cancer risk in the U.S. is already extremely low, and that vaccinations are unlikely to have any effect upon the rate of cervical cancer in the United States. In fact, 70% of all H.P.V. infections resolve themselves without treatment in a year, and the number rises to well over 90% in two years. Harper also mentioned the safety angle. All trials of the vaccines were done on children aged 15 and above, despite them currently being marketed for 9-year-olds. So far, 15,037 girls have reported adverse side effects from Gardasil alone to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (V.A.E.R.S.), and this number only reflects parents who underwent the hurdles required for reporting adverse reactions. At the time of writing, 44 girls are officially known to have died from these vaccines. The reported side effects include Guillian Barré Syndrome (paralysis lasting for years, or permanently — sometimes eventually causing suffocation), lupus, seizures, blood clots, and brain inflammation. Parents are usually not made aware of these risks. Dr. Harper, the vaccine developer, claimed that she was speaking out, so that she might finally be able to sleep at night.

“About eight in every ten women who have been sexually active will have H.P.V. at some stage of their life. Normally there are no symptoms, and in 98 per cent of cases it clears itself. But in those cases where it doesn’t, and isn’t treated, it can lead to pre-cancerous cells which may develop into cervical cancer.”  – Dr. Diane Harper

One must understand how the establishment’s word games are played to truly understand the meaning of the above quote, and one needs to understand its unique version of “science”. When they report that untreated cases “can” lead to something that “may” lead to cervical cancer, it really means that the relationship is merely a hypothetical conjecture that is profitable if people actually believe it. In other words, there is no demonstrated relationship between the condition being vaccinated for and the rare cancers that the vaccine might prevent, but it is marketed to do that nonetheless. In fact, there is no actual evidence that the vaccine can prevent any cancer. From the manufacturers own admissions, the vaccine only works on 4 strains out of 40 for a specific venereal disease that dies on its own in a relatively short period, so the chance of it actually helping an individual is about about the same as the chance of him being struck by a meteorite. Why do nine-year-old girls need vaccinations for extremely rare and symptom-less venereal diseases that the immune system usually kills anyway?

Filed under: General Problems | 2 Comments »

Someone has asked for some help in spreading Walmarts new directives. Many Walmart Rphs are in the mid to high 60’s per hour pay rate. The new goal is to have pharmacy managers at 55 per hour and staff at 52 per hour. This info came from a market manager that was at meeting in Arkansas last week. They are not terminating people for the usual business metrics like the three letter chain or for immunization metrics, but rather policy and procedures. The biggest area for terminations is coming from pharmacists using the restroom. Most Walmarts have a restroom within the gated area, however according to the policy and procedures below this leaves the pharmacy unattended and out of sight.The policy and procedures trump state laws that require a RPh to be in the building….according to Walmart they need to have the pharmacy in sight. One such Pharmacist was more than 3 feet out of the OTC section while helping a patient and was fired. Bathroom breaks are only at lunch when the pharmacy is closed. If you can help in any way it would be greatly appreciated. Many have been terminated for the bathroom thing and of course were replaced with someone will to take much less pay. Just like at CVS I’m sure most don’t review these policies to often.

click on above graphic to pull up new policies and procedures

Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »

Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »

CLICK ON ABOVE LINK TO LISTEN

This American War on Drugs

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has signaled that he’d like to revamp the war on drugs. We take a look at the history of the battle, and how sensational media depictions of crack, heroin, and meth have helped fuel it. Plus: our Breaking News Consumer’s Handbook: Drugs Edition. Then, a look at how America’s first drug czar used racist propaganda to outlaw marijuana. And why the debate between treatment and law enforcement is blurrier than you might think. 1. Our Breaking News Consumer’s Handbook: Drugs Edition: a critical look at what the press gets wrong about drugs and drug addiction, featuring Dr. Debbie Dowell of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Carl Hart of Columbia University, and author Maia Szalavitz. 2. Historian Alexandra Chasin and author Johann Hari tell the story of Harry Anslinger, the man who set our seeming eternal drug war in motion, and his ruthless pursuit of jazz singer Billie Holiday. 3. University of California Santa Cruz’s Dr. Craig Reinarman examines how American presidents encouraged and harnessed hysteria around drugs for political gain. 4. Journalist Sam Quinones argues for the importance of aggressive policing in the effort to end America’s opioid crisis.

Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »