4 Ways To Save Money On Proscription Drugs

If you have purchased any type of prescription drug recently, then you are well aware of the high price tag on most medications. Many on fixed incomes have resorted to splitting pills, taking medications only on alternating days or forgoing taking prescribed medicine altogether to save money. Very dangerous, potentially deadly, practices. Use these 4 ways to save money on prescription drugs and take your medicine everyday as prescribed to maintain your health.


PRESCRIPTION SAVINGS PROGRAMS


Many chain pharmacies offer some type of prescription savings program that you can sign up for and save money on generic brands and/or long-term medications.
 Sometimes the money-saving programs have a small up-front fee (usually around $10), but will save you far more than that nominal amount for one prescription.
Call the different pharmacies in your area to discover what type of prescription savings programs they may offer to their customers.


COMPANY WEBSITE


 Pharmaceutical companies often offer money saving coupons for long-term maintenance drugs on the company website. Special offers and/or rebate cards may also be offered. Before having a new prescription filled, check the pharmaceutical company's website. Talk with your doctor about the cost of a new or existing prescription. Pharmaceutical companies frequently give drug samples and discount prescription cards to physicians to hand out to their patients.


PAYMENT HELPER SITES


 Know that you are not alone in the struggle to meet the rising cost of prescription drugs and several 'payment helper' groups have formed to help people who are struggling to purchase their needed medications. Visit some of the online websites, like TogetherRx, to see if you qualify for free or reduced priced medications.


GO NORTH


 Across the Canadian border prescription drugs are up to 50% cheaper than here in the United States. The drug prices are so much cheaper up north because Canada's federal government controls the prices of new drugs. When doing business with an online Canadian drugstore, make sure they are certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and display the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site seal on their website. This will ensure you are getting top quality medications and not being scammed. 

The Question Everyone Should Ask Their Pharmacist When Taking a New Drug

I have been a victim and near-victim of prescription drugs I should never have been given. Millions of people like you and me put blind faith into their doctors every day to prescribe safe and useful medications. Hundreds of thousands of them die every year from drug side effects. In fact, prescription drugs kill more people yearly than illegal drugs or traffic accidents.

 The fact is, your doctor can't possibly know every side effect of every drug on the market, and they don't have to. That's why pharmacists exist and why I have learned to utilize their knowledge.


WHY PATIENTS DIE OF SIDE EFFECTS


They Should Have Known About Pharmacists have no influence over how many prescriptions are written, nor do they benefit from filling a certain prescription.
 Part of their job is to educate patients on the drugs they prescribe. Nearly every major pharmacy has a counter just for consultations, and very few people ever use them.
 Everyone is in a hurry, so when the pharmacy asks if you understand the directions given with the drugs, most people just sign and walk away.


Make Your Pharmacist Does His Job


My pharmacist told me that if people would actually let pharmacists educate them about the medications they are taking, they could save thousands of lives a year.
He said that he has tried, and been told they would just read the paper inside. Most people don't read it. Again, there is that blind faith in the doctor to do no harm. Unfortunately, drug companies don't take that oath, routinely paying unscrupulous doctors to push their drugs.

I've had pharmacists alert me to possible dangers of a new prescription, such as the possibility of seizures, and I really appreciated it.


DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK BEFORE YOU BUY


 Before you even purchase a new prescription, ask for a pharmacist to print out a list of side effects and explain them to you.
You may find that you should not be taking that medicine at all because of something your doctor overlooked.
I was once almost given Tylenol with codeine in a hospital, even though CODEINE was written in red letters across the top of my chart, since I am allergic to it.
Neither the doctor who wrote the prescription nor the nurse who called it in to the pharmacist noticed it.
 It had not been put into the records that were available on the pharmacy computer, or he may have been able to catch it. Fortunately, my husband was in my room, noticed the pills were like the ones he had been prescribed for back pain, and asked before I took them.
With drugs companies pushing through approvals of new drugs they know are dangerous, and promoting drugs for dangerous off-label uses, you have to be your own advocate.
I was recently prescribed a drug that stated clearly on the cautions that it should not be prescribed to elderly patients, due to risk of death.
I don't know if 60 is considered elderly, but it's close enough for me. The other side effects were equally as frightening. Furthermore, it was a drug for an illness I don't even have. So do your research and be your own best protector, and don't be afraid to ask your pharmacist questions

Medications That Can Cause Weight Gain

About four years ago, I had gastric bypass surgery and lost 148 pounds.

 I was thrilled with my weight loss. Then last summer, my doctor prescribed two medications for me to treat depression, notriptyline and Abilify.

To my dismay, in just a few months I'd gained 23 pounds. Unfortunately, weight gain is a common side effect of a number of medications, including some antidepressants like those my doctor prescribed for me. If you're concerned about your weight, or if you notice weight gain after taking a new medication, talk to your doctor.

Your doctor may be able to prescribe an alternative medication that is less likely to cause weight gain.

Don't just stop taking a medication due to weight gain, though.

Suddenly stopping some medications can cause serious health problems.



 ANTIDEPRESSANTS 



According to Web MD, up to 25 percent of people taking antidepressants experience weight gain of at least 10 pounds.

 Weight gain sometimes occurs shortly after a patient begins taking an antidepressant but often does not occur until a patient has been taking the drug for six months or more.

Antidepressants that may cause weight gain include paxil, prozac, lexapro, zoloft, elavil, effexor, parnate, and nardil.

 It's important to remember that these drugs don't cause weight gain in all patients, though.




STEROIDS



Steroids, also referred to as corticosteroids, are prescribed for a variety of conditions, including asthma, arthritis, some skin disorders, some autoimmune disorders, and some types of cancer. Corticosteroids include drugs like cortisone, hydrocortisone, and prednisone.

They can cause weight gain and a characteristic puffiness or "moon face" appearance.



DIABETES MEDICATIONS



Some medications prescribed to treat diabetes, like Diabeta and Diabinese, can lead to weight gain because they increase the appetite.

 According to John Hopkins Medicine, other medications can usually be used to treat diabetes that don't have this side effect. If you need to take one of these drugs that increases the appetite, though, pay attention to your food intake and focus on high fiber, low calorie foods that will fill you up without adding many calories to prevent weight gain.



 HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATIONS




 High blood pressure medications, including Cardura and Inderal, can cause weight gain because they can cause water retention.

They can also cause fatigue, causing a patient to become less active, which then leads to weight gain.


ANTI-SEIZURE MEDICATIONS



Depakote is a commonly prescribed anti-seizure drug that can cause weight gain.
 It's also sometimes prescribed for patients with bipolar disorder or other psychiatric problems.



HEARTBURN MEDICATIONS


 Heartburn medications like Nexium and Prevacid lead to weight gain in some people, but other actually lose weight while taking these drugs.

According to Medicine Net, doctors can't predict how your body will respond to one of these drugs.

If you're concerned about weight gain and your doctor prescribes one of these medications, monitor your weight carefully and talk to your doctor about any weight gain.

DIETERS MAY UNKNOWINGLY BUY DANGEROUS WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS Read more at: Http://Thrombokinase1.blogspot.com

A potentially hazardous weight loss supplement that has been recalled in the United States continues to be sold and consumed in significant amounts, a new study suggests.


The study found that women are taking Pai You Guo, a weight loss supplement from China that has been found to contain banned pharmaceutical substances, including a drug linked to cancer.

 In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a voluntary recall of Pai You Guo and issued alerts about the supplement's potential health risks.

 The new study found nearly a quarter of Brazilian-born women surveyed in Boston use Pai You Guo. No one who took the supplement was aware of the recall, and most experienced side effects. 

The findings demonstrate a much larger problem — that regulation of dietary supplements in the United States is too lax, said study researcher Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a general internist at Cambridge Health Alliance. "Even when the FDA clearly determines that there's a hazardous product," the agency is incapable of effectively removing it from the market, Cohen said. 

The doses of banned drugs in the supplements "convinces us that this was no error" on the part of the manufacturer, Cohen said. 

Because consumers, standing in a store aisle, can't be sure whether the supplements they buy have been recalled or contain dangerous substances, they should steer clear of them for now, Cohen said. "I do not believe that it's safe to purchase weight loss supplements in the United States at this time," Cohen said. 

Adulterated pills The FDA regulates dietary supplements, but the agency can only step in after the supplements come to market and recall ones they find to be hazardous. Since 2005, the FDA has identified more the 300 weight loss supplements that contain banned pharmaceuticals . 

That's likely only a small fraction of the actual number of adulterated supplements, Cohen said. Cohen and colleagues surveyed more than 500 women in the Boston area originally from Brazil. 

Earlier research identified a particularly high use of diet pills among Brazilian-born women. Twenty-three percent reported using Pai You Guo, in either capsule or pill form. Eighty-five percent reported at least one side effect, including dry mouth, anxiety and insomnia. About 66 percent of users purchased Pai You Guo from acquaintances, 30 percent from stores and 9 percent over the Intenet. 

Most participants bought the supplement after the recall. People take Pai You Guo thinking they're using a natural weight loss remedy . "Instead, they're consuming banned pharmaceutical product," Cohen said. 

Pai You Guo has been found to contain sibutramine, a weight loss drug that was recalled in 2010 due concerns it might increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Some capsules and teas containing Pai You Guo have been found to contain doses of sibutramine six times higher than the doses found in prescription pills, Cohen said, and the substance is not even listed on the product label. This problem likely extends beyond the Boston area, CoA potentially hazardous weight loss supplement that has been recalled in the United States continues to be sold and consumed in significant amounts, a new study suggests. 

The study found that women are taking Pai You Guo, a weight loss supplement from China that has been found to contain banned pharmaceutical substances, including a drug linked to cancer.

 In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a voluntary recall of Pai You Guo and issued alerts about the supplement's potential health risks. The new study found nearly a quarter of Brazilian-born women surveyed in Boston use Pai You Guo. 

No one who took the supplement was aware of the recall, and most experienced side effects. The findings demonstrate a much larger problem — that regulation of dietary supplements in the United States is too lax, said study researcher Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a general internist at Cambridge Health Alliance. "Even when the FDA clearly determines that there's a hazardous product," the agency is incapable of effectively removing it from the market, Cohen said. 

The doses of banned drugs in the supplements "convinces us that this was no error" on the part of the manufacturer, Cohen said. Because consumers, standing in a store aisle, can't be sure whether the supplements they buy have been recalled or contain dangerous substances, they should steer clear of them for now, Cohen said. "I do not believe that it's safe to purchase weight loss supplements in the United States at this time," Cohen said.

 Adulterated pills The FDA regulates dietary supplements, but the agency can only step in after the supplements come to market and recall ones they find to be hazardous. Since 2005, the FDA has identified more the 300 weight loss supplements that contain banned pharmaceuticals .

 That's likely only a small fraction of the actual number of adulterated supplements, Cohen said. Cohen and colleagues surveyed more than 500 women in the Boston area originally from Brazil. Earlier research identified a particularly high use of diet pills among Brazilian-born women. 

Twenty-three percent reported using Pai You Guo, in either capsule or pill form. Eighty-five percent reported at least one side effect, including dry mouth, anxiety and insomnia. About 66 percent of users purchased Pai You Guo from acquaintances, 30 percent from stores and 9 percent over the Intenet. Most participants bought the supplement after the recall. People take Pai You Guo thinking they're using a natural weight loss remedy . "Instead, they're consuming banned pharmaceutical product," Cohen said. Pai You Guo has been found to contain sibutramine, a weight loss drug that was recalled in 2010 due concerns it might increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Some capsules and teas containing Pai You Guo have been found to contain doses of sibutramine six times higher than the doses found in prescription pills, Cohen said, and the substance is not even listed on the product label.

 This problem likely extends beyond the Boston area, Cohen said. Pai You Guo has been reportedly sold in California, Florida and Washington state. "We're talking about a national problem," Cohen said. Others say the problem is likely not common in the general population. It is likely confined to certain pockets of the population, said Dr. Bimal Ashar, an associate professor of medicine at John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. Rotten tomatoes Congress should re-write the rules that govern dietary supplements, Cohen said. 

The FDA should be given the authority to approve dietary supplements before they go to market, Cohen said, and should ensure the drugs are safe and really contain what's on the label, he said. Right now, "supplements are regulated by the FDA as if they are food," Cohen said. But unlike, say, a spoiled tomato, "the consumers has absolutely no ability when they're popping a pill to know if it's spoiled or rotten or not," Cohen said. 

Ashar agreed regulation of weight loss supplements should be enhanced. And the FDA, he said, should increase awareness about the way these products are regulated. "I don't think the public really knows that this stuff is not regulated," before it comes to market, Ashar said. "They think ok, this is in a bottle”¦it must be pure, it must be fine to take." "There needs to be a very, very highly publicized campaign about dietary supplement," in which the FDA says what it can do and will do to regulate these substances, Ashar said. 

However, even if better regulations are put in place, it may be tough to prevent the sale of these weight loss supplements if most are acquired through acquaintances, Ashar said. The FDA would not have the resources to track down such sales the way law enforcement tracks down the sales of narcotics, making it practically impossible, 

hen said. Pai You Guo has been reportedly sold in California, Florida and Washington state. "We're talking about a national problem," Cohen said. Others say the problem is likely not common in the general population. 

It is likely confined to certain pockets of the population, said Dr. Bimal Ashar, an associate professor of medicine at John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. Rotten tomatoes Congress should re-write the rules that govern dietary supplements, Cohen said. 

The FDA should be given the authority to approve dietary supplements before they go to market, Cohen said, and should ensure the drugs are safe and really contain what's on the label, he said. Right now, "supplements are regulated by the FDA as if they are food," Cohen said. But unlike, say, a spoiled tomato, "the consumers has absolutely no ability when they're popping a pill to know if it's spoiled or rotten or not," Cohen said. 

Ashar agreed regulation of weight loss supplements should be enhanced. And the FDA, he said, should increase awareness about the way these products are regulated. "I don't think the public really knows that this stuff is not regulated," before it comes to market, Ashar said. "They think ok, this is in a bottle”¦it must be pure, it must be fine to take." "There needs to be a very, very highly publicized campaign about dietary supplement," in which the FDA says what it can do and will do to regulate these substances, Ashar said. 

However, even if better regulations are put in place, it may be tough to prevent the sale of these weight loss supplements if most are acquired through acquaintances, Ashar said. The FDA would not have the resources to track down such sales the way law enforcement tracks down the sales of narcotics, making it practically impossible, Ashar said

FDA WARNS HEALTH OFFICIALS ABOUT COUNTERFEIT CANCER DRUG

THE FDA ANNOUNCED ON TUESDAY THAT A COUNTERFEIT VERSION OF THE DRUG AVASTIN HAS MADE ITS WAY INTO THE U.S. MARKET.


 Doctors, hospitals, and pharmacists are being urged to check their supply of the drug to make sure it was manufactured by Roche Group partner Genentech, the maker of the real Avastin.

WHAT IS AVASTIN?


Avastin is a "designer drug" created to treat cancer by isolating a protein known as vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, according to Genentech.

VEGF helps the body create new blood vessels, which in a person with cancer, can help feed the cancerous cells. By blocking VEGF, Avastin theoretically can "starve" cancer cells and kill them off, according to NPR.

Avastin has only been approved to help treat certain kinds of cancers, including colorectal, brain, kidney, and lung cancer. It was initially approved late last year for treating breast cancer as well, but the FDA withdrew the approval while it is re-evaluating the drug's effectiveness in treating advanced cases of the disease.

HOW DID THE FDA FIND OUT ABOUT THE COUNTERFEIT?


CNN reports that the FDA tracked purchases made from Quality Specialty Products, which in the U.S. appears to also go under the moniker Montana Health Care Solutions.
The company is alleged to have been sourcing counterfeit drugs from overseas distributors and then selling them to U.S. practitioners.

Genentech themselves tested the suspected counterfeit version of the drug and found it to be not merely repackaged but fraudulent. Some 19 different potential buyers have been identified.

The FDA warned all of them individually about the counterfeit drug before releasing a more general press statement on Tuesday.


IS THE COUNTERFEIT VERSION DANGEROUS?

Yes, in that it is missing the active ingredient bevacizumab, the key component in the real Avastin medication. Therefore, anyone who has been treated with the counterfeit would not have been getting needed cancer therapy.

Roche and Genentech released a statement on Tuesday giving details on how to identify fake medications, as well as warning practitioners that the counterfeit should not be considered either safe or effective.


DOES THE FDA KNOW IF ANYONE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN GIVEN THE COUNTERFEIT?


Not at this time. The path of the counterfeit drug once it hit American shores is still being investigated, according to MSNBC. Because the agency is still unsure just how much of the counterfeit was purchased and distributed, the FDA hasn't been able to determine whether anyone was actually administered the faux treatment.

MEDICAL STUDENTS HAVE SUBSTANTIAL EXPOSURE TO PHARMARKETINGMACEUTICAL MARKETING

MEDICAL STUDENTS ARE COMMONLY EXPOSED TO PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING IN THE USA.



This exposure is considerable even during their preclinical studies. Researchers from the Harvard Medical School explain in the journal PLoS Medicine that students have positive attitudes to their contact with pharmaceutical companies - they tend not to think that their exposure might undermine their training and ability to subsequently do their job properly.


Study leaders, Kirsten Austad and Aaron S. Kesselheim believe that educational strategies for medical students regarding their relationship with the pharmaceutical industry should directly address commonly-help myths about the effects of targeted marketing.



They evaluated all published studies on pharmaceutical marketing targeted at medical students and gathered data from 9,850 students from 76 different medical schools.



The researchers wrote that the majority of medical students were involved in some form of interaction with drug companies.


This contact grew with nearly 90% of clinical students receiving educational materials from the industry.

The majority of students felt it was OK to receive gifts from pharmaceutical companies. They cited financial hardship, plus the fact that most students studying other subjects also received and accepted presents, among their reasons to justify entitlement to such gifts.


Nearly two-thirds of the medical students said they were in no way influenced or affected by bias induced by interactions with sales reps, gifts or promotional materials.


There was no consensus among them on whether doctor-industry interactions should be controlled by either the government or medical schools. The authors believe that better education on doctor-industry relationships, as well as institutions pushing for reforms may help achieve an environment which is good for the student and medicine in general.


They authors added: "Given the potential for educational and institutional messages to be counteracted by the hidden curriculum, changes should be directed at faculty and residents who serve as role models for medical students." They concluded: ​ "These changes can help move medical education a step closer to two important goals: the cultivation of strong professional values, as well as the promotion of a respect for scientific principles and critical review of evidence that will later inform clinical decision-making and prescribing practices."

ASTHMA INHALERS TO BECOME PRESCRIPTION-ONLY

 Environmentalists can breath a little easier after the Food and Drug Administration announced that it's banning over-the-counter asthma inhalers, citing hazardous chemicals the spray emits.


The epinephrine inhalers violate an international ban on chlorofluorocarbons, an ingredient formerly found in many aerosol products that has been shown to be harmful to the ozone layer.


Armstrong Pharmaceutical's Primatene Mist is the final inhaler to use chlorofluorocarbons, and other inhalers that have substituted the more environmentally friendly hydrofluoroalkane are prescription only.


That could pose logistical and financial problems for asthma sufferers who rely on inhalers to stave off attacks. The alternatives to the soon to be banned epinephrine inhalers are more expensive and require a prescription to obtain." If you rely on an over-the-counter inhaler to relieve your asthma symptoms, it is important that you contact a health care professional to talk about switching to a different medicine to treat your asthma," Badrul Chowdhury, FDA's director of pulmonary drug division, said in a statement.


The ban derives from the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, an international agreement in which the U.S. and 195 other countries agreed to take off the market all products releasing chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere.


The FDA finalized plans to phase out the dangerous inhalers in 2017. The ban officially goes into effect on Dec. 31. 

SEVEN TOP SELLING DRUGS IN THE WORLD

THE TOP TEN SELLING DRUGS IN THE WORLD HAVE A MARKET SHARE OF 9.6% OR US$ 63 BILLION. 

The total pharmceutical market for all these drugs is about US$ 663.5 Billion. The figures excludes countries with un-audited markets, and Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

The Brand names are listed first followed by drug generic names in brackets. All these are figures sales are from the year 2007.



1. LIPITOR (ATORVASTATIN) - is a drug from Pfizer and has a US$ 13.5 billion market worldwide. Atorvastatin is a statin i.e it is a cholesterol-lowering drug. It is used to lowers LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels and reduce the risk of heart attacks or angina in patients with increased risk such as those who have hypertension, are 55 years or older, smoker, or those with family history of early coronary heart disease. One in 5 adults in developed countries have high cholesterol and only about 20% of it comes from the foods we eat whereas the rest 80% is produced by our body.



2. PLAVIX (CLOPIDOGREL) is drug marketed in nearly 110 countries by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis and has sales of US$ 7.3 billion. Clopidogrel inhibit blood clots in arteries such as coronary, carotid and peripheral arteries of the limbs and prevents ischemia. It is also used to prevent thrombosis in arterio-venous fistula in patients with chronic kidney failure.



3. NEXIUM (ESOMEPRAZOLE) a drug from AstraZeneca with Sales of US$ 7.27 Billion in 2007. Esomeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor which is used in the treatment of DYSPEPSIA, peptic ulcer disease, gastro esophageal reflux disease. Esomeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor which reduces gastric acid secretion through inhibition of gastric parietal cells by inhibiting H /K -ATPase enzyme thereby the drug prevents formation of gastric acid. NEXIUM has helped many people find relief from persistent heartburn. It can also help heal damage to the esophagus that may be caused by acid reflux.



4. SERETIDE/ADVAIR (FLUTICASONE SALMETEROL) - a drug from GlaxoSmithKline with Sales of US$ Billion 7.1 in 2007. Salmeterol xinafoate is a bronchodilator which relaxes the muscles in the walls of the small air passages in the lungs which helps to open the airways and makes it easier for air to get in and out of the lungs. The effects of salmeterol xinafoate usually last long for at least 12 hours. It should be taken regularly for small air passages to remain open.



5. ENBREL (ETANERCEPT) a drug from Amgen and Wyeth with Sales of US$ 5.3 Billion in 2007. Enbrel is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker. It is widely used in immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and plaque psoriasis where TNF level is high. Enbrel tends to block the TNF and reduce inflammation.



6. ZYPREXA (OLANZAPINE) a drug from Eli Lilly with Sales of US$ 5.3 Billion. Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic used in the treatment of: schizophrenia, depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder, acute manic episodes and maintenance treatment in bipolar disorder. Olanzapine was found to be effective for treating the prodromal symptoms, but was associated with significant weight gain. The olanzapine formulations are manufactured and marketed by the Eli Lilly and Company, whose patent for olanzapine proper expires in 2011.



7. RISPERDAL (RISPERIDONE) a drug from JANSSEN-CILAG with Sales of US$ 4.9 Billion. Risperidone is an antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia including adolescent schizophrenia, the mixed and manic states associated with bipolar disorder, and irritability in children with autism. Risperidone was approved by the US -FDA in 1993 for the treatment of schizophrenia.
Risperdal was approved as the only drug agent available for treatment of schizophrenia in youth ages 13