Forensic Nursing Chronicles

It is a shame that a prescription drug such as Ambien can have such a downside. More and more prescription drugs are being pulled off the market for safety reasons. This is after they have been approved by the FDA. It is true that the warning label for Ambien states that it might cause sleepwalking and hallucinations. It can also cause worsening depression, suicidal ideations, amnesia, aggressive behavior, back pain, diarrhea, and more. Why not try a natural treatment such as melatonin, valerian root, kava kava, passionflower, skullcap, 5-HTP, or Sleepy-time tea. Taking a hot bath a couple of hours before bedtime is relaxing. These are just some of the natural ways to get a good nights rest. I think they are a much safer alternative than prescription drugs.

Original Post:
April 1, 2006
A number of recent news stories on the side effects of Ambien. I read an article in our metro newspaper, and listened to a women speak on a national news program, about a variety of strange behaviors that were experienced during sleep.

There were even a large percentage of people arrested in the state of Wisconsin for DUI, who it was later detected had no BAL but were instead under the influence of Ambien.

Another one of the frequently reported behaviors is “sleep-eating”. Sleep researchers at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN first reported such cases in 2002.

Recently a physician who specializes in sleep disorders at the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center in Minneapolis, MN said he and his colleagues have documented 32 cases of sleep-eating in patients taking Ambien.

Sanofi-Aventis, the maker of Ambien say it’s safe when taken as directed. The warning label does caution it might cause sleepwalking and hallucinations.

According to the National Institute of Health, about a third of all adults say they have insomnia at least sometimes. Last year, there were an estimated 26.5 million prescriptions for Ambien sold in the US, making it the leading sleep medication on the market.

Researchers say that Ambien somehow increases the amount of time in the stage of sleep that promotes sleepwalking in people who have no history of it. It seems to me that if assessing a patient with a sleep disorder such as insomnia, it would be wise to caution them about the findings in persons taking Ambien, and also to provide them with some guidance if it is decided to be the drug of choice.

Some of the suggestions I would make would be to:
1.)try non-drug remedies to solve their insomnia before trying a sleeping pill,
2.)take the lowest dose necessary to fall asleep if it is decided a sleeping pill is necessary,
3.) to try putting chimes or some other type of noise maker on their bedroom door (to wake them if up sleepwalking).

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Forensic Nursing, Forensic Nursing Chronicles, Forensic Nursing Diagnosis, Forensic Nursing Theories, Forensic Toxicology, Forensic Nursing & Sleeping Pills

This appears to be yet another example of a pharmaceutical drug that did harm. In this case it was clearly by faulty manufacturing, but other cases of harm have come from FDA approved drugs. Even some of the side effects from approved drugs can be harmful to a patient. On the television, you see frequent ads for lawyers, wanting to represent you if you or a family member if you were taking X and received harm. I believe many of these people taking multiple pharmaceutical drugs could benefit from Naturopathy. For example, a change in diet and supplemental therapy may be able to help a patient get off or reduce their need for antihypertensive medication, or a diabetic to decrease or eliminate the need for antidiabetic agents.

Original Post:
December 1, 2008
Heparin imported from China kills 18 people, comment
Just another bad blotch on the Chinese pharmaceutical trade market. Chinese chemical companies are also largely responsible for providing steroids to U.S. underground labs. One Chinese company sold poison mislabeled as a drug ingredient and killed over 200 people in Haiti and Panama. Another sold cold medicine laced with diethylene glycol that in 2006 killed over 100. Diethylene glycol is usually used in antifreeze and brake fluid. Because of its’ relatively sweet taste it often poisons dogs and other animals upon exposure to open containers. Exposure to it causes liver damage and rapid kidney failure by elevation of the Blood Urea Nitrogen levels and creatine levels. Exposure also can result in hematuria. It is substituted for glycerol illegally by these illegitimate Chinese companies. Glycerol, also called glycerine, is much tougher to work with and also much more expensive. Substituting diethylene glycol provides a much cheaper alternative to normally expensive cold medicines. The only problem is it kills people.

Original Post:
November 11, 2008
Heparin imported from China kills 18 people
Heparin imported from China kills 18 people. Baxter International is the maker of the tainted Heparin. Baxter received a letter from the F.D.A warning about the Chinese plant identified as the source of contamination stating the plant had unclean tanks to make heparin, accepted raw materials from undependable vendors and did not have adequate ways to remove impurities. F.D.A. has discovered cheap fake additives to heparin in 2006. Poor inspections of plants have been acknowledged by the Bush administration and plans have been made to improve the situation. One cause of this crisis appears to be budget cuts to the F.D.A. that has caused a backlog in inspectors. F.D.A. would need decades to complete inspection of every foreign plant. The 1938 law “The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act” enacted following the deaths of more than 100 people caused by ingestion of a solvent-laced antibiotic. The cut down on chances of another tragedy Congress passed the law requiring all new drugs undergo testing for toxicity. This law should have prevented the heparin tragedy but without enough F.D.A. staff to test drugs and inspect factories the heparin got on to the market and caused deaths.

Technorati Tags:
forensic nursing, forensic nursing chronicles, forensic nursing theories, Forensic Toxicology, Death Investigation

Just another bad blotch on the Chinese pharmaceutical trade market. Chinese chemical companies are also largely responsible for providing steroids to U.S. underground labs. One Chinese company sold poison mislabeled as a drug ingredient and killed over 200 people in Haiti and Panama. Another sold cold medicine laced with diethylene glycol that in 2006 killed over 100. Diethylene glycol is usually used in antifreeze and brake fluid. Because of its’ relatively sweet taste it often poisons dogs and other animals upon exposure to open containers. Exposure to it causes liver damage and rapid kidney failure by elevation of the Blood Urea Nitrogen levels and creatine levels. Exposure also can result in hematuria. It is substituted for glycerol illegally by these illegitimate Chinese companies. Glycerol, also called glycerine, is much tougher to work with and also much more expensive. Substituting diethylene glycol provides a much cheaper alternative to normally expensive cold medicines. The only problem is it kills people.

Original Post:
November 11, 2008
Heparin imported from China kills 18 people
Heparin imported from China kills 18 people. Baxter International is the maker of the tainted Heparin. Baxter received a letter from the F.D.A warning about the Chinese plant identified as the source of contamination stating the plant had unclean tanks to make heparin, accepted raw materials from undependable vendors and did not have adequate ways to remove impurities. F.D.A. has discovered cheap fake additives to heparin in 2006. Poor inspections of plants have been acknowledged by the Bush administration and plans have been made to improve the situation. One cause of this crisis appears to be budget cuts to the F.D.A. that has caused a backlog in inspectors. F.D.A. would need decades to complete inspection of every foreign plant. The 1938 law “The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act” enacted following the deaths of more than 100 people caused by ingestion of a solvent-laced antibiotic. The cut down on chances of another tragedy Congress passed the law requiring all new drugs undergo testing for toxicity. This law should have prevented the heparin tragedy but without enough F.D.A. staff to test drugs and inspect factories the heparin got on to the market and caused deaths.

Technorati Tags:
forensic nursing, forensic nursing chronicles, forensic nursing theories, Forensic Toxicology, Death Investigation