AHS Views

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has decided to lift a longstanding ban which will allow commercial pilots to fly while taking antidepressants. When I read this in the news, I shuttered at the thought of being completely at the mercy of a pilot, flying me around while on drugs!

Apparently, there will be some restrictions to this new allowance for pilots. They will be allowed to fly commercially only if they suffer from mild to moderate depression and they can only be taking one of four prescription antidepressants (Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft or Lexapro). They will also have to prove that they’ve been on the antidepressant for at least one year.
Knowing what I know about these drugs, I am horrified with this decision. I do not want to be flown by a pilot under the influence! And yes, that is what they would be – under the influence. In case you aren’t aware of how these drugs can affect a person, here’s a partial list of possible side-effects:

•    Insomnia
•    Nausea
•    Weakness
•    Drowsiness
•    Anxiety
•    Nervousness
•    Shakiness
•    Dizziness
•    Vomiting
•    Vision Changes
•    Chest Pain
•    Suicidal thoughts or behavior
•    Panic Attacks
•    Hostility or aggressiveness
•    Confusion or other mental changes
•    Hallucinations
•    Overactive reflexes
•    Agitation
•    Seizures
•    Coma
•    Congestive heart failure
•    Dependency
•    Addiction

These are just a few of the possibilities. It’s important, not only for anyone who is considering taking these drugs, but to think of someone flying a plane while on these medications. The repercussions could be absolutely tragic! I actually have a strong feeling that they will be, but only time will tell now that the ban has been lifted. Hopefully the pilots that are addicted will get addiction help before tragedy strikes.

The only funeral director in Pineville, West Virgina, recently commented on the number of deaths caused by prescription drug overdoses – painkillers like OxyContin being the major problem. “If these people had died of the swine flu, we’d probably be making national headlines,” he said.

Well, it does make national headlines – every day you can find at least one news story about someone dying because of prescription drugs. And sometimes there’s one story in the news for days – like when Purdue Pharma, makers of OxyContin, was sued and paid $634 million as fines for falsely marketing the drug as less addictive and dangerous than other painkillers.

But resolution of the prescription drug addiction, abuse, and overdose problem is going to take far more than a few headlines. We’ve actually got to stop prescribing the drugs unless they’re absolutely necessary.

OxyContin, for example, was initially intended for terminally ill cancer patients – they need relief – and unbearable pain that hasn’t responded to any other remedies. Instead, it’s being given to people who have headaches, had a tooth pulled, had very minor surgery, have back pain – yes, I realize people have to function, but how many people with back pain have ever been through a full reatment program with a chiropractor, physical therapists or acupuncturist – not many you can be sure.

It’s not just up to the FDA – big pharm’s big business and needs big changes. But they’ve got so much money, and so many people dependant on it one way or another – that a big pharma crash is going to effect the economy.

Even worse is the fact big pharma’s got people convinced that drugs are needed – and a certain percentage of them are, no doubt about that. But that percentage is small – and it doesn’t include some of the biggest money makers.

Is the FDA going to address that successsfully? Not likely. We need a real paradigm shift. It’s going to have to come from the top. C’mon Obama, move it. It should be in the health care plan.  

A recent news story about Erin Brokovich’s daughter tells us that while Erin was out defending Californian’s rights to safe water, her daughter was getting into a little hot water herself. She started taking drugs. Mom didn’t know about it for quite a while but, when she found out, made sure she got addiction help immediately.  Her daughter is now in recovery, taking it one day at a time.

Brokovich has a history of getting things done. She sinks her teeth into something and doesn’t let go. I’m hoping this incident with her daughter will get her to look into the drug scene and do something fantastic.

For example, maybe she’d take on direct to consumer drug advertising if she knew how many people were being given prescriptions for addictive drugs that they really don’t need and probably wouldn’t be taking if they hadn’t seen it on TV.

There are already thousands of people suing big pharma for unethical practices of one sort or another: Not fully disclosing info about drugs, selling doctors on prescribing them for something other than which they were tested, bribing doctors, medical students and God knows who else to use their products,  funding research and researchers that come up with results that make their drugs look good, turning doctors and scientists into spokespeople with cold, hard cash – the list goes on and on.

When you consider all the crimes under this industy’s belt and the damage it’s created, it’s amazing there aren’t more restrictions, more policing, and more oversight.

It’s also amazing that no one has yet made any big pharma company pay for the addiction help services needed by their duped public. Even when they’re fined hundreds of millions of dollars, a lot of that money goes into government coffers, like the Purdue Pharma $634 million did, not to the people who were harmed.

And no one ever goes to jail!!!

Something smells really bad here. Erin – take it on.