FDA: Topamax Causes Birth Defects

Remember that awful drug Topamax I denounced on this site in November 2009 (Good And Bad Pharmaceutical Drugs). Since that time, the drug has faced a massive $70,000,000 federal fine from the government for "off label use" which came six months after my article.

There's been a new development regarding Topamax. During the past few weeks, the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) announced they've found Topamax causes birth defects. The government did a study a discovered a 2000% increase in birth defects linked to women taking Topamax while pregnant.

The lawyers are out in full force going after Topamax and they deserve it. I told you Topamax was garbage. Do you know how messed up a headache medicine has to be to cause birth defects. What a terrible pharmaceutical drug.

Recently, I met a judge that took Topamax and he said it made him sick. He was unable to perform his job for a time, due to the terrible side effects of the drug. I've also read the testimonies of teachers and nurses, among others, stating they had to quit their jobs after taking Topamax, because it left them very debilitated, sick and unable to function.

As stated previously, my experience with Topamax was very bad. I developed Metabolic Acidosis, which is a potentially fatal condition, but by God's grace I did not die (but I came close to it). If I ever catch the scientist behind Topamax in a dark alley, this is what I'm going to do to him:

STORY SOURCE Epilepsy, migraine drug linked to 2000 percent increase in birth defects Topamax Linked To Birth Defects Per FDA and New Medical Information Topamax Leads to Birth Defects Topamax Warning Label Strengthened by FDA Following Evidence of Birth Defects Topamax Lawsuits Escalate Topamax Poses Serious Birth Defect Risks RELATED ARTICLES "Off Label Use" Good And Bad Pharmaceutical Drugs Manufacturer Knew Vioxx Was Bad Multiple Meds Found In Brittany Murphy Home Off Label Use - Part 2

Message To Bret Michaels

Bret Michaels

Poison frontman and reality TV star, Bret Michaels, suffered a relapse in his health, after a brain hemorrhage (aneurysm) that occurred last month. Last week, he suffered a stroke, which is a different type of brain bleed.

As some of you know, I sustained an unprecedented brain hemorrhage in October 2008. I have not incurred a repeat aneurysm since and would like to offer Michaels some friendly advice.

First of all, you should take it easy. I've read of your tour and television plans and it will jeopardize your health. You've already been doing stressful interviews since being released from the hospital and have actively been planning a comeback, slated to launch in a matter of days, which is ill-advised.

For two weeks after I had the aneurysm, centered in a part of the occipital lobe that doctors had no precedent for, not even in the Mayo Clinic database, I could not even see straight, as the phrase goes. Literally. Things were blurry and I couldn't even read the text on television shows.

I even struggled to read items on my computer screen, as two lines of text, would merge into one line, due to the aneurysm. My 20/20 vision was gone, but after constant prayer, my vision returned in two weeks.

Vitamins And Iron Supplements

The things that helped me were quite simple and I believe they will help you as well. Take a good, reputable multi-vitamin. Take iron tablets as well (if your doctor says it is okay for you), as it helps with the blood and can ward off anemia, which I experienced. Anemia can contribute to and intensify the dizziness brain bleeds create. You should also drink plenty of sugarless fluids.

Depression

After a hemorrhage, the probability of depression is pretty high, due to the trauma one has sustain. Your mind begins to process the fact your brain was bleeding, which can become unsettling. Most medical journals indicate, one can become depressed and tearful without warning, after said event. It's also a physical reaction in the brain that will affect your emotions for a time.

Comedy

Watching funny, light hearted shows, even some from your childhood that made you happy, will lift your mood. I rediscovered old sitcoms and movies that made me laugh and it cheered me up.

Music Therapy

Music therapy is also good. Many underestimate the positive effects of music therapy on people's cognition, emotions, well being, will to survive and mood. Soothing and inspirational music helps the brain and boosts serotonin levels. It also has a calming effect, which relieves involuntary and unwanted anxiety and depression brought on by hemorrhages.

Headaches And Head Pains

After brain bleeds, one will experience a new breed of headaches and head pains. It is almost as though the diametric of the brain has changed for some, making one prone to more severe head aches and potential repeat hemorrhages.

Medication

Be careful regarding the medicine doctors will prescribe, as some such as Topamax, will do more harm than good and you can develop other terrible maladies such as metabolic acidosis, which can turn deadly if not treated in time. In short, watch what they give you for the headaches and head pains, as it can deteriorate your health even further.

Nausea

Nausea will be another problem, which can get pretty bad, constantly provoking your gag reflexes, before, during and after meals. Green tea or ginger tea helps with the nausea that becomes persistent for many. Deep breathing and holding your head back for a short period of time, helps suppress your gag reflexes urge, to make you conduct an involuntary regurgitating session with the toilet bowl.

Bret, that's green tea, not weed. I know you're a musician, so I have to be specific

Once again, touring and constant air travel is not a good idea for you right now. Changes in altitude and cabin pressure will wreak havoc on your head, creating intense headaches and head pains.

The stress of traveling on tour, long lines, flying, tour buses, checking into hotels after retrieving your luggage, sound checks (another serious headache source) is not good for you at this time.

You need to give yourself a chance to heal, as the blood from the initial hemorrhage and separately the stroke, most likely have not reabsorbed into the brain yet. Significant stress can cause another aneurysm or stroke, decreasing your probability of survival, which is very serious. Best wishes on your recovery.

"Off Label Use" - Part 2

Topamax

6-months ago, the Judiciary Report wrote a series of articles, beginning on November 19, 2009, regarding the "Off Label Use" of the terrible pharmaceutical drug Topamax and its debilitating effects. "Off Label Use" is a term used when drug companies promote their products for uses other than what they were originally intended and approved for by the government.

Topamax is an epilepsy medication, but doctors, under the instruction of pharmaceutical companies, began prescribing it for other medical conditions, such as migraines, thunderclap headaches, depression and as a diet drug, because they were paid to do so. They greedily marketed it as a cure-all drug to cover a wide range of medical ailments, when it is a dangerous pharmaceutical.

6-months later on Friday, May 21, 2010, Johnson & Johnson, the makers of the drug, Topamax, pled guilty to pushing the pharmaceutical drug Topamax for uses other than what it was approved for by the government, using doctors in pay for play schemes, who then prescribed it to their patients under said inducements. They have agreed to pay over $80 million dollars in government fines.

I was speaking from experience when I wrote those articles last year, as I had a stress induced brain hemorrhage and was prescribed Topamax in 2009, for the headaches and head pains I began to experience after the incident, due to ongoing acute emotional distress and harassment.

I resisted taking the medication, a fact that was noted in my medical records more than once, as based on my significant understanding of pharmaceutical drugs, it did not seem like something someone who had experienced the unprecedented type of brain hemorrhage I did, should be prescribed.

However, a female doctor, who was a trainee at the teaching hospital, got upset during a follow up visit they ordered and demanded I take the medication.

Concerned they would discontinue treatment, while I was still very sick from the hemorrhage and angiogram they botched, leaving me with nerve damage in my right leg, I took the Topamax.

Within two days of doing so, I was as sick as a parrot, due to the Topamax. It was worse than the stress induced brain hemorrhage. I developed a condition known as metabolic acidosis, which is the end result of medication creating an environment in the body that promotes acid in the blood, which is horrible. In essence, it is like blood poisoning.

The first signs of it was a very elevated heart rate, which simulated the feeling of having a heart attack and involuntary hyperventilation, which is the lungs trying to blow off the excess carbon dioxide, thanks to the Topamax.

It reached a crescendo on the day before Thanksgiving last year. I fell asleep and one hour later, was awoken by a terrible pain on my right side that was wrapping around from my back to my ribs and depressing my breathing to the point I had stopped taking in oxygen. In short, I was choking to death in my sleep, with a sharp pain on the right side of my back and ribs, constricting to the point, I could barely move.

When I was finally able to move and stand up, I started breathing again, but when I slowly walked over to a mirror, I noticed I was shaking like a leaf, a term known as "tremors" which was created by the Topamax.

I asked my mom to call 911, as I was concerned I would lapse into a coma and die and the pain in the ribcage constricting my breathing, was still there. It literally hurt to breathe. The ambulance took me to the hospital that originally prescribed the Topamax, after the paramedics noticed the tremors.

The hospital did everything they could to limit liability, realizing I was experiencing a very adverse reaction to the Topamax, an epilepsy drug, they had prescribed to me, someone without epilepsy, who was experiencing headaches and head pains (linger effects of the hemorrhage) and nerve pain in my leg (due to the botched angiogram).

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Multiple Meds Found In Brittany Murphy Home

Brittany Murphy and fellow Kabbalah member Ashton Kutcher

According to TMZ, many prescription medications were found in the nightstand of the late Kabbalah cult actress, Brittany Murphy, who died last week from cardiac arrest at age 32.

TMZ states she was on the following 10 medications, "Topamax, Methylprednisolone, Fluoxetine, Klonopin, Carbamazepine, Ativan, Vicoprofen, Propranolol, Biaxin and Hydrocodone." That's a lot of stuff.

Some of the Judiciary Report's regular readers may recall the medication "Topamax" and its generic "Toprimate" which this site slammed a month ago on November 21, 2009, as terrible pharmaceutical drugs.

If Murphy was indeed on "Topamax" certain aspects of this story now make sense. As previously stated on this website, "Topamax" can cause "Metabolic Acidosis" which can lead to organ failure, coma and or death if left untreated.

"Metabolic Acidosis" is a terrible condition where there is too much acid in the blood. It causes stomach pains and shortness of breath, among other things. Murphy complained of "stomach pains and shortness of breath" before she died.

"Topamax" also creates a loss of appetite and cognitive trouble, such as difficulty reading and finding words on a page. It was reported Murphy had become very thin and was also fired from a film this month, because she kept botching her lines. If she was indeed on "Topamax" it would make perfect sense this happened, as it has done that to thousands of people, who complained online.

"Topamax" combined with the other medications found in her home, would definitely be enough to have killed Murphy. There were also previous allegations of illegal drug use, which have not been proven yet. That's a lot of toxicity.

Some doctors love overmedicating people. Medicine is good, but in moderation. Murphy should not have been on all those pharmaceutical medications, as it was ill-advised and dangerous.

Kabbalah member Michael Jackson wearing red string bracelet

As stated before, during the Michael Jackson case, there needs to be a database where doctors can cross reference items to know exactly what medication each patient is being treated with, to prevent toxicity and overdoses.

Britney Spears

That Kabbalah cult teaches members very sick, depressing things and their minds can't take it. They then look for a method of escape and many turn to heavy doses of numerous prescription and illegal drugs, which can turn lethal.

Lindsay Lohan

As stated previously, other Kabbalah members, such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, are on a host of pharmaceutical meds and have experimented with illegal narcotics as well, posing a great danger to their collective health.

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger, a deceased actor that dated Lindsay Lohan during the time of his death, also died of a prescription med overdose. Hollywood refuses to learn from past mistakes. Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

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Brittany Murphy -- Frantic Rescue Effort

Posted Dec 22nd 2009 12:07AM - ...When the paramedics arrived, Brittany was "without signs of life."

Paramedics moved Brittany from the bathroom to the master bedroom, where they found a slew of prescription drugs -- "A check of the nightstands revealed large amounts of prescription medication in the decedent's name. Also noted were numerous empty prescription medication bottles in the decedent's husband's name, the decedent's mother's name and unidentified third party names."

According to the notes, the medications included Topamax (anti-seizure meds also to prevent migraines), Methylprednisolone (anti-inflammatory), Fluoxetine (depression med), Klonopin (anxiety med), Carbamazepine (treats Diabetic symptoms and is also a bipolar med), Ativan (anxiety med), Vicoprofen (pain reliever), Propranolol (hypertension, used to prevent heart attacks), Biaxin (antibiotic), Hydrocodone (pain med) and miscellaneous vitamins.

The notes say, "No alcohol containers, paraphernalia or illegal drugs were discovered."...

http://www.tmz.com

Scientists Call For Drug Database

Yesterday, scientists called for a drug database, to monitor the effects of individual pharmaceutical drugs on the public. It makes sense and I am in agreement with it. God willing, a database can help prevent medical tragedies.

In the Judiciary Report articles Good And Bad Pharmaceutical Drugs on November 19, 2009 and Off Label Use on November 21, 2009 I made reference to the many complaints I found online regarding the terrible drug Topamax and its generic evil twin Toprimate, whose horrible side effects include Acidosis, as some sites such as www.medications.com currently offer public feedback. In the July 21, 2009 article Celebrity Prescriptions, I also wrote of the need for a comprehensive drug computer system to prevent the abuse of prescription meds.

By and large, most drug makers are not criminally negligent and knowingly releasing bad products, but some are and measures need to be taken to weed out those faulty, potentially deadly medications as soon as possible, since some companies will not police themselves.

Most scientists mean well. When a scientist develops a cure, he or she is not usually thinking of how much money they will make, but how many people's health and lives will be improved.

Public Database Is Urged to Monitor Drug Safety

Published: November 23, 2009 - What could be done to prevent another Vioxx? This pain medication for arthritis became a blockbuster after its introduction in 1999, only to be taken off the market in 2004 when a study linked the drug to an increased risk of heart attack and strokes.

A new study published Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine offers an ambitious proposal to determine a drug’s risks sooner than they might otherwise become evident. The authors propose a system to examine widely prescribed drugs through safety analyses that would pool data as they emerge from various clinical trials of a medication and aggregate the information for a fuller picture of a drug’s harms and benefits.

As policy makers in Washington push for various forms of evidence gathering to determine the safety and effectiveness of medical treatments, the study proposes a broad model for monitoring drug safety that would consist of detailed publicly available data that independent researchers could freely analyze.

Such a database could be continually updated and aggregated with new information, as the results of new studies were published, to calculate a near real-time balance sheet of a drug’s risks and benefits.

Dr. Joseph S. Ross, the lead author of the study, said the objective of the researchers was to determine whether this kind of sequential cumulative analysis could serve as a new model for monitoring the safety of drugs after they enter the market.

“How could we be doing post-market surveillance in a better way?” said Dr. Ross, an assistant professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan. “For drugs that we are concerned about, that are high risk, this could be a blueprint going forward.”...

“There is this kind of dogma in medicine that you shouldn’t use any drug for the first seven years after it’s released, because it takes that long to figure out its harms and benefits,” said Dr. Michael Steinman, an assistant professor of medicine at the medical school of the University of California, San Francisco...

http://www.nytimes.com

"Off Label Use" - Terrible Topamax And Topiramate

Topamax also known as Topiramate

Recently, I stumbled on a website with over 700 complaints submitted about the drug Topamax also known as Topiramate in its generic form (click here). It is one of many sites with such complaints from the public. Topamax is a migraine medicine its manufacturer marketed for what is known as "off label" use, which is prohibited under U.S. law.

Currently, another troublesome drug with bad side effects, in the same class as Topamax, named Neurontin (Gabapentin), has been sued by the government for breaking the law, in pushing their product for "off label" use to maximize profits.

"Off label" use means a pharmaceutical drug that is created to target one medical issue/affliction/disease, being promoted and prescribed for other medical problems/diseases.

Topamax is an anti-convulsant, used to treat migraine headaches. However, to make a fortune in sales, its manufacturer started a big promotional push to foist it on the public as a mood stabilizer, pain reliever (nerve pain), weight loss drug and epilepsy/seizure anti-convulsant.

People have flooded numerous websites complaining about Topamax and how it horribly impacted their lives. People reported a terrible combination of side effects such as deep depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, shaking, bone depletion leading to bone breakage, hair loss, kidney stones, memory loss, changes in bowel movement, blurred vision, vision loss, glaucoma, anorexia, inability to find words on a page, slurred speech, speech loss, psychosis, dizziness, uncomfortable and sometimes painful tingling in the hands and feet, insomnia and extreme fatigue. ALL THAT TO STOP A HEADACHE!

Topamax is a terrible drug that has ruined many lives. Many people that were on it, even for a short period of time, experienced terrible side effects. Some people lost their marriages, friendships and jobs, as they could not function anymore, due to what the drug did to them. Some were even admitted to psychiatric wards, as the drug did that much harm to their brains.

Amazingly, once again, to maximize profits, the manufacturers are marketing Topamax and Topiramate as anti-depressants, when it resulted in a number of suicides. That is an oxymoron.

Topamax caused suicides in some, as it so altered the brain chemistry of some people that took the medication, they became extremely depressed, very agitated and committed suicide, seeking to escape that unexplainable fog that enveloped their minds and terrible anxiety that afflicted them while taking it, leaving them feeling completely hopeless and devoid of basic reasoning. Do not take your life. Things will get better, but you need to be weaned off the pharmaceutical drug creating the terrible changes.

Topamax has many lawsuits against it in court for the aforementioned terrible side effects. My question is, after all the thousands of horrible reports on the drug, why is it and its generic component, Topiramate, still on the market, damaging the public's health, under the guise of alleviating (not curing) migraines. Clearly, these side effects are not rare, as way too many people have them.

Why are doctors still being given financial incentives to write prescriptions for this terrible drug, with so many serious complaints against it.

What's even more perplexing is Topamax being prescribed in tandem with other drugs in its class such as Neurontin (Gabapentin), forming a powerful, terrible cocktail, wreaking havoc on people's health.

Another issue of concern is, no proper instructions have been issued on reversing the terrible side effects of these drugs, leaving patients to suffer, with the only manufacturer warning being, see your physician.

However, some doctors, not all, seeking to dodge culpability in prescribing them, are not taking responsibility for their patients' deteriorating physical problems that resemble a neurological disorder, stemming from the pharmaceutical drugs, nor are they providing adequate care in addressing the awful side effects, as that would mean admitting something has gone wrong.

They will make excuses claiming the side effects are very rare or they've never heard of such a thing, when there are thousands of complaints and lawsuits concerning the serious damage the aforementioned pharmaceutical drugs have done to many. Nice way to honor the Hippocratic Oath (not!).

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Do Not Take Topamax (Topiramate) - It Is Dangerous

Modern medical science has presented the world with quite a few discoveries. Some good, some bad. Take for instance, the Polio vaccine did wonders for many.

The modern pharmaceutical industry sometimes exemplifies the term "trial and error." They often guess and it becomes evident when they run trials on a drug, it fails, then they change the disease or affliction they wish to target (Flibanserin). That's called guesswork.

Ibuprofen is a drug that has helped many with pain relief, with few, if any side effects. It is one of the better pharmaceutical drugs that have been created, which has been well tolerated by many. However, it is not right for everyone, as it can act as a blood thinner.

However, there are some horrific pharmaceutical drugs out there, which create worse side effects than the medical problem they are designed to address.

For example, Topamax, is a terrible pharmaceutical drug. It is meant to target migraine headaches, but many people have reported serious side effects such as blurry vision, blindness, severe depression, hair loss, anxiety, heart palpitations, psychosis, tingling in limbs, trouble finding words when reading, confusion, aggressiveness, fatigue, feelings of dread, loss of appetite, memory loss and in the worst cases, a number of suicides.

Is it worth all that to stop migraines - NO! Topamax has a number of lawsuits against it and deservingly so. What it has done to the health and well being of many is disgraceful.

Neurontin (Gabapentin) is a drug currently embroiled in a number of lawsuits for wrongful death, as it put some patients at a high risk for suicide, resulting in a number of deaths. It also created severe anxiety, shaking, dry mouth, throat pain, fatigue, stomach pains, confusion, kidney stones, hallucinations, dizziness, acidosis, memory loss and heart palpitations in many. It is supposed to target seizures, but is being marketed for other uses such as relief from nerve pain, which is debatable and the treatment of bipolar disorder.

It was recently discovered, pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, tampered with Neurontin studies. There needs to be transparency regarding Neurontin, as the current lawsuits indicate there is deceptiveness on the manufacturer's part. Consumers don't deserve that.

Tegretol (Carbamazepine) is another drug that has some issues, in that it is meant to target items such as seizures, but it lowers the white blood cell count, which decreases the effectiveness of the immune system. They need to work on that.

When a person is sick, they need the best care available. Conflicts of interest can arise, when some doctors are on a pharmaceutical company's payroll, as has been found in a number of cases.

Some pharmaceutical drug makers mean well, but some are reckless and looking for a profit at any cost, even if it means putting a product on the market that test trials revealed is very dangerous.

It's one thing when a drug company does not know what the side effects and long term effects are, but it is quite another when they do, but rush the product out anyway, killing people, for a quick buck.

Another issue is drug interactions, as quite a few drugs are not meant to be taken in tandem with others. A number of celebrities have overdosed in this manner.

Life and health are so precious. At the end of the day, everyone deserves proper medical care and the best pharmaceutical products available. Drug companies, doctors, nurses and hospitals should bear that in mind when they show up for work, as when you put yourself ahead of the patient, you will fail. Then it becomes about you and not making people better.

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Pfizer Broke the Law by Promoting Drugs for Unapproved Uses

Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Prosecutor Michael Loucks remembers clearly when lawyers for Pfizer Inc., the world’s largest drug company, looked across the table and promised it wouldn’t break the law again.

It was January 2004, and the attorneys were negotiating in a conference room on the ninth floor of the federal courthouse in Boston, where Loucks was head of the health-care fraud unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. One of Pfizer’s units had been pushing doctors to prescribe an epilepsy drug called Neurontin for uses the Food and Drug Administration had never approved.

In the agreement the lawyers eventually hammered out, the Pfizer unit, Warner-Lambert, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of marketing a drug for unapproved uses.

New York-based Pfizer agreed to pay $430 million in criminal fines and civil penalties, and the company’s lawyers assured Loucks and three other prosecutors that Pfizer and its units would stop promoting drugs for unauthorized purposes.

http://www.bloomberg.com

Justice eyes marketing at J&J, Forest

November 10, 2009 — 12:23pm ET - It looks as if yet another U.S. drug-marketing investigation is about to be settled. As Dow Jones reports, Forest Laboratories has reached a tentative deal with the feds, which would settle civil allegations that it mismarketed antidepressants and a thyroid drug. But the deal wouldn't cover the government's "ongoing investigation into potential criminal law violations." So Forest isn't exactly out of the woods yet...

Or if you're Johnson & Johnson, you disclose a laundry list of subpoenas from the feds on both coasts, plus grand jury summons, related primarily to the marketing of antipsychotic Risperdal, as well as the seizure drug Topamax and congestive heart failure remedy Natrecor. As In Vivo recounts today, J&J was mentioned in a press release about last week's Justice Department deal with Omnicare, and recent SEC filings detail the many investigations the company is now dealing with. Whether the probes spawn civil and/or criminal settlements remains to be seen.

http://www.fiercepharma.com