Millions of patients are being OVERDOSED with blood pressure medication, study reveals

Often touted as a “silent killer,” hypertension or high blood pressure affects some 1.13 billion people worldwide — that’s around one in three adults in the United States. If you are on blood pressure medication, then chances are you are being overdosed. A new first-of-its-kind study showed that smaller doses are just as effective as a standard dose, but with fewer side effects.

Hypertension is not to be taken lightly. If left untreated it can lead to serious problems such as heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and vascular dementia, reported the Daily Mail Online. Hypertension is characterized by blood pressure levels that are consistently at or above 140 mmHg for systolic pressure and/or 90 mmHg for diastolic pressure.

Treating high blood pressure, however, is not always as easy or straightforward as one may think. Professor Anthony Rodgers, the study author from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, explained that 88 percent of those aware of their health issue are treated with medication. Yet only one in three is able to gain control of the condition.

According to the study authors, millions of people may be suffering unnecessary adverse effects from hypertension medication. Since taking one kind of hypertension medication is usually not enough to keep high blood pressure under control, doctors often prescribe a second drug that comes with additional side effects.

Minimizing the side effects plays a crucial role in a patient’s treatment plan. Common side-effects include weakness, dizziness, insomnia, headache, and muscle cramps. Since high blood pressure is notoriously difficult to control, Professor Anthony Rodgers noted that finding new, better ways to treat hypertension is a positive move.

“Because high blood pressure is so common and serious, even small improvements in management can have a large impact on public health,” he said.

Quarter-dose therapies found to be as effective

For the study, published in the journal Hypertension earlier this month, researchers analyzed data from 42 trials involving more than 20,000 patients with hypertension. Each of them was randomly assigned to taking either a placebo or blood-pressure-lowering medication in varying combinations and dosages.

The five main classes of drugs to treat hypertension —  angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta blockers, calcium channel blocker, and thiazides — were included in the review.

When the researchers compared the effectiveness of quarter-dose therapy to both a standard dose or placebo, they found that taking a quarter-dose of one medication did not lower blood pressure as much as a full dose did. However, the team discovered that the combination of two medications in a quarter dose was just as effective as a standard dose. This treatment plan also produced fewer side-effects than a standard dose of one single blood pressure lowering drug.

Furthermore, a cocktail of four hypertension drugs, each at a quarter dose, was found to be nearly twice as effective as taking a single blood pressure lowering medication at the standard dose. Since this finding was based on one trial there was too little information about the possible side effects, the team noted.

In conclusion, the team reported that though further research is needed, quarter-dose combinations could provide improvements in efficacy and tolerability of blood pressure-lowering therapies.

Though their results look very promising, Professor Anthony Rodgers played it safe by noting that people should not reduce the doses of their current medications without further research to confirm their results. Since they have not yet been replicated in larger long-term trials, more research is needed to warrant a change in how doctors currently prescribe blood pressure lowering therapies to their patients, the researchers noted.

Find more news about modern and alternative medicine to treat your illnesses at Medicine.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Hyper.AHAJournals.org

“Driving While Medicated” now a greater danger to society than driving drunk: Crashes from prescription meds up 100% in past decade

The recent arrest of golfing legend Tiger Woods for driving under the influence of prescription drugs has put the issue of drugged driving back in the spotlight. Although initial reports indicated that Woods had been driving under the influence of alcohol, it was later confirmed that his readings for two breathalyzer tests were 0.00, and that his erratic behavior was actually caused by a cocktail of drugs prescribed after knee and Achilles tendon injuries, as well as a recent back surgery.

Police officers initially approached Woods when they saw his Mercedes-Benz pulled over on the side of the road; he was apparently sleeping behind the wheel. Dashcam video footage shows a dazed and disoriented Woods struggling to complete a field sobriety test and becoming confused when officers asked him to recite the alphabet.

“What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications,” Woods said in a statement. “I didn’t realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly.”

Many other people have made the same mistake of miscalculating just how much they have been affected by pharmaceutical medications before getting behind the wheel. Market Watch reports that the number of vehicle accidents where drugged drivers were involved nearly doubled between 2005 and 2015. Over 20 percent of the 32,166 fatal accidents in the U.S. in 2015 involved at least one drugged driver. In some states, driving under the influence of prescription pills is even more common than driving drunk. And it is becoming increasingly common for people to combine alcohol with drugs, not realizing how much the effects are amplified. [RELATED: For more stories like this see Twisted.news]

Unfortunately, like Tiger Woods, many people have no idea how much prescription drugs have actually altered their behavior, and feel that they are totally capable of driving. The reality is that they are putting themselves, their passengers and everyone else on the road at risk.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse website explains that just as illegal street drugs like cocaine or methamphetamine affect the brain, and therefore behavior, prescription drugs also have a variety of different effects on those who use them. Benzodiazepines like Diazepam, Xanax and Valium, can cause dizziness and drowsiness. While marijuana has a plethora of absolutely amazing health benefits, it too has been linked to poor reaction time, lane weaving and impaired ability to pay attention to the road. Of course, this should not deter people from reaping the benefits of its natural healing power, but caution needs to be used when driving after using marijuana. [RELATED: Study finds that marijuana can replace dangerous opioid drugs for pain relief.]

Some states have a zero-tolerance policy for all drugged driving, since it is very difficult to determine how any drug or drugs in combination with alcohol might affect a given person. In such states, one can be arrested for driving under the influence if tests find any traces of drugs in the blood or urine.

With so many states recently legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use, a lot of focus has been placed on its effects on driving ability. Interestingly, there has been no such focus on the many prescription drugs which have been scientifically proven to impair judgment. Perhaps if more attention was paid to the issue, people like Tiger Woods would not end up in possibly life-threatening situations because of sheer ignorance.

Sources :

MarketWatch.com

DrugAbuse.gov

KESQ.com

CNBC.com

14 Blatant lies about psychotropic drugs the FDA teaches medical students

Just because someone holds the title of a “professor” does not necessarily mean that everything that they teach their students is based in fact. Below is a list of 14 lies that are taught in medical school to med students as pointed out by GlobalResearch.ca.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests all new psychiatric drugs

The idea that the FDA tests all new psychiatric drugs is one hundred percent false. In reality, the FDA only reviews studies that were created and secretly performed by multinational drug companies. Most of the time these studies are done by research firms who are willing to find positive results for their corporate employers in exchange for a large paycheck.

Approval from the FDA means that a psychotropic drug is effective long-term 

Contrary to popular belief, just because the Food and Drug Administration approves a product does not necessarily mean that it is safe. In addition, approval from the FDA doesn’t mean that a drug will be effective in the long term or in the short term. The pharmaceutical industry often pays researchers who have it in their best interest to produce results that would satisfy the FDA.

Approval from the FDA means that a psychotropic drug is safe long-term

The claim that FDA approval makes a drug safe in the long-term is a myth. In reality, SSRI’s and anti-psychotropic drugs are only tested on humans for a couple of months before the FDA grants them marketing approval. If these drugs only undergo human trials for a couple of months, how is it possible to know that the long-term effects are safe?

Mental illnesses are caused by brain chemistry imbalances

Despite the testing and examinations performed on lab animals and human brains by drug company-funded neuroscientists, it has never actually been proven that brain chemical imbalances exist. There are over 100 neurotransmitter systems within the human brain, and the idea that a drug could be relied upon to restore balance between two of them is laughable.

Anti-depressant drugs work like insulin for diabetics

This too is false. Put simply, while there is such a thing as an insulin deficiency, there is no such thing as a Prozac deficiency.

SSRI discontinuation syndromes are different than withdrawal syndromes

It is commonly asserted that the neurological and psychological symptoms that occur when a patient stops taking SSRI “antidepressant” drugs are relapses into a prior mental disorder — this is false. Rather, these “relapses” are actually just new drug withdrawal symptoms that are not the same as the ones that prompted the original diagnosis.

Ritalin is safe for children (and adults)

This is not true. In actuality, the dopamine reuptake inhibitor drug Methylphenidate acts in a similar fashion to cocaine, the only difference being that the drug takes a longer time to reach the brain than cocaine that is snorted or smoked. As a matter of fact, many people who are addicted to cocaine actually prefer Ritalin as they are able to acquire it in a pure form.

Psychoactive drugs are totally safe for humans

Actually, all five classes of psychopathic drugs, when used over a long period of time, have been found to alter or destroy the mitochondria inside brain and nerve cells.

Mental illnesses have no known cause

This is false. While it is true that most mental illnesses may have several contributing factors, the vast majority of mentally ill people have histories of sexual, physical or emotional abuse, in addition to brain nutrient deficiencies as well.

There is no connection between psychotropic drugs and the increase in disabled and unemployable American psychiatric patients

False. It is a known fact that many drugs that are commonly prescribed have the capability to cause long-term brain damage. This is especially true for drugs such as Thorazine, Prolixin, Clozapine and Abilify. In addition, addictive tranquilizers like Valium, Ativan and Klonopin can result in memory loss and the loss of IQ points when used long-term.

Bipolar disorder can suddenly emerge in patients who have been taking antidepressants and SSRIs.

This is false. The symptoms of bipolar disorder, including mania, agitation and aggression are actually commonly caused by SSRIs like Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa and Lexapro.

Anti-depressant drugs can prevent suicide

Contrary to what most people think, anti-depressant drugs actually increase the likelihood of suicidal thoughts and even attempts at suicide. As a matter of fact, drug companies have spent billions in the past trying to increase the likeliness that anti-depressant drugs will prevent suicide, with no luck.

America’s mass shooters are untreated schizophrenics who should have been taking psych drugs

The idea that the majority of America’s mass shooters are untreated schizophrenics is totally false. For proof, all one has to do is look at the statistic that says that 90 percent or more of homicidal school shooters had already been undergoing psychiatric treatment and therefore had already been using one or more psychiatric drugs.

If your patient hears voices it means he’s a schizophrenic

This is not true. In actuality, a patient who hears voices in their head is something that occurs in 10 percent of normal people and up to 75 percent of normal people claim that they have heard someone inside of their head calling their name. This does not mean you are crazy. Rather, such symptoms may be the result of sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, or the withdrawal from certain drugs of addictive products like alcohol.

Follow more news about the dangers of psychiatry at Psychiatry.news.

Sources:

GlobalResearch.ca

SSRIstories.net