MY BLOG HARBOR IS STILL NOT WORKING, SO IM GOING BACK TO THE EMAIL FOR POSTS: THIS FROM IPIRG
What do you have in common with the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and the New England Journal of Medicine?
You all want pharmaceutical companies to tell us the whole truth – good or bad – about studies conducted on prescription drugs. Your stories (see below) made that loud and clear. Armed with this information, you and your doctor can make informed decisions about what medicine to take.
As you might guess, many of the negative studies are buried. But together we can bring this information to light. Tell the pharmaceutical industry that we want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about our prescription drugs.
http://www.uspirg.org/action/health-care/big-pharma?id4=ES
Then ask your friends and family to help out too by forwarding this email to them.
Your stories…
Last week so many of you shared your thoughts and stories about Vioxx, Paxil, Avandia and other drugs. Here's what several of you wrote.
“In order for my patients to trust me, I need to trust the drug information that the pharmaceutical industry provides. Give us the truth!” – Reid
“I have a fabulous doctor, but when she prescribed Vioxx for my knee injury a few years ago, she had no idea how dangerous it is because that information had been suppressed. I kept noticing how short of breath & tired I was, but we never linked it to Vioxx until after the announcement came out. Then, of course, I stopped taking it and immediately started feeling much stronger. I still don't know if taking Vioxx caused lasting damage to my heart.” – MaryBeth
“My brother had his 1st heart attack at age 52 a few years back while taking Vioxx and has continued to have trouble since. All I can do is ask that patients be fully informed of any possible risks with medication.” – Keith
“My mother was taking Celebrex and Vioxx and suffered a stroke. My brother, a doctor, was not aware that these drugs had the deadly side-effect of causing strokes.” – Leslie
“I was on Vioxx for several years and my doctor could not understand why my clotting factors were so high. He was a Hemotologist. We BOTH should have been told!” – Elaine
“My wife and I are retirees. We're at a point in our life where we need to take more pills and also no longer have the physical ability to withstand side effects as well as we used to. For us, knowing what might happen to us is becoming more of a life or death matter.” – Douglas
“My mother took Vioxx for several years – thank god she didn't become one of the statistics. It is truly despicable that drug companies put consumers' safety aside all for the almighty buck.” – Kristin
“My mother had a heart attack while taking Avandia. The information on it came out about a year later. This is unconscionable.” – Georgia
“After two years on Vioxx, I suffered a stroke, and have trouble speaking. Concealing side effects to preserve and enhance profits is the lowest and most despicable practice I can imagine for an industry that affects the health and well-being of the American public.” – Junius
And these were just a few of the responses that I received!!
To tell drug makers that you, your doctor and your family deserve the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about a drug, please click here:
http://www.uspirg.org/action/health-care/big-pharma?id4=ES
Sincerely,
Meshawn Ayala
Iowa PIRG Citizen Outreach Director
MeshawnA@iowapirg.org
http://www.IowaPIRG.org