ppp 10-16-06

Quote of the day: In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying.

Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

September was "pain awareness month"… if you had pain, wouldn't you already be aware? During the AMCP meeting in Chicago I attended a continuing education seminar on pain management. Some things were old news (don't use meperidine) while some were new (Pseudo-addiction: drugs seeking behavior due to under treated pain.) The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Organizations has established standards of pain management used for accreditation. When pain is adequately controlled then patient outcomes and satisfaction improve.

I saw another pain related item in the newspaper the other day. Seems that some people want to debate whether or not fish feel pain and if they do feel pain, do they experience it in the same way humans do. Fishers will argue a minimization of the pain experience in fish. This reminded me of the arguments of many years ago related to whether or not Blacks or Jews experienced pain like Whites. The mentally disadvantaged have also been the object of the same speculation. More recently the question of whether unborn children feel pain has arisen. It seems like it is advantageous to argue diminished pain (or no pain) whenever one group wants to take advantage of another group (and inflict pain or exterminate them).

The object of calling the pain of the fish into question is to ban fishing. If the diminished pain argument sticks for Blacks, Jews, the handicapped, and the unborn then the "conscience is clear" and each can be treated badly with psychological impunity. Watch for someone to call into question the ability of the elderly to "truly" experience pain as the elderly become less convenient… then sit back and experience the ear pain as AARP joins the argument. At the risk of being called a "species-ist", I feel that there is a difference between humans and animals. We have reason, not just instinct, and are called to a higher level of accountability. True sportsmen and women treat game with dignity and respect and minimize discomfort or pain in the animals they are harvesting for food. Farmers are called upon to treat livestock the same way as the beasts make their way to a fast-food place near you. Each human is called upon to treat every other human with dignity and respect. Race, disability, convenience or political party do not provide excuses (even if elections are only 3 weeks away). Let's put the "human" back in "humane".

ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "I am even better than you are, Mr Superfantastic!" (a VERY competitive, but happy, person)

pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience.

The drug is by a company called Anesvia. No real drug name yet but Interalgia may not be too bad for a drug to be used for interdigital pain.

The FDA had been funding a study on the cardiac effects of long term treatment of patients with attention deficit disorders but has run out of money to finish the study. Does anyone else see this as ironic?

Three months of generic drugs for ten bucks. Medco turns up the heat on Target and Wal-Mart.

That's right… One Touch Basic/Profile 50-count packages (lot #s 272894A, 2619932 or 2606340) and One Touch Ultra 50-count packages (lot #2691191) have been counterfeited. All states may be affected. Yes… it was a Canadian source but with New York allies.

6) FDA says it will crack down on the 73 million UNAPPROVED prescriptions filled each year.

Some companies have just started manufacturing and selling drugs without bothering to have them approved by the FDA. Maybe we should cut out the US Mint and just start printing our own currency.

Red wine may trigger migraine headaches in some but appears to offer protective effects (less brain damage) if used prophylacticaly. The study was done in mice but supports older studies on alcohol's effects. Your best protection from damage done after a stroke is to recognize it right away and get to an emergency room… don't stop for a drink on the way.

Disclaimer: "Pepin's Pharmaceutical Prattle" (AKA "The Prattle") is the property of PHARMWORKS, LLC and Steven M. Pepin, Pharm. D, BCPS. The opinions expressed are those of the bald-headed author. To start or stop any drug without the advice and supervision of your physician would be stupid. So don't do anything based upon what you read here without professional advice. To be added to or removed from the distribution list please e-mail your request to spepin@pharmworks.com . All insightful comments from readers are thoughtfully considered (the rest are callously discarded). Copyright 1998-2006 PHARMWORKS, LLC all rights reserved.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------