Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Drug Shortage; Good and Bad

Some friends of mine found this news! 2011 medication shortages set new record at 267 - NewsChannel 9 WSYR One of the drugs in short supply is VERSED!!! That's the good news. I recieved a missive a while back (up somewhere on this blog) that said that Versed use would phase out when the profits from exclusive patents on it ran out. In this article it mentions contamination and difficulty processing some of the drugs in short supply. My hope is that medical people start figuring out how to do their job without basing medical care on "sedation" and "amnesia" for all.

One of the other drugs allegedly in short supply is Fentanyl, a drug which is very useful for me and others like me who prefer a simple pain medication instead of Versed and general anesthesia. It's much safer for patients as well, not to have their brain destroyed with full on Versed and g/a for frivolous reasons. Fortunately there is another older and probably cheaper drug called Morphine which works just as well. It would seem that Morphine would be a safer choice anyway because it isn't as potent as Fentanyl. Less risk of overdose. Maybe cheaper too! Our little crna types can just learn get through their Versed-less days with Morphine used as a lightly sedating pain med. and they won't have to worry their pretty little heads about overdosing their patients.

I wish the whole supply of Versed would dry up to a trickle. Then our medical workers would actually have to do their job! They could earn their outlandish salary instead of being paid to simply destroy the patients mind and do whatever the Hell they want to us. They would have to explain things like the law says they have to instead of just giving us amnesia! Wouldn't that be nice? We would also be able to decline things and/or stop the procedure at any time, as required by law, if they didn't have Versed being used like water. If Versed was in limited supply then our medical workers would have to justify its use! (Real justification, not the lies and completely made up reasons they currently are addicted to!) They would have to save their Versed supply and reserve it for only those patients, if any, who actually need sedation and don't mind premature Alzheimer's and other mental problems as a result.

Despite the breathless reporting in this piece, there is a huge upside to this alleged drug shortage. In my NEVER humble opinion.

6 comments:

  1. For you this may be a blessing, for people like me this is not good news. I am allergic to Morphine and since I have been on a Fentanyle patch for quite while for cancer pain, verced it the only medication I can take when they are administering painful tests or on days when the chemo I receive is so toxic they have to anesthetize me with verced so that I can get through the beginning stages of the administration. So, before you make a blanket comment, consider those of us who need these medications. The shortage is NOT due to manufacturing rights and reducing the prices, it is due to physicians doing too many unnecessary procedures and using these medications hadhazardly as the anesthetic of choice. Hsopitals no longer offer Demerol which is much more effective and cheaper because of the high rate of addiction. The oddity here is that patients cannot get Demerol on the outside so the chances of them becoming addiced is low. The addiction problem was nurses and doctors who would inject themselves. These medical professionals are given drug rehab rather than losing their jobs. So the patients suffer because their caregivers become drug addicts.

    So, before you make such a harsh statement, consider those of us who need the versed because it is the only anesthetic that is effective and in my case will not kill me from Anaphalactic shock.

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  2. I agree that there might be some isolated incidents where Versed might be useful. Like you. I absolutely agree that physicians are doing too many unnecessary procedures and using these medications haphazardly! That's my gripe! Almost none of us need Versed! Yet we get it for any little excuse. BTW I absolutely HATE Demerol. I am very happy that it isn't being used much any more and that *I* am able to decline this drug. I don't like being "stoned."

    I am sorry that you are so sick. I do NOT understand why you would want to choose amnesia as a pain medication! I don't. Suppose in the future the Versed doesn't give you amnesia? Are you prepared to deal with the torture if you remember it? Are you prepared to hear the nasty comments your care-givers say about you when they think you won't remember? Are you prepared for being in agony with no way to stop the staff? Mental anguish along with physical anguish due to Versed isn't an option for me!

    Versed is NOT an anesthetic. It does NOTHING for pain.

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  3. I am late finding this article. You CLEARLY have no up to date information on what VERSED is being used for...specifically status seizure activity. In case you're too dumb to know what a status seizure is, for my daughter it has meant that she has a history of seizing up to 6 straight hours. We are instructed to give her emergency medication for any seizure now lasting longer then 5 minutes. Up to this point there were few options for home medication delivery for a person in a status seizure...the main option is Diastat which has to be administered RECTALLY...REALLY...because it's SOOOOO convenient to administer a drug RECTALLY in public for a person (adult or child) who is having a seizure...it's challenging to do in the home for heaven sake. Versed allowed administrtaion of a quick responding and highly effective intranasal route-all while maintaining a person's DIGNITY. NOW...with this shortage, people with status seizures are confined to their homes for fear of not having an appropriate route of administration. I am THAT mother who is now unable to take my grown daughter out on my own...because it's impossible to administer Diastat RECTALLY and keep her head from cracking open while maintaining a blanket over her private area, while attempting to find her anal opening to insert the syringe to get a seizure to STOP...REALLY, you ignorant fool...hoping Versend will dry up to a trickle? I PRAY you NEVER have a need for a drug to save your life and have it be in shortage and affecting every aspect of your life. What a JERK you are.

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  4. Midazolam is the rescue drug of choice for many who suffer with epilepsy. My 2 year old daughter has a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. When she has a seizure I need Versed to stop her seizure. Without quick Versed intervention her seizure is likely to go status (last > 30 minutes) which is a very bad thing. I would much rather take my chances with Versed than helplessly watch my daughter foaming at the mouth and jerking while her seizure rages on.

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  5. Hi Heather! My sympathy on having your little girl with this dreadful condition. I am sorry that there isn't a medication that would spare your daughters brain as well as stop the seizures. You are in a bad position. However, yours is (possibly) the exception to the rule. I am guessing that at least 99% of the people who are given Versed don't need it. It causes major problems for a significant number of patients. I'm afraid you will find that all that Versed is damaging your baby's cognitive function. Unfortunately there are no long term studies about what constant Versed use does to the brain. The studies that are out there are not good as far as Versed use on young children. Good luck!

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  6. I Hate Ignorant People, I noticed that I didn't repond to your tirade. Sorry it took so long. My thinking about you is that you are a selfish bitch. You use your child's horrible condition to gain sympathy and so that you can call me names, which is normal for zealots. Were you on drugs while you were pregnant? I am a jerk and an ignorant fool and you wish that I experience yet more harm from the medical community? Because I don't like Versed and am glad there was a shortage? Really? And you want me to sympathize with your plight? lol You need to check yourself. Are you using the Versed yourself? One of the side effects of Versed is disinhibition, which you exhibit. Just asking.

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