Saturday, July 26, 2014

Midazolam as Execution Drug

Here in the United States the "cocktail" of drugs used in executions is a "secret".  No surprise here right?  People might get upset if they learned that their harmless sedation drug is used to kill convicted murderers, child molesters and the like.  If you look elsewhere in the world the drugs are identified.  I guess that overseas people are more brave, intelligent or something and are allowed to know the truth.  The truth is that Midazolam/Versed is used.  www.theguardian.com has an article entitled "How are execution drugs supposed to work?"  Then the article goes on to name Midazolam/Hydromorphone as the drugs used.

Fancy that!  We here in the states are prevented from knowing this very pertinant information.  Do YOU want a drug used on YOU that causes a slow and painful death if given in large amounts? Almost all the anesthesia nurses LOVE to give Midazolam in large amounts.  They simply "jam a tube down your throat". (from the comments here on nomidazolam) In the Guardian article they interview an anesthesiologist who explains the death cycle from Midazolam.  It isn't pretty.  All you have to do is read the latest "execution" debacle using Midazolam.  Convicts are suing not to have this drug combination used as it is "cruel and inhumane" to use it.  How come it isn't "cruel and inhumane" to use this drug on unsuspecting patients who haven't done anything wrong to deserve such treatment?

If Versed/Midazolam isn't good enough to use on convicted felons for their death sentence, then it shouldn't be "good" enough to use on the general population.  This drug should be BANNED.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

E. Bewley's New Book

Elizabeth's new book is out!  The title is "When Health Care Hurts".  I read the book and I found it crammed with information about health care that even *I* hadn't thought about.  Highly readable, the book has patient stories as well as the necessary information on the how to navigate the health care system.  Reasons why "health care" has become so dangerous to our health.  Best book yet on the health care system.  Anybody reading this particular blog needs this book.  That includes YOU TOO medical people.  It will give you insight into what the patient feels about the "care" they receive.  It could make you a better health care provider.

I'll be providing excerpts as soon as I get the published copy.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Sean Hannity and the VA Scandal (featuring our favorite amnesia drug)

I've been listening to a couple of the widows of VA atrocities with attention.  There is one woman who was talking about her husband being beaten to within an inch of his life during an MRI scan.  He died shortly thereafter, but not before he begged her to get him OUT of the hospital.  She asked how it was that he was so badly damaged from an MRI scan...you know where this is going...  He says he remembered everything up until he got upstairs, then nothing until he woke up almost dead.  He couldn't figure out how he could have so many injuries and not remember what happened.  His widow mentioned that he had painkillers in his system and mentioned an "amnesia drug".  She said she researched the drug and couldn't believe that anybody in medicine had such a drug and would use it on her husband.  I'm going to be watching this story very carefully for more revelations.

The private coroner told the widow that the only way this guy could have sustained the life threatening injuries (and ultimately death) was 1) a car wreck  2) sports  3) a severe beating.  Paraphrased from what I heard.  Suppose this man had the same rage reaction to Versed that so many of us have had?  Is that how he apparently got beaten to death while getting an MRI at a veterans hospital?  He died 8 days after the Versed/beating was administered.

I'll write more when I have more time.  I want to hear ALL the details.  Connie Lonsberry if you are reading this feel free to contact me here:  nomidazolam@aol.com

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Here You Go, Versed Used For Truth Serum/Blackmail.

http://www.sociopathworld.com/2014/05/truth-serum.html  

You should LOVE this one.  It's written tongue in cheek, but the problem is real and the excuses for using Versed in this fashion are not outside the realms of possibility.

I took the liberty of reproducing the article here from the above link.  I DID NOT WRITE THIS!  Some people have problems recognising the fact that *I* don't write every single essay bashing Versed.  No I don't and I did not write this one.



MONDAY, MAY 5, 2014

Truth serum?

I had dinner with some doctor friends of mine who were relating stories about how people react under anesthesia. My favorite story was about a 14 year old kid started hallucinating and feeling like he was being kidnapped by his doctors. When the doctors told him, "No, we like you, we're your friends."

The kid screamed back, "You like me?! You want to rape me?!"

After like 10 minutes of trying to calm him down, they decided to give up on the procedure for the day. The patient had stopped screaming enough for the doctors to explain that they were about to get his parents, and that seem to relax him. While the doctor was in the waiting room explaining to the parents about the child's adverse reaction to the drugs he heard a nurse yelling, "He's running!"

The child had apparently faked compliance to trick his captors into thinking he would cooperate with them. Really, he was just biding his time to escape. Unfortunately, as he sprinted away from the clinic, he seemed to be headed directly for a busy street and was still in his impaired condition. The doctor kicked off his clogs and started running after him in his socks. When the kid saw the doctor behind him, he freaked out again, running even faster. Finally the doctor caught up with him and tackled him to the ground before he ran out into the busy intersection.

But the stories that I thought were most interesting from a philosophical point of view were the stories about patient reactions to the drug Versed/Midazolam. Apparently it is a psychoactive drug with some funny side-effects. From Wikipedia:

In susceptible individuals, midazolam has been known to cause a paradoxical reaction, a well-documented complication with benzodiazapines. When this occurs, the individual may experience anxiety, involuntary movements, aggressive or violent behavior, uncontrollable crying or verbalization, and other similar effects. This seems to be related to the altered state of consciousness or disinhibition produced by the drug.

From the doctors' stories, it seems that the most common manifestation of this in female patients is to cry. For the male patients, a very common manifestation of the verbalization is to turn into complete perverts. One of the female doctors was telling me that it was really eye-opening to her to have this uptight conservative businessmen come in for their procedures and then say raunchy-as-hell things once the Versed gets flowing.

I asked them perhaps the age old question, which is the real them? is the Versed version the more authentic version of the patient? (In vino veritas?) Or does the Versed alter their natural thought patterns? The doctors seemed to think it was definitely the former. As an example, one doctor told me about one of her patients that seemed so inappropriate on Versed that she looked him up online afterwards and found out that he was a relatively prominent public figure who had a history of sexual indiscretions and cover-ups. The thing about Versed is that it also causes temporary amnesia, so the patient doesn't typically remember how they behaved on the drug.

I, of course, thought that an enterprising unethical doctor should start taking video of these patients and using the tapes for blackmail. What better way to ruin someone's life than to shame them in the court of public opinion, right? And they deserve it too, I bet. Best case (?) scenario, the patient/target is not aware that he has these particular flaws and we're doing him/her a favor by letting him/her know about them in no uncertain terms. Worst case scenario, the patient/target already knows about his/her character flaw and has been working overtime to mask it from the general public. Fakers. We should not have to tolerate this level of deception and/or hypocrisy from our fellow humans. These people deserve to be outted. If they are innocent, harmless, or if there is nothing really wrong with what they're doing then I'm sure they'll be fine. If bad things happen to them, then they obviously must have gotten what they deserved. 

Saturday, May 3, 2014

NOT Getting Versed? "A No Brainer"

I got an e-mail from a reader and it is so good, I got permission to reproduce it here.  Thanks Anonymous!
This reader also sent a pamphlet on Midazolam/Versed that I am going to address in my next post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Thanks for all the info on this horrible Versed. Thanks to your blog and a whole lot of others, I got thru my colonoscopy drug free. I am a needle phobic and tend to pass out after any IV so when I read about VERSED, well, no brainer!


I signed up for a drug free colonoscopy last year after my own GP admitted she herself had had one sedation free. I feel any GI doctor willing to do one drug free must be pretty good at his/her job. My twin sister chose the drug route for her colonoscopy procedure and to this day, cannot even tell me what the doctor reported, why she has to come back in five years instead of ten, she thinks she was "asleep" for the procedure. Pathetic!

I read your blog, did all the research, knew my strong and weak points and just went ahead and booked one unsedated. I had to pass on the upper endoscopy though. I am asthmatic and could never get through that one, sedated or unsedated. We have to know when we are out of our depth and just refuse these procedures when we feel we won't survive them.

Note that when you say "no sedation" they still try to shove a needle into you assuming you will take Fentanyl or some other opioid for pain. I crossed off all of this on the form and wrote "NO MEDS" with my initials and they still came into the procedure room and told me to just roll up my sweater sleeve for the needle. (I didn't get one of those horrible gowns to wear because I wasn't going to be sedated I guess so no "stickies" on my chest, just a BP cuff and pulse oximeter ). I refused the needle altogether and for the third time, knowing they would shove that VERSED into me as soon as I felt the slightest twinge.

How did the procedure go?? Well, after more dire warnings about pain from the GI who had initially agreed to it, I just soldiered on, one bad moment where she hit the sigmoid/splenic flexure and I nearly passed out ( but remember, I have that bad vagus nerve anyhow). Doctor said "Do you want me to stop?" and I said: "Just give me a minute to catch my breath" and we went on. Doctor got right to the Terminal Ileum and the nurses, (by this time there were two of them) told me I was a trooper. (I am probably the first 74 yr. old woman they ever did unsedated so I hope I made my point to them.)

One thing I now know. Forget modesty! They flip you onto your back part way through the procedure and I am certain they remove or pull up your gown when you are sedated. I had on my upper clothes and a paper cover which the doctor attempted to cover me with when I rolled over (for all the good that did!) I am sure they do not bother with ANY of this when you are "under the influence" yelling your head off! They just pretty much treat you as they please and since you are drugged, they don't have to stop the procedure.

Do I recommend unsedated colonoscopy? Yes and No. You have to be determined and it apparently helps to be male, to not have adhesions, IBS, not to have had a hysterectomy, not to have a redundant colon etc. People need to do some research and know something about their own bodies. Some of these folks might find the procedure painful, even with a good GI. For me, I would do it again if I had to but I don't think I will ever have to. Some polyps removed, benign, a bit of diverticulosis but not serious and let's face it, at 74 I am probably home-free. This is a "one and done" and should keep my GP quiet and off my case for the rest of my life.


See attached book if you haven't read it yet on the origin of this drug.

Keep up the good work. VERSED is a horrible drug for those of us who
  • are control freaks
  • don't trust the medical profession
  • don't take drugs
  • want to know what is going on with our bodies
  • want to keep our memories and brains intact
  • basically hate BIG PHARMA


Sunday, April 27, 2014

Rude Things Said About Patient While Anesthetized

I've been telling you that medical people are verbally abusing patients after they give Versed.  A reader sent me this article about abuse from the "courthousenews" website;

www.courthousenews.com/2014/04/22/67225.htm

Here's the transcript from the site.  How do you like it?  KNOW that this is standard procedure for these people.  Too many people with recall have expressed their disgust and disdain for the comments and conversation FROM MEDICAL PEOPLE after receiving Versed.  Now we have it on audio.  They can't claim this guy was "hallucinating" or "can't possibly remember" what happened.  I think surveillance might be the key to reining in patient abuse.  We patients don't deserve this kind of treatment.  Thanks "Ken" for sending this jewel to me.


Unconscious Patient Says Doctors Mocked Him
     FAIRFAX, Va. (CN) - Doctors mocked an unconscious colonoscopy patient, joking that he has syphilis and talking about firing a gun up his rectum, says a man whose cellphone allegedly captured audio of the entire affair.
     Plaintiff D.B. sued Safe Sedation LLC and Safe Sedation Management in Fairfax County Court, alleging defamation and infliction of emotional distress.
     "On April 18, 2013, during a colonoscopy, plaintiff was verbally brutalized and defamed by the very doctors to whom he entrusted his life while under anesthesia," the complaint states.
     D.B. claims that Drs. Tiffany Ingham and Soloman Shah, who are not named as defendants, mocked him from the second the anesthesia kicked in.
     D.B. claims he had inadvertently left his phone in the room, set to record, having neglected to turn it off after recording instructions for post-operative care.
     "The moment that plaintiff became unconscious, Tiffany Ingham, M.D. commented to all of the others in the operating room 'Oh - Oscar Mike Goss.' That is a thinly disguised substitute for the expression 'OMG', which is an expression of both exasperation and mockery, and is a well-known abbreviation for 'Oh my God,'" the complaint states.
     It adds: "Tiffany Ingham, M.D. started to mock, and then continued to mock, the amount of medicine required to anesthetize plaintiffs.
     "Referring to plaintiff, Soloman Shah, M.D. commented that a teaching physician known to both him and Tiffany Ingham, M.D. 'would eat him for lunch.'
     "Tiffany Ingham, M.D. agreed that plaintiff would be 'eaten alive' and also jokingly discussed a hypothetical of firing a gun up a rectum."
     D.B. claims his phone caught Ingham talking to his unconscious self, saying, "And really, after five minutes of talking to you in pre-op I wanted to punch you in the face and man you up a little bit."
     The tape allegedly caught the doctors discussing D.B.'s prescription medication and an irritation on his penis.
     "A medical assistant at GMA touched plaintiff's penis during the colonoscopy," the complaint states. "Although plaintiff's penis is not involved in a colonoscopy, the medical assistant noted there was not 'much of a penile rash.' Tiffany Ingham, M.D. responded, 'No, you'll accidentally rub up against it. Some syphilis on your arm or something.' Solomon Shah, M.D. responded, 'That would be bad. That would be real bad.'"
     The complaint adds: "Tiffany Ingham, M.D. then stated to all present in the operating suite that, 'It's probably tuberculosis in the penis, so you'll be all right.'"
     D.B. says he doesn't have either disease.
     The complaint states that the doctors talked about "misleading and avoiding" him after he woke up.
     "A female medical assistant at GMA recalled that plaintiff had earlier warned that he passes out when looking at the placement of an IV, to which Tiffany Ingham, M.D. asked 'Well, why are you looking then, retard?' the man claims. "Tiffany Ingham, M.D. also described plaintiff as a 'big wimp.'"
     He claims the doctors continued to discuss how to avoid him after he woke up, and mocked him for going to Mary Washington College, suggesting that "it was unsurprising that plaintiff attended a college that at one time was a 'women's college,' a 'girl's school,' and wondered if plaintiff was gay."
     The complaint states: "Tiffany Ingham, M.D. stated, 'Are you implying that he's gay? Because I know gay men that have more manliness than' the plaintiff. 'And I'm sure I know gay men in the military who just haven't let it be known that they're gay who are manly.'"
     In a final remark caught on tape, Ingham allegedly said she would make a note on the man's file that he had hemorrhoids even though he didn't.
     D.B. claims that he and his wife discovered that the procedure had been recorded on their ride home, listening in disgust.
     "Plaintiff has suffered distress, including embarrassment, loss of sleep, and mental anguish, as a direct and proximate result of the conduct of defendant's agent Tiffany Ingham, M.D.," he says.
     He seeks $1 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages for defamation, infliction of emotional distress and illegally disclosing his health records.
     He is represented by Mikhael Charnoff with Perry Charnoff in Arlington. 

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Irony and Cognitive Screening

Today I got a survey from Medpage today about screening for "cognitive decline".  I find it rich that a medical website would worry about "screening" for cognitive decline when they themselves are doing their level best to CAUSE AND CREATE cognitive decline.  How many drugs besides their favorite, Versed, cause cognitive decline?  Statins spring to mind.

Exactly how is "cognitive screening" helpful to a patient?  What are they going to do with subjective and arbitrary results?  Is there a CURE for cognitive decline such that early prevention might help?  Can they treat the "disease"?  So the point of having a mandatory cognitive screening at age 60 is beneficial for...?    I see where it would be helpful for the estate lawyers, errant children determined to wrest control of the family assets from their parent and insurance industry people looking for ways to exclude people from coverage.  For them this "screening" might be most beneficial.  Not to mention the medical behemoth being able to have yet one more "routine screening" with a cost in the thousands to be run on their hapless patients. Maybe medical people should try testing some of their Versed patients for "cognitive decline" after they deliberately and maliciously create the same problem they now want to test for.  Let's see how responsible they are about using the drug after the test results show how harmful Versed is on cognitive function.

The next step would be to deny anybody whose "screening" appears abnormal (subjective) a drivers license?  Will they revoke say, a plastic surgeon's license or are the medical professionals going to be exempt?  Is the government prepared to pay disability on these poor people who have been "diagnosed" as inferior?  Who will pay for the lawyers that will inevitably be involved after a diagnosis of "cognitive decline".  Are physicians ready for a spike in their malpractice insurance due to (mis)diagnosis of "cognitive decline"?  I don't like the turn that medical care has taken...at...all.

Sure, let's give all our patients a drug(s) that are known to cause cognitive dysfunction and then "diagnose" them with same and ruin their life.  There is no cure for the new "disease" so none of this is for patient benefit.