Medicine or Poison?
February 11th, 2010
Navigating the wacky world of medicine and medication in Utah
by Richard Markosian
Valentine's Day and all alone? Feeling kind of sad? There is an easy way to feel better -- visit any doctor and tell them about your sadness and they can prescribe you one of the wonderful varieties of anti-depressants.
Just one small catch: a little research into the side effects and problems associated with these pills and it's a wonder how any doctor would call these pills "safe medicine." In the fine print we learn that side effects of pills such as Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac may cause suicidal thoughts, nervousness, anxiety, sexual dysfunction and the list goes on and on.
Certainly antidepressants are an excellent remedy for long-term bouts of severe depression, but the over-prescription in Utah has resulted in the statistic that there are more Utahns using anti-depressants per capita than any other state. It's no wonder why so many Utahns are using anti-depressants; we also have the "honor" of being one of the happiest populations in the U.S. We need our anti-depressants to maintain our number one status!
The list of drugs that have been approved by the FDA and later recalled or found to cause severe side effects is astounding. It's also a good idea to not trust every doctor, who writes presciptions and likely receives regular $100 lunches from pharmaceutical sales associates. If "don't bite the hand that feeds you" holds true for doctors, then you might be well advised to get a second opinion when your doctor prescribes codeine for mild neck pain or anti-depressants for a mild bout of melancholy. Especially when the side effects of these common drugs include the risk of severe addiction.
In the past 50 years, many drugs have been brought to market that have severe side effects. So are these pills really medicine or poison? Or toxic medicines?
The Price of Medically Induced Happiness
Long-term usage and side effects demonstrate that regular usage of Percocet, Vicodin or SSRI's cause either more or about the same harm as long term use of marijuana or heroin -- yet the former are pefectly legal and the latter, illegal.
Researching controlled substances such as alcohol and caffeine at the downtown library, it becomes clear that the line between what the FDA labels as "controlled substances," "illegal substances" and "medicine" is fuzzy. Controlled substances such as alcohol, nicotine and caffeine were in the medicine section of the library. I found a book entitled "The Caffeine Advantage" that pointed out the benefits of using regular doses of caffeine to become a better person. I found books lauding the benefits of moderate amounts of alcohol such as wine and beer. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), a glass of wine a day can decrease risk of cardiovascular disease. Here's to more coffee and wine!
The misinformation campaigns that occur in schools and churches regarding controlled substances have the opposite effect from abstinence. Instead, the clear inaccuracies encourage extreme experimentation and stupidity such as beer bongs and binge drinking. While the numerous frat movies demonstrate this behavior as just a part of being in college, binge drinking causes hundreds of deaths of high school and college students between ages of 18-23. It's about time the media offer an accurate presentation of drugs without an agenda to either inhibit or encourage use -- which is the intent of this issue of Utah Stories.
Caffeine is regarded as the opposite of alcohol and is labeled as a stimulant. Caffeine is also classified as a drug, but has been regarded by the FDA as unharmful and without long-term side-effects, which allows it to be added to beverages in unregulated quantities and sold without much government controls.
I avoided coffee as a kid; I believed it was harmful and maybe even wicked. But now I know that most college students run on caffeine. And many of the smartest, most productive, creative people in the world regularly use caffeine to help fuel their work.
Marijuana is a narcotic and controlled substance (classified by the AMA along with LSD and other opioids). But this classification is being reconsidered. As of November 2009, the AMA's original statement that marijuana "contains no medicinal value" is being reversed. The multi-billion dollar campaigns attempting to suppress and misinform the public regarding the harm of pot has proven a failure and now "medicinal marijuana use" is skyrocketing, just as medicinal alcohol use skyrocketed during prohibition.
Pot is extremely common in public schools, even among junior high and elementary students. Pot is a recreational drug used by 20 percent of eighth graders, yet what do we really know about pot and its side-effects?
During my twenties, I had friends who would get high two or three times a day. From my own observations, I saw how getting high every day produces an inability for a person to witness their own behavior. Some of my friends and acquaintances who believed themselves brilliant creative minds -- where pot was a tool to enhance their genius (just as it did for the Beatles) -- would come up with some of the most idiotic statements I've ever heard. I called it "resin brain" -- just as pot resin would discolor glass making it opaque-- pot would take clear and sharp minds and make them dull and lacking in clear vision. But I see no harm from marijuana use in moderation.
Then, finally, antidepressants, or selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) have been prescribed or recommended to nearly every person I know (including myself). Antidepressants are considered "the safe way to stay normal and happy." SSRI's operate by keeping seratonin levels in the brain at more consistent levels: not too happy, not too sad. There are more Utahns using SSRI's than any other state in the country, so it's important that we know what we are dealing with.
Interestingly, caffeine also limits reuptake of serotonin and can function as a mood stabilizer. But unlike anti-depressants, caffeine has no long-term side effects. Unfortunately, doctors rarely tell patients to drink more caffeine (to stabilize seratonin) or to exercise more (to increase seratonin) to overcome depression. Like caffeine, SSRI's are fat soluble and are quickly metabolized into the entire body. Neuroscientists understand how SSRI's alter brain function and early clinical trials made SSRI's such as Prozac "the miracle cure for depression." It became a pop-icon in the 1990's in its own right. Even as long-term side effects kept popping up such as cardiovascular problems, sexual dysfunction and suicidal tendencies -- more drug makers introduced more SSRI's such as Paxil and Zoloft.
Today there are more varieties of SSRI's on the market than varieties of Willy Wonka candy -- each with its own name, cute shape and color. Yet unlike the sugar rush from candy, there are many very serious harmful side-effects.
The FDA has re-issued multiple warnings and cautions regarding the risks of SSRI's. But ask any member of the LDS Church what is worse: antidepressants or coffee, and most will say the latter. It's about time coffee was removed from the "naughty list" and put on the "good in moderation list." The film Happy Valley highlights the problem abuse of over-the-counter medication in Utah is three times the national average. Its about time we stop trusting pills to cure everything.
When you see a loved one take more pills than what the doctor prescribed, maybe it's time to consider bringing him or her to a pill addiction treatment center.
Purchase the entire issue for only $1.99 plus SH.
