Guest guest Posted September 6, 2008 Report Share Posted September 6, 2008 Thanks, . I also heard from . The long and short of it is I'll see if I have any side effects. I AM sleepy a lot of the time; otherwise, nothing else. Thanks for explaining about the NSAIDs and the biologics. Ellen * rheumatic Here's the article > > > > FDA orders stronger warnings for 4 arthritis drugs > Associated Press/AP Online > > By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR > WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration ordered stronger > warnings Thursday on four medications widely used to treat rheumatoid > arthritis and other serious illnesses, saying they can raise the risk > of possibly fatal fungal infections. > > The drugs - Enbrel, Remicade, Humira and Cimzia - work by suppressing > the immune system to keep it from attacking the body. For patients > with rheumatoid arthritis, the treatment provides relief from swollen > and painful joints, but it's " a double-edged sword, " said the FDA's > Dr. Siegel. That's because the drugs also lower the body's > defenses to various kinds of infections. > > Siegel, who heads the office that oversees arthritis drugs, said the > FDA became concerned after discovering that doctors seemed to be > overlooking a particular kind of fungal infection called > histoplasmosis. Of 240 cases reported to the FDA in which patients > taking one of the four drugs developed this infection, a total of 45 > died - about 20 percent. > > The infection, which mimics the flu, is prevalent in much of the > middle part of the country. It can have particularly grave > consequences if it isn't caught early and spreads beyond the > respiratory system to other organs of the body. > > Siegel said the investigation began with a single case of a woman > taking one of the drugs who died of histoplasmosis. Delving into the > case, doctors at the FDA found that the woman had been sick with the > fungal infection for a long time. " This case led us to be concerned > that there may be other situations in which physicians may not > recognize histoplasmosis, " said Siegel. > > FDA officials searched the agency's database and found the 240 cases > of patients taking the medications who had also developed the fungal > infection. Of those, at least 21 appeared to involve a late > diagnosis, > and 12 of them - more than half - ultimately died. > > Siegel said the FDA's order Thursday means that the risk of > histoplasmosis will be flagged in a " black box, " the strongest > warning > information in a drug's prescribing literature. The four medications > already have black box warnings about the risk of infections, but the > language varies from drug to drug. > > Patients should call their doctors if they develop persistent fever, > cough, shortness of breath or fatigue, which can be signs of the > fungal infection. > > And the FDA is also urging doctors to consider aggressive use of > antifungal drugs in patients who develop such symptoms, even if the > infection has not been confirmed by a laboratory test. Siegel said > such a decision should not be taken lightly, since antifungal drugs > can also have dangerous side effects. Doctors should consider > stopping > treatment with the immune-suppressing drugs if patients develop > infections. > > The four drugs belong to a class known as TNF-alpha blockers, and are > considered a mainstay for treating rheumatoid arthritis, a disabling > disease in which the immune system attacks the joints. They are also > used to treat Crohn's disease, juvenile arthritis, certain types of > psoriasis, and other immune system disorders. All are taken by > injection. > > Separately, the FDA is investigating a possible link between the four > medications and cancer in young patients. The agency said earlier > this > year it has received 30 reports of cancers, mainly lymphomas, in > patients who began taking the medications when they were 18 or > younger. That investigation is expected to take the rest of the year. > > Three of the drugs, Enbrel, Humira and Remicade, are considered > blockbusters, with sales of over $1 billion annually for each. Cimzia > is newer and less widely used. > > Humira is sold by North Chicago, Ill.-based Abbott Laboratories Inc; > Cimzia by Belgium-based UCB; Enbrel by Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based > Amgen Inc. and Madison, N.J.-based Wyeth; and Remicade by Horsham, > Pa.- > based Centocor, a unit of & , and Kenilworth, N.J.- > based Schering-Plough Inc. > > > > Recently my rheumatologist prescribed Lyrica to treat me for > fibromyalgia symptoms. Knowing now what I know about the other > anti-inflammatory drugs and fungal infections, I am going to ask my > rheumy what he thinks about this. Of course, I will be very wary > of any > signs that something is going wrong! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 I personally think it is best to rotate. Check out Brainchild protocol for yeast too. Also, have you started enzymes? That would help too. Tammy [ ] Sorry What works for yeast besides: Candex Biotin GSE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Capryllic Acid Pau D'arco Extract Oregon Grape Extract Threelac, Culturelle - probiotics in general Saccharomyces boulardii Candidase Yeast-Aid (Kirkman) From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Arias Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 7:56 PM Subject: [ ] Sorry What works for yeast besides: Candex Biotin GSE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Thanks On Nov 5, 2008, at 7:04 PM, wrote: > Capryllic Acid > > Pau D'arco Extract > > Oregon Grape Extract > > Threelac, Culturelle - probiotics in general > > Saccharomyces boulardii > > Candidase > > Yeast-Aid (Kirkman) > > From: [mailto:Autism- > Mercury ] > On Behalf Of Arias > Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 7:56 PM > > Subject: [ ] Sorry > > What works for yeast besides: > Candex > Biotin > GSE > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Uva Ursi also- -- In , " " <hisblueeyes@...> wrote: > > Capryllic Acid > > Pau D'arco Extract > > Oregon Grape Extract > > Threelac, Culturelle - probiotics in general > > Saccharomyces boulardii > > Candidase > > Yeast-Aid (Kirkman) > > > > > > > > From: [mailto:Autism- Mercury ] > On Behalf Of Arias > Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 7:56 PM > > Subject: [ ] Sorry > > > > What works for yeast besides: > Candex > Biotin > GSE > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2010 Report Share Posted March 11, 2010 sorry, i was cleaning out old emails and sent by mistake. (about helios) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.