Roche Must Pay $18 Million to Two Former Accutane Users

Roche Holding AG must pay a total of $18 million in damages to two former users of its Accutane acne drug who blamed the medicine for their bowel disease, a New Jersey jury ruled.
Read article at bloomberg.com

I listened to Carrie Grant presenting the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease

I listened this afternoon to Carrie Grant presenting the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity National Association for Colitis & Crohn's Disease. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sf7hj As a sufferer herself, Ms Grant has personal experience of inflammatory bowel diseases which can have a devastating impact on education, work, social and family life. And it is good that there is a charity - The National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease (NACC) - that helps people suffering from these illnesses. Ms Grant explained that part of what the charity does is give monetary grants to people who need them, for example, a grant to buy a washing machine to make the work of constantly having to wash soiled bedding less of a chore. She said that another grant was for 'Adam', for new clothes. She explained that Adam had become a lonely, isolated teenager because he had gained such a lot of weight as a result of taking the medication for his illness and that he had needed new clothes because the weight gain made his old clothes too small for him. Well that's a good practical way to help Adam and his mother, and a good way to use money donated to the charity.

But I have another suggestion to make. - It would be great if the NACC would inform sufferers and their families about how the weight gain can be avoided or minimised in the first place. - This is easy. Explain to people that the drugs that cause weight gain do so because they cause sodium retention/fluid retention and that this fluid retention/weight gain/water weight can be avoided or reduced by avoiding salt and salty food. - Even now it is not too late for Adam to reduce the excess weight he has gained. If, from now on, he reduces his intake of salt and salty food he will lose some of the excess weight easily, safely and fast.

I read on this page that one of the drug types used for Crohn's Disease is Corticosteroids and that "Steroids have an anti-inflammatory effect and can treat symptoms quickly. There are varying types, and so can target specific affected areas of the gut. A high dose is often required initially to reduce inflammation rapidly, which can be an issue as side-effects are often dose related. It is common for patients on steroids to gain weight quickly and teenagers can suffer acne breakouts as a result of such treatment. Long term usage can also result in poor growth development in children."

As well as reducing the problem of sudden weight gain on steroids, my advice about avoiding salt/sodium and salty food would also reduce or avoid the acne that teenagers aften suffer as a result of the steroid medication.

Having experienced massive weight gain and acne myself as a consequence of taking prescribed steroids I would like to help people like Adam, and other people who take prescribed steroids, to avoid unnecessary suffering. I have written a webpage with the necessary information and advice. I hope you will visit it.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection.

Lose weight by eating less salt! - Go on! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!
See http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/
The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.

A fit teenager, Shaun Jones, died when he suffered a suspected allergic reaction after taking acne medication for the first time, it has emerged.

Talented rugby player dies after 'reaction to acne medication'
Article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"An inquest into the death of talented rugby player Shaun Jones, 14, of Rhydyfelin, Pontypridd, south Wales, has been opened and adjourned.

Shaun's father Graeme Jones said: "He was popular with the girls and had a couple of spots, so the doctor gave him some antibiotic acne tablets. A lot of his friends are taking them.

"It was the first time he'd taken them and he developed breathing difficulties. We called 999 and he went to hospital – but it was too late. The doctors couldn't save him.""

What a tragedy for a 14 year old to lose his life in this way! - And, in my opinion, how deplorable! - We read that he had "a couple of spots" and that "a lot of his friends" are taking the tablets. - To prescribe antibiotic tablets for "a couple of spots"! - We repeatedly read that the prescribing of antibiotics should be restricted because of increasing problems of bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics and then there is nothing with which to treat more serious infections. - In my opinion, if Shaun was indeed treated with antibiotics for "a couple of spots", he shouldn't have been. And if it is correct that "a lot of his friends" are too, then this is reprehensible, reckless prescribing.

You may say to me that acne can cause great emotional distress, especially to young people, and I would agree with you. - But I also have an effective, completely safe, drug-free therapy to recommend for reducing acne. Avoid eating salt and salty food. - This does work.

See Sodium in foods

Associated health conditions

A skin cream which costs just £1.89 from Aldi, a budget supermarket, is just as good as one which costs more than £50, a survey claims.

Aldi skin cream 'as good as designer'

Extract from the Telegraph:

"Women seeking the best beauty treatments are set to clear the shelves at Aldi after its Siana Skin Kind Nourishing Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream was voted the joint best skincare product, alongside Lancome's designer night cream, which costs £51 a pot.

In a study for the Channel 4 programme How To Look Good Naked, which is hosted by fashion consultant Gok Wan, 100 women were given a blind test of a selection of popular skin creams.

Based on smell, texture and hydration, Aldi's anti-wrinkle cream was voted just as popular as the Lancome night cream, which is 27 times as expensive."

"The cream contains a retinol complex to stimulate cell growth and chemicals such as co-enzyme Q10, which helps to regenerate Vitamin E in the skin.

Last year, BBC2's Horizon programme sparked a stampede of women buying Boots' No.7 Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum by claiming the cream could actually repair damaged skin."

You can prevent/reduce acne and rosacea (a reddening of the facial skin, caused by dilation of capillaries) by avoiding salt and salty food. - See Associated health conditions and Sodium in foods

Problems as young boys try to make themselves look more muscular by using anabolic steroids...

From the Guardian - Boys of 12 using anabolic steroids to 'get girls'

Extract:

"The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is to write to the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, voicing grave concerns about the growing abuse of anabolic steroids which are now being used by "tens of thousands" of bodybuilders and teenagers.

It had been estimated that there were tens of thousands of people using steroids to improve the results of training regimes to make themselves look more muscular, said Professor David Nutt, chairman of the council's technical committee. Steroid users, rather than heroin injectors, were now the main clients of needle exchanges, the committee heard.

Those who used anabolic steroids were often oblivious of the risks, which included acne, breast enlargement, sterility, liver tumours and hepatitis, the council chairman, Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, said. He added: "It can also make the testicles wither - which is probably not what the users want."

The latest figures show that 200,000 people in Britain have tried anabolic steroids, with 42,000 saying they have used them in the last year and 20,000 in the previous month. Home Office controls on anabolic steroids are aimed at suppliers and traffickers and it is not an offence to possess them to enhance performance.

Lord Victor Adebowale, chief executive of the drugs charity Turning Point, said elite athletes knew what they were doing using steroids, but their increasing use by boys as young as 12 and 13 was extremely worrying. "They do it because they want to be in boy bands and get girls," he said.

The advisory council, which was meeting in public for the first time in its 36-year history, is also to press the government to ban 26 anabolic steroids currently proscribed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which controls the use of illicit substances in sport. Council members said action was needed in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics."

Acne drug, Roaccutane, may raise suicide risk

Acne cure may raise suicide risk, says study

Extract from the Telegraph:

"An acne drug prescribed to thousands of people could cause severe depression and even lead to suicidal thoughts, according to new research.

Roaccutane, used to treat those suffering from severe acne, appears to interfere with the brain's use of serotonin — the feel-good hormone — a study published today found.

In the United Kingdom 26 patients taking the drug have committed suicide. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency [MHRA] also recorded 19 attempted suicides, and 31 patients considering suicide, among those taking Roaccutane."

A drug-free, cost-free way to reduce acne is to stop eating salt and salty food. This is also helpful for depression and insomnia.

Lose weight and improve your health in many ways without drugs or expense by eating less salt! - Go on! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!

See my website http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/.html (The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.)

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/steroids.html

vulnerable groups

How to Lose weight!

Children and Obesity

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

See Sodium in foods and

Associated health conditions and

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/story.html - my 'political' page

I can be contacted via my website if you need my further help. My help is free.

Infertility crisis looms in the west as obesity levels soar. - SO AVOID EATING SALT AND SALTY FOOD!

Infertility crisis looms in the west as obesity levels soar - Guardian

Extract:

"Soaring levels of obesity in the western world are expected to trigger a major new infertility crisis among women, doctors warn today. The Lancet reports that the obesity epidemic will leave more couples struggling to conceive as women suffer more fertility-related problems.

One expert suggested the proportion of couples seeking infertility treatment could double to one in five within a decade. "We're at the tip of the iceberg," said Bill Ledger, professor of obstetrics at the University of Sheffield. But he said the problem could be eased if women lost weight before resorting to medical interventions to get pregnant.

The Lancet study focuses on a common disorder - polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - which affects one in 15 women worldwide. PCOS occurs when women have excess male hormones which cause little cysts to grow on the ovaries. Symptoms include irregular or missed periods, infertility, excess hair, acne and insulin resistance which can make them more prone to diabetes.

"Obesity has a substantial effect on the manifestation of polycystic ovary syndrome," the paper says. "Excess weight exacerbates metabolic and reproductive abnormalities in women with the syndrome, and family studies suggest weight gain might promote ... polycystic ovary syndrome in a susceptible population."

Robert Norman, the lead author at the University of Adelaide, Australia, said: "Obesity doesn't cause PCOS but it exacerbates it ... it's argued that obesity will cause a crisis in infertility and I agree.

"Obesity has huge consequences for fertility but also when you treat someone who is obese and get them pregnant you have increased problems for the pregnancy." Problems include pregnancy-related diabetes, abnormalities and a decreased chance of a natural labour."

Reduce your risk of polycystic ovary syndrome and lose weight and improve your health in many other ways by eating less salt! Go on! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!
How to Lose weight!

See my website http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/.html
(The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.)

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

See Sodium in foods and

Associated health conditions and

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/story.html - my 'political' page

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/socio.html - social and economic considerations

I can be contacted via my website if you need my further help. My help is free.

Do you often feel faint? dizzy? disorientated? whoozy? confused? muddled? weak? fragile? tired? sleepy? in pain? - Are you sure you are eating enough?

If you are dieting/'slimming'/calorie counting/eating low fat meals/low calorie meals or other restrictive food regimes, then any of these could be causing your symptoms. - They could also be causing you to be anaemic, depressed, to have heavy periods and other menstrual problems, to have acne, eczema, swollen hands/feet, fluid retention, and a host of other unpleasant, difficult, tiring problems of ill-health.

But if you are wanting to lose excess weight, it is not necessary to restrict how much food you eat in any way at all! - EXCEPT - YOU NEED TO CUT DOWN ON SALT/SODIUM AND JUNK FOOD. - EAT LESS SALT AND SALTY MEALS. - Other than that, you need to eat plenty of REAL food, including plenty of fruit and fresh vegetables, and plenty of calcium. There is much more detail and much more information on my website:

Lose weight by eating less salt! - Go on! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!
See my website http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/
Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection
and see Sodium in Foods.
The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.

Acne? Eczema? - Tried everything? - Try this! (It costs nothing...(o:)

Salt has bad effects on some people, and that's not surprising when you think about it. - Our long-ago ancestors did not eat salt; at least, the only salt they ate for thousands of years was the salt naturally present in their food - and that was a very small amount of salt indeed. - All food and all water has tiny amounts of salt/sodium in it, and it is on this small intake of sodium that our species evolved. We do not need the addition of further salt. - Logically, then, a low salt intake would be likely to be best for us.

Likewise, the present low potassium intake of most people differs markedly from the potassium intake on which our species evolved.

To improve health in general it is logical to assume that cutting down on salt and salty food, and eating more potassium-rich food (fruit and fresh vegetables) would be advisable.

Some people are susceptible to problems with salt; other people seem to be little affected or not to be affected all the time. Steroids, HRT, some antidepressants and many other prescribed drugs increase sensitivity to salt and can precipitate acne and eczema. - I am suggesting that cutting down on salt and eating more fruit/veg will gradually lessen problems with acne and eczema. - Why not give it a try? - It worked for me. - It could work for you. - It costs nothing; no drugs are involved; and there are no side-effects - other than benefiting your health in many diverse ways - lower blood pressure, lower risk of stroke, heart disease, enlarged heart, type 2 diabetes, cancer, dementia, obesity, etc...(o: - Go on! - Try it!

You can read more about my ideas on my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk
(The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.)
I invite you to read my Mensa article.
I can be contacted via my website.

Tara and her problems with prednisolone, a prescribed steroid. - Acne, Moonface, Night Cramps, 'Buffalo Hump', Insults...

Some while back I received an email to my website address from a schoolgirl who was very distressed. - The reason for her distress was that she had been prescribed prednisolone again because of a flare-up of a serious illness she had first suffered from 2 years ago. - At that time the steroid had caused her to develop a moonface, severe night cramps in her legs which woke her, and what she describes as a 'buffalo hump' but which, I believe, is more usually referred to as Dowager's Hump. She found it very hard to sleep. She said her face was huge and she had acne and red marks on her cheeks, and because she was so swollen she didn't like to be touched. (It's extremely painful to be touched when you are very swollen. - Think of when you have a blister or a boil or an abscess!)

These are all normally considered side-effects of the steroid, but of course they are not. - They are actually side-effects of sudden massive extra fluid retention in the bloodstream and are the result of not being warned to avoid salt and salty food when taking this medication.

Her life had been made hell by the insults she had received at school because of the change in her looks, especially the moonface, and she was very unhappy at the thought of it all happening again. She had found my website and wrote to ask me for further information and help, which of course I gave her.

She is a clever, conscientious girl - and she followed my advice exactly. She read the information I sent, checked out the links, became clued up. - She made soup with fresh vegetables and lentils, her father made her low sodium bolognese, her mum bought her unsalted nuts and stuff for snacks, and so on. - When she was unsure whether a food was safe for her to eat she emailed me to check its sodium concentration.

Well she is now practically recovered from this flare-up and she hasn't gained any weight at all this time - in fact, she's been so rigorous about avoiding sodium that she has actually LOST weight! - I believe that this is so rare as to be actually unique and it proves how important it is to be warned against eating salt while on steroids. I also feel sure that the low sodium intake helped her to get over the flare-up faster.She is very grateful to me and I am so very pleased with her. - She wrote: "Thankyou for your congratulations, you have put a smile on my face."

See Prescribed Drugs that cause Obesity

Lose weight by eating less salt! Go on! - Try it!
See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk
(The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.)