Author |
Message |
Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Thursday, June 15, 2006 - 3:34 pm
wrong thread
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Erniesgirl
Member
06-26-2006
| Monday, June 26, 2006 - 2:58 pm
Hi I'm new here. my friend who is approaching 70 went off premarin when the word came down five or so years ago about HRT being harmful. She then started to have hot flashes. Here she was at 65 starting what would have been long finished if she hadn't started on the drug in the first place. I'm going through it now at 55 (and have been for three years)
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Dolphinschild
Member
06-22-2006
| Monday, June 26, 2006 - 4:13 pm
Hi Erniesgirl! I made you a folder in members folders. Thank you for sharing with us. I am going on 44 and I have hotflashes myself and I am already going through reverse puberty too LOL. Ok well that is what I call it lol. I hope you have a good rest of the evening... 
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 3:17 pm
Well, I went to the new Urogynocologist today and I really like him. He said I should not worry about being on a low dose of the premarin because it is only estrogen and the risks are slim. I go for a test of the bladder problem Aug 11 to see exactly what the problem there is and where we go from there.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 8:48 am
Source: Ivanhoe.com Reported July 5, 2006 Seizure Drug as Effective as Estrogen for Hot Flashes (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- There may be a new option for women who suffer from postmenopausal hot flashes. New research from the University of Rochester in New York reveals the seizure drug gabapentin -- sold under the brand name Neurontin} -- is as effective as estrogen in treating menopause symptoms. Sixty postmenopausal women took part in the study. They were randomly divided into three groups -- 20 took gabapentin and a placebo estrogen pill each day, 20 received estrogen and a fake gabapentin pill, and 20 took placebos that looked like gabapentin and estrogen. The study lasted 12 weeks. Results revealed a high placebo effect similar to other menopause studies -- women who took the two sugar pills reported a 54-percent reduction in hot flashes. But there were even better results for women in the other two groups. Women taking gabapentin reported a 71-percent decline in symptoms, and women taking estrogen reported a 72-percent decline in symptoms. The difference between these two groups was not statistically significant. Researchers conclude gabapentin is as effective as estrogen in treating hot flashes. They hypothesize it may reduce the symptoms by regulating the flow of calcium in and out of cells -- one mechanism for controlling body temperature. Study participants who took gabapentin had more headaches, dizziness or disorientation. But researchers say gradually increasing to the recommended dose and taking the drug with food can get rid of the side effects. SOURCE: Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2006;108:1-1
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 9:01 am
Source: Ivanhoe.com Reported February 27, 2004 Non-Hormonal Menopause Alternatives ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- In 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative stopped an eight-year trial on hormone replacement therapy because it uncovered that the long-term risks of taking estrogen plus progestin outweighed the benefits. Many menopausal women were left scrambling for another alternative relieve their symptoms. Here are some of them. Like millions of other women, Mona Roberson is looking for ways to relieve the symptoms of menopause. "I’m finding that there are a lot more options than women thought there were," she tells Ivanhoe. One of those options is tibolone, a man-made steroid that mimics a combination of the hormones estrogen and progestin. Anna Parsons, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist at University of South Florida in Tampa, says: "What tibolone does is selectively some of the things estrogen does. It does what we want it to. It doesn’t do the bad things." Like combination HRT, tibolone reduces hot flashes and prevents bone loss. But it does not make the uterus grow or cause breast tenderness, changes that may contribute to cancer. The drug has been used successfully in Europe for 10 years, and now it’s being tested in this country. Roberson says, "It can’t hurt me to do this for a couple of years. It might be good for my body to do it, so I decided to go ahead and do it." Dessert can’t hurt either. Hope Ricciotti, M.D., and her husband, Vincent, a chef, incorporate soy products into dozens of dishes, like Caesar salad and stir fry. Why? "Tofu and other soy products and flax seed are two of the richest sources of phytoestrogens, which are plant sources of estrogen," says Dr. Ricciotti, who co-authored "The Menopause Cookbook." She says, "If you want to reduce hot flashes you need to eat about two or three ounces of tofu a day." Those aren’t the only foods that fight menopause. Experts suggest women’s diets include broccoli and dairy products for the calcium, and fruits and vegetables for the antioxidants. Many women take the herbal extract black cohosh to relieve menopausal symptoms. Recent research out of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh finds the supplement may be dangerous for women with breast cancer and those who have undetected breast tumors because it can increase the number of tumors that spread. However, black cohosh did not increase the incidence of new tumors. If you would like more information, please contact: Hormone Replacement, Menopause Treatments, Livial.com http://www.livial.com Organon - International http://www.organon.com
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 9:23 am
Source: Ivanhoe.com Reported June 4, 2003 Relief for Hot Flashes (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Recent studies have shown hormonal therapy may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and breast cancer, causing many menopausal women to stop treatment. Now, doctors say a well-known drug may be a good alternative for women who seek relief from symptoms like hot flashes. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins’ Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center are studying whether antidepressants can help menopausal women control their hot flashes. One particular drug, sold under the brand name Paxil, showed significant improvement for 165 menopausal women who experienced at least two hot flashes a day. The participants in the study took either 12.5 milligrams or 25 milligrams of the antidepressant or a placebo everyday for six weeks. Throughout the study, patients kept diaries of their hot flashes, completed questionnaires, and were examined by doctors. The 25-milligram dose of the drug reduced hot flashes by nearly 65 percent, or by about three flashes per day. The 12.5-milligram pills reduced symptoms by about 62 percent, while the placebo reduced hot flashes by less than 40 percent. In addition, nearly 30 percent of the women taking the antidepressant said they experienced no hot flashes by the sixth week of the study. The side effects reported by the women were mild to moderate and included headaches, nausea and insomnia. Doctors say the new treatment is a good alternative to hormonal therapy, which has even more serious side effects. "This is the best nonhormonal drug we know about right now," says Vered Stearns, M.D., of Johns Hopkins’ Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Stearns says researchers do not know exactly what causes hot flashes, but scientists think low estrogen levels that throw off the nervous system’s temperature control are to blame. SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003;289:2827-2834
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 9:33 am
Source: Ivanhoe.com Reported October 25, 2004 OpEd: Stopping HRT -- If Your Grandma Survived Without It, So Can You By Lise Cloutier-Steele, OpEd to Ivanhoe.com (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- In 1991, I underwent a hysterectomy and ovary removal procedure, and although I was only 38 years old at the time, I was immediately catapulted into surgical menopause. In other words, I had become a much older woman going through natural menopause, but with symptoms of greater intensity. When a woman's ovaries are removed at the same time as her uterus, some of the nastier symptoms she may experience include severe hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness, depression, anxiety, and loss of libido, just to mention a few. In most cases, doctors prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for relief of these symptoms, but it doesn't always work. At least not according to my personal experience, and that of the many women I interviewed for my book, "Misinformed Consent -- Women's Stories about Unnecessary Hysterectomy" (Next Decade, Inc., 2003; http://www.nextdecade.com). All commented on how difficult it was to find an effective and safe therapy. Studies on HRT are coming at us from all sides, but are they really presenting new information? In the introduction to her book, "The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth" (Hyperion Press, 2003), Barbara Seaman writes that the risks associated with estrogens have been known for a long time. According to Seaman's research, when the British biochemist first published his formula for oral estrogens in 1938, he claimed that drugs containing estrogens showed promise, but he also spent years warning his colleagues that estrogens could also put women at risk of endometrial and breast cancer. Women have reason to be concerned. I know I am. That's because, until a few months ago, I had been on the highest dose of a combined form of HRT since June of 1999. I decided to call Dr. Stanley West of New York, author of "The Hysterectomy Hoax" (Next Decade, Inc., 2002), to ask him about my chances of surviving without HRT. "You can survive quite well without HRT (your grandmother did). Because of the problems associated with, and the lack of benefit in HRT, we advise women to wean themselves off it, whether or not they have ovaries." So, with the help of my GP and my gynecologist, I began weaning myself off HRT last December. My prescription was gradually decreased from the highest dose to the lowest. Then I began alternating days, before I attempted to decrease to twice weekly. By June 2004, I had decreased to just once weekly, and then to bi-weekly before I stopped completely about eight weeks ago. Controlling Hot Flashes When I reached the once-per-week stage in my weaning off process, the flushes were back, and I became more anxious and frustrated about their effect on my quality of life. My irritability and the abrupt shifts in my mood were indicators that I was in the withdrawal phase, which lasted about 2 weeks. I began to experience a minimum of 15 violent flushes daily, but instead of giving in, and reaching for my jar of hrt cream, I decided to take control. Out came the fans for instant relief, and then I started thinking about other coping strategies on which I could rely when in need. I came up with several, all of which seem to be working quite well. * Avoiding stress is crucial to decreasing the frequency and the intensity of hot flashes. I realize that it's hard to achieve a stress-free existence at all times, but once I identified the triggers that brought on stress and strong emotions, I was on my way. I revisit this strategy on a daily basis, reminding myself of the hot result if I don't remain calm. * Rather than resist the flush, I ride it out. I tell myself that it will be over in a few minutes, and that my accelerated heart rate will be back to normal just as quickly. * Deep abdominal breathing works wonders at diminishing the intensity of the flush. * I've been wearing light clothing all year round since I underwent the hysterectomy, but cotton material helps me stay the coolest. * I avoid spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine as much as I can. * I exercise daily, but never within three hours of my bedtime. What to do about Night Sweats * My evenings at home are all about rest and relaxation. Candles and listening to classical or jazz music create the perfectly peaceful atmosphere. * An extra long soak in the tub is equally relaxing. * Before I go to bed, I lower the thermostat or open my bedroom window if it's cool. * A large fan on the floor by the side of my bed serves me well. * I don't drink hot drinks like tea or coffee in the evening. If you can't avoid these completely, try doing without after dinner or at least 3 hours before you go to bed. * I don't smoke, but those who do can reduce the frequency and intensity of night sweats by avoiding smoking 3 hours before bedtime. Quitting altogether would be more beneficial, but I know that this is easier said than done. Since I've implemented these strategies, I have managed to decrease my hot flash and night sweat frequency and intensity by 50 percent and things can only get better from this point on. I knew that for women like me, who may no longer have any ovaries, stopping HRT would take a long time. But I also knew that it was doable, and in my view, much better than exposure to the risk of invasive breast cancer, heart attack, stroke and blood clots. Many of my research contacts pointed out that a woman's body eventually adjusts to functioning without the ovaries and the hormones they produced. Last year, I was surprised when a pharmaceutical chemist, David Garshowitz at York Downs Pharmacy in Toronto, said the same thing. Given my painless and practically symptom free experience at decreasing and stopping my HRT, they were right. My final outcome may not be perfect, but I happen to be in agreement with a woman from British Columbia who told me in a recent letter: "I'd rather flush than die." She makes a good point, don't you think? For excellent information on natural alternatives to HRT, go to http://www.hormonehelp.com, the web site of Dr. Karen Jensen, ND, and Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe, BSc, authors of "No More HRT: Menopause, Treat the Cause." Lise Cloutier-Steele is a communications specialist and a professional writer and editor. She is the author of Living and Learning with a Child Who Stutters, and the recipient of a Canada 125 Award in recognition of a significant contribution to the community and to Canada for her volunteer efforts to help children who stutter and their parents. She is also the author of "MISINFORMED CONSENT- WOMEN'S STORIES ABOUT UNNECESSARY HYSTERECTOMY," and she has appeared on the CBC's The Nature of Things with David Suzuki, Canada AM, the Women's Television Network (now W), The Phil Donahue Show, The Body and Health Show, and several other media to talk about this important women's health topic.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 9:38 am
I took Neurontin for years. It was originally marketed as an antiseizure drug, but they found out anectdotally that it work great for neuralgia, shingles, diabetic neuropathy. It definitely has it's own set of worrisome side effects. Dizziness being one of the worse. And trust me, it's like you are walking on a moving ship in a storm kind of dizziness. It will eventually go away in most people IF the doctor starts you on a low does and slowly increases it. It also does not react well with someone taking any kind of antihistamines, pain meds, ect. http://www.neurontin.com/information/side_effects.asp
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 9:43 am
I wonder why her doc gave her combined HRT when she had no uterus? Most docs only give estrogen. It is also unusual that her doc would have her on the highest dosage when current wisdom is to be on the lowest dose possible that prevents the symptoms. Glad that she has worked past it though and is feeling better!
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 9:57 am
Source: Ivanhoe.com Reported July 15, 2003 Herbal Remedy Risky for Cancer Patients (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- For many women, taking the herbal extract black cohosh is an effective way to relieve menopausal symptoms. However, new research shows the supplement may not be safe for women with breast cancer or women who have undetected breast tumors. Researchers from the Mylan School of Pharmacy at Duquesne University studied how the herbal treatment affected female mice. Results show black cohosh did not increase the incidence of new tumors but did increase the number of tumors that spread to the lungs. Researchers say the supplement may not increase or decrease a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, but it may encourage some breast tumors to metastasize. Researchers also say black cohosh could affect women who have undetected breast tumors. Vicki Davis, Ph.D., from Mylan School of Pharmacy and the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Duquesne University, says, "Although it is unfortunate to be eliminating another option for women needing therapies to relieve menopausal symptoms, our findings suggest that women who may be at high risk of having an undetected breast tumor and certainly those who do have breast cancer should proceed with caution or simply avoid taking black cohosh until we learn if there are ways to circumvent these adverse effects." Black cohosh is one of the most commonly used alternative supplements to treat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. The herb is native to North America and is extracted from a perennial plant. SOURCE: The 94th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C., July 11-14, 2003
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Thursday, July 06, 2006 - 9:15 pm
Black cohosh didn't do diddly for my hot flashes and neither did any other of the OTC stuff. I also took Neurontin for a while but I don't remember for what or any side effects I may have had. I'm perfectly happy with my estrogen only Premarin now and I'm sticking with it. There is no way I'd go back to the suffering I did with the hot flashes, night sweats, and nasty mood swings. My new gyno told me that the risks of estrogen-only pills have been highly exagerrated by the media and I believe him, knowing how much the media loves to jump on something and blow it all out of proportion. He's a very highly respected and recommended doctor so I'm going to take his word for it.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Thursday, July 06, 2006 - 9:25 pm
Well, seems as if your doc is onto something, Twinks. See below. Source: Ivanhoe.com Reported July 3, 2006 HRT: Setting the Record Straight CLEVELAND (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Once, hormone replacement therapy was hailed as the end to the misery of menopause. But in recent years, many doctors have been turning away from the treatment as more and more reports of the negative side effects surface. Is HRT really as bad as some say it is? Or is it even worse? Hot flashes. Suffering sex lives ... Menopause can be miserable! Hormone replacement therapy can help, but conflicting headlines leave some confused. HRT has been linked to a 110-percent increase in breast cancer risk for smokers, overall a 41-percent increase in stroke risk, and a 22-percent increase in cardiovascular disease. But some doctors say these findings -- from a halted long-term study-- don't apply to most. Only older women were tested -- with a HRT regimen not recommended today. "Unfortunately, many women who are good candidates for hormone therapy are just terrified of hormone therapy," Women's Health Specialist Holly Thacker, M.D., of The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, tells Ivanhoe. Yet Dr. Thacker says women don't have to be afraid. New studies show short-term, low-dose hormone therapy can relieve symptoms like hot flashes. And as long as you don't take it for more than 10 years, it does not appear to increase breast cancer risk. "Not all women need hormones. Some women have too many hormones. Some women have just the right amount. And then there's some that don't have enough," Dr. Thacker says. "That really has to be sorted out." Once it is sorted out, many women, like Nancy Tyrell, can feel like their old selves for many more years. With HRT -- she's been able to claim back her love life. She says, "It's the best that it's ever been!" Women with a history of breast cancer or blood clots should avoid hormone therapy. Alternatives to HRT include soy, herbals like black cohosh and localized hormone rings. Many doctors now recommend starting HRT during menopause and slowly tapering off to no treatment. If you would like more information, please contact: Angie Kiska Media Relations Cleveland Clinic 9500 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, OH 44195 (216) 444-6002 petraka@ccf.org http://www.clevelandclinic.org
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Thursday, July 06, 2006 - 9:33 pm
.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Friday, July 07, 2006 - 12:04 am
Yep, that is what my research found too. HRT is definitely not something to go into lightly, but the therapy and risks for natural menopausal women with uterus and ovaries intact is very different from those who have had them removed surgically. Surgical menopause without ERT can be very aging to a woman, especially one who had surgery before she would have ever started menopause.
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Friday, July 07, 2006 - 6:35 am
That's what I did. I had mine when I was 45,(had everything removed) before I started menopause and I can attest that the after effects were horrible. I begged for HRT and then stupidly went off of it when I heard all the hype and suffered for 2 years before going back on it. I'm glad to hear that my doctor was right although I never doubted him.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Friday, July 07, 2006 - 11:50 am
Pretty much what my doc says too, that the scare and hype over the stopped study was overdone.
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Kearie
Member
07-21-2005
| Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 7:56 am
I asked my ob/gyn a year ago if I should start cutting back on my HTR. I went thru surgical menopause 14 years ago, at age 26 and have been one Estrace, 2mg, ever since. Breast cancer is in my family. I didn't get on HRT until 9 months after my surgery. It was hell and messed me up pretty good. He said not to worry about it yet, but I wonder about the long term effects of HRT. Is it the same if you're not taking progesterone?
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Jan
Moderator
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, September 05, 2006 - 12:18 pm
Hormone Therapy May Harm Hearing 09.05.06, 12:00 AM ET TUESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Add another item to the list of ailments linked with mid-life hormone replacement therapy: hearing loss. Researchers have confirmed prior, preliminary findings that postmenopausal women taking progestin as part of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) experienced greater hearing loss than women taking estrogen alone or no hormones at all. "When a woman goes to her doctor to decide whether she wants to take HRT, this should really be another negative on that list," said Robert D. Frisina, senior author of the study and associate chair of otolaryngology at the University of Rochester Medical School. "If the woman had some hearing loss to begin with, she might want to be more careful," he said. Age-related hearing loss is the leading communication disorder and among the top three chronic medical conditions in elderly people, the authors noted. Meanwhile, HRT has recently been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, heart attacks, stroke, dementia and perhaps even asthma. The use of estrogen alone or in combination with progestin has been widely used to relieve the symptoms of menopause, such as night sweats and hot flashes. HRT's effect on sensory function, on the other hand, is not yet well understood. "We're most interested in why people lose hearing as they get older," Frisina said. "We're trying to separate out what is really due to just aging and how much is due to other things like noise exposure or other medical conditions, or things like HRT." This report was published in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Previous data from the study were presented Feb. 24 at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology's annual meeting, in Daytona, Fla. Frisina and his colleagues looked at 124 healthy, postmenopausal women aged 60 to 86. The women were divided into three groups: those taking estrogen plus progestin, those taking estrogen alone, and those not taking any hormones. All participants had undergone multiple hearing tests. Women taking both estrogen and progestin had poorer speech perception than women in the other two groups. The problem was evident both with background noise and in quiet, suggesting that the issue involved both the inner ear and regions of the brain used for hearing. "Things went wrong in the ear, and something went wrong in the brain, and these could be clinically noticeable. The woman could notice them herself," Frisina said. It's not clear why HRT has this effect. "Generally, estrogen is beneficial to nerve cells but it looks like that, for hearing, the negative effects of progestin outweigh the positive effects that might occur with estrogen," Frisina said. Right now, most doctors are recommending only short-term use of HRT for women who have severe symptoms of menopause. "This data could be important for certain people and should be taken into consideration when making a decision," Frisina said. More information Learn more about hearing loss from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, while the National Women's Health Information Center can tell you about hormone therapy. LINK
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Tabbyking
Member
03-11-2002
| Saturday, September 30, 2006 - 10:48 pm
hmmm, i took neurontin for a couple of years for leg pain. they never did find out what causes my searing nerve pain. sometimes it's so horrid, i almost throw up; some weeks it's totally gone. but neurontin did nothing to help that pain. however, since it may help with menopausal symptoms, it's nice to hear it may help with that. i will be unable to take any HRT-type meds when i finally go through menopause because i got a blood clot from very low-dose birth control pills. if i ever get another clot, i will end up on coumadin for life, so i am being very careful! and when the heck will i get to menopause, anyway?! my maternal grandma died at age 45, my mom and two older sisters had hysterectomies in their 30's, so i have no idea when i'll go through it. (my dad's mom was still having babies in her late 40's...) meanwhile, i'm 52 years old and having regular 28-day cycles for the first time in my life--for over 3 years now! figures they quit being up to 100 days apart at the time they should be slowing down LOL. since i used to be a smoker, i was also told i'd go through menopause 'early', as in my mid-40's. i'm not looking forward to any symptoms, but it would be nice to not have periods anymore.
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Gilda
Member
08-21-2006
| Sunday, October 01, 2006 - 12:24 am
Did you know about this? See below: Pfizer, unit sued over marketing of epilepsy drug by Douglas McLeod Posted on June 07, 2004 3:45 PM CST http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=3960#
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Thursday, October 05, 2006 - 8:26 am
Wow. What horribly explosive news. Playing with people's lives like that. Who can you trust anymore?
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Thursday, October 05, 2006 - 10:12 am
Freaky scary, exactly what the anti-pharmaceutical fanatics are claiming is happening. Exactly, HP, who CAN you trust?
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Thursday, October 05, 2006 - 1:07 pm
but it works really well for pain.
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Dahli
Member
11-27-2000
| Thursday, October 05, 2006 - 1:30 pm
BIG surprise there... sarcasm dripping The day I watched 'The Corporation' I realized we're really on our own out here...
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