![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Personal Responsibility
Jan. 8th, 2006 06:03 pmPersonal responsibility.
In today's litigious society, those words send chills down the spines of the civil trial lawyers who advertise on TV (I'm not talking about the "good" civil trial lawyers, btw. I'm sure there are some out there somewhere.)
However, in this instance, I'm talking about personal responsibility for one's personal health. There is a blog I often visit called Making Light written by Patrick and Theresa Nielsen Hayden who are among other things, editors for Tor Books. Theresa was diagnosed with narcolepsy many years ago and between herself and her doctor she has been able to control it with the use of Cylert (generic name "pemoline".) It seems that the FDA, under the urging of the Ralph Nader founded group Public Citizen, has now banned this drug. Apparently, there is a chance of liver damage from using it. It seems that only one person in the last six years died of liver damage due to Cylert. More people have died from liver damage due to acetaminophen (Tylenol) or alcohol...both of which are available over the counter and without a prescription. Unlike Cylert.
She and Patrick posted about it here. There are over 500 comments, most of which are very informative.
That's where the whole "personal responsibility" thing comes in. You see, Theresa's doctor prescribed the drug for her after trying many others which did not work. Not only that, her doctor monitored her liver functions to ensure she remained healthy. So, I wonder, why do the FDA and Public Citizen feel the need to push for a ban on this particular drug--which is primarily used to treat ADHD, but has also been shown to effectively treat both narcolepsy and MS? Why can't a person under the care of a physician make an informed decision and then follow through--knowing full well the risks?
This kind of thing just pisses me off. It smacks of "Big Brother", not to mention bullying. I hope that Theresa is able to find another source of the drug before she runs out of her current supply. And I wish the damned Feds would just go back to governing and let the voting adults in this country decide what is best for their own personal health.
In today's litigious society, those words send chills down the spines of the civil trial lawyers who advertise on TV (I'm not talking about the "good" civil trial lawyers, btw. I'm sure there are some out there somewhere.)
However, in this instance, I'm talking about personal responsibility for one's personal health. There is a blog I often visit called Making Light written by Patrick and Theresa Nielsen Hayden who are among other things, editors for Tor Books. Theresa was diagnosed with narcolepsy many years ago and between herself and her doctor she has been able to control it with the use of Cylert (generic name "pemoline".) It seems that the FDA, under the urging of the Ralph Nader founded group Public Citizen, has now banned this drug. Apparently, there is a chance of liver damage from using it. It seems that only one person in the last six years died of liver damage due to Cylert. More people have died from liver damage due to acetaminophen (Tylenol) or alcohol...both of which are available over the counter and without a prescription. Unlike Cylert.
She and Patrick posted about it here. There are over 500 comments, most of which are very informative.
That's where the whole "personal responsibility" thing comes in. You see, Theresa's doctor prescribed the drug for her after trying many others which did not work. Not only that, her doctor monitored her liver functions to ensure she remained healthy. So, I wonder, why do the FDA and Public Citizen feel the need to push for a ban on this particular drug--which is primarily used to treat ADHD, but has also been shown to effectively treat both narcolepsy and MS? Why can't a person under the care of a physician make an informed decision and then follow through--knowing full well the risks?
This kind of thing just pisses me off. It smacks of "Big Brother", not to mention bullying. I hope that Theresa is able to find another source of the drug before she runs out of her current supply. And I wish the damned Feds would just go back to governing and let the voting adults in this country decide what is best for their own personal health.
