Monday, February 20, 2012

Put menopausal women back on medication!!

Jeez, I wonder what industry is behind THIS? 

"DENVER, Colo. – Memory lapses and changes in mental functions occur naturally as we get older. But for many women going through menopause, these memory lapses occur more frequently.
A recent report offers hope for women suffering with these symptoms. In a study published in Menopause, Feb. 2011, researchers at University of Pennsylvania found that atomoxetine (brand name Strattera), a medication for attention deficit disorder, may restore organizational skills and reduce memory difficulties in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women."

Now that so many women have chosen to go through menopause naturally (or on compounded hormone therapy), the drug companies have to find a way to get us hooked again like before the WHI study. A survey shows 58% of women stopped taking HRT after the results of a major trial were published in 2002.

This sounds like an afterthought to me....


Strattera was originally intended to be a new antidepressant drug; however, in clinical trials, no such benefits could be proven. Since norepinephrine is believed to play a role in ADHD, Strattera was tested – and subsequently approved – as an ADHD treatment.


Ok, let's find some way to use it to help all those confused and frustrated menopausal women!
I've got steam coming out of my ears, Ladies!! Did you see the possible side effects? Granted, every medication has a sometimes scary list of side effects, but usually it's not the very problem you're trying to eliminate by taking the medication! Do any of these side effects sound like your typical menopause symptoms?

  • dry mouth
  • tiredness
  • irritability
  • dizziness
  • sweating
  • decreased libido
  • increased obsessive behavior (that is the LAST thing we need)
  • weight changes
  • palpitations
Then the best of all...this would really make me want to take it to help with normal menopausal brain fog:

Occasionally after prolonged use some patients have experienced slow onset mild depression, tiredness and forgetfulness while using Strattera. There were also reports of this medicine causing indications of short-term memory loss from some patients


AND....look at this! To date, the potential for abuse of Strattera has not been researched extensively. The two studies that have been performed suggest that atomoxetine has a low to moderate risk for abuse, since it has a long titration time (meaning that it may have no effect on the user unless they've been taking it regularly for days) and does not produce strong stimulating effects like most other ADHD medications. Monkeys will not self-administer atomoxetine at the doses tested. However, rats, pigeons and monkeys trained to distinguish cocaine ormethamphetamine from saline indicate that atomoxetine produces effects indistinguishable from low doses of cocaine or methamphetamine, but not at all like high doses of cocaine. Check out Wikipedia for complete info.

I'd really like to know.....are you tempted to try something like this or are you fed up with the medical world only focusing on drugs as solutions?

Friday, February 10, 2012

Paula Deen and Diabetes


When Paula Deen announced that she has Type2 diabetes, it immediately caught my attention.  Since I was diagnosed with T2 in April 2010 I have become pretty well versed on the subject and have taken it very seriously, so I do understand what an impact it can make on your life. I also know that we're all different and require different combinations of diet, exercise and medication to manage this life changing disease, so there's no one answer to how to manage your diabetes.


With all of our concerns about weight gain during menopause and how our lifestyles can change after menopause, I feel that we need to stay on top of this and get the right information. I also feel that Paula had a great opportunity to help bring a lot of attention to dia


According to the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—have diabetes.  79 million more people are classified as “pre-diabetic.”


Deen (here in her "original" look) is in a very difficult position since she's a celebrity and waited 3 years to tell anyone about her diagnosis, which is her perogative. I don't even mind that she is a spokesperson for a diabetes drug, but I DO take issue with her (and the pharm company and the ADA) trying to position her as the "face of Type 2 Diabetes" when, even with her son's new, revised versions of her old recipes, because....she's still promoting recipes with more sugar, flour and starches than most diabetics can eat and still maintain a safe level of blood sugars. 


I am not bashing Paula, I do like her, but I think she's caught up in her own celebrity and where she was totally comfortable in her role on tv as a cooking celebrity, I don't believe she's at all comfortable with her role as a spokesperson for diabetes. She obviously does not understand it enough and is only spouting information given her by the drug company she is representing.


The media is not helping (because no one is talking to diabetics) by continually reporting that a diet high in butter has caused anyone's diabetes. Guess what Folks? Butter is a diabetics FRIEND! It's too many simple carbs (sugars, flours, potatoes) and too much high fructose corn syrup in too many prepared and processed foods, AND the lack of exercise that is causing a lot of the diabetes our society is experiencing these days. 


For any of you with diabetes who feel that you're not getting the kind of support you want and need from the medical profession or even the diabetes educators you've dealt with, join us on this forum.


Again....I don't care that she didn't tell "us" for 3 years and I don't care if she's using and promoting the diabetes drug, (she is partnering “with a reputable pharmaceutical company” as spokesperson for a $500-a-month diabetes drug (with side-effects that may include pancreatitis and thyroid cancer) but I do care that she's insinutating that she can still eat the way she used to when 99% of diabetics have to dramatically change their eating. She's not saying you have to make a choice between sacrificing many of the foods you love and you HAVE to start exercising, even if you're on medication. Even though her son has a tv show to "lighten up" some of Paula's recipes, but I just cringe when I hear them say these are "diabetic friendly" because they're not! 


I'm sure we're going to hear more from and about Paula in the months to come and I hope you will all chime in on the topic. I'm getting off my soapbox now and will go eat my steak and small salad for dinner! Perfectly healthy for a diabetic....even with the FAT. Notice there's no bread or potatoes included in my meal. :)