Did you actually read the study?
I am sorry you had to deal with that type of mindset in your family. I was fortunate to grow up with a Dad who has been a nurse for over 35 years. He works with many doctors and his knowledge has always been helpful to me. I can't control how each person responds to my story. I hope they will take the time to actually let my words sink i and respond to the information in a level headed manner. I am not anti vaccinations, my kids have all of theirs. I'm not anti medicine, I have a great primary care doc and a few excellent surgeons. I still take antibiotics when needed, just not Fluoroquinolones. I'm not aiming at causing distrust, I'm aiming at educating. Thank you for taking your time to respectfully respond.
While you can't control how the general public responds, you can analyze who is responding and how, and maybe reflect on the tone and style of your presentation.
I realize the emotional result for some on this forum is negative. It has served me quite well in other arenas though. For instance this radio interview that aired today, that was hosted with Dr. Alfred Bonati. Stream American Medicine Today 5-6-17 Free | 970 WFLA The podcast version dated 5/6/17 is me. Not every medical professional has reacted in a negative way. In fact, this was an overwhelmingly positive result. I have shared my personal story. I have stated my cause. I have admitted I am imperfect. From where I stand, I am okay with the approach. I welcome research that can help us understand these side effects better, but I am not a scientist and I won't write like one, or even a doctor for that matter. I am a patient, a woman warning others of a danger, and a "mommy blogger." I am doing what I can with the knowledge and experience I have.
What exactly is imbalanced? There are warning after warning after warning including the FDA's and for some reason, this is imbalanced? I don't know what you mean. If roughly only 10% of side effects are reported to the FDA per year as sited here A Closer Look at FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System – PSQH and this ABC investigation sites "our investigation obtained an FDA database of adverse effects and found 3,000 deaths and 200,000 complaints of serious effects associated with Levaquin and similar drugs." sited here Levaquin: FDA fails to disclose additional serious side effects of antibiotic linked to deaths . Do some multiplication. Thats more near 30,000 deaths and 2 million complaints of serious side effects. That doesn't seem quite so rare does it. There is absolutely nothing dishonest about what I am saying. I have been clear from the get go that my goal is to inform patients that they can ask for an alternative, and inform doctors about the updated FDA warning. Whether the doctors here like it or not, they are the ones set up to take the fall if their patient is injured. If one of your patients some day gets what you call the "rare" side effects that handicap them for life, it's not the FDA and the drug company taking the fall here, it's you. The warning was out there and if you prescribed it not as a last resort, you are liable. Like it or not, this is the reality. The FDA warning is out there. Are you guys going to heed it or not? As a patient, I am.
You need to learn what Number Needed to Harm is.
You are entitled to your opinion. It's not up to me to convince you otherwise. I'm not intentionally misleading anyone. I have talked to my doctors and so far I haven't really been off base. My ability to reiterate it can always improve, but there is plenty of science behind the damage these cause. There is also something to be said for the fact that you can take these antibiotics and not know if you will come out on the other side still able to function, or if your entire body will crumble and you will live as a cripple for the rest of your life. The risk is so incredibly severe and when you take these medications you really are stepping off a ledge into the dark, not knowing whether the ground is a few inches down or a cliff into an abyss of physical breakdown. I have already posted links that you can review if you'd like on my blog post. If you still feel like it's blown out of proportion after reading them, and you still feel they are safe enough antibiotics to prescribe to your Mom, Sister, Brother, Father...then I suppose you we will just have to agree to disagree. I've even refused them for my dog from a veterinarian.
Amy got called out for practicing Semi-Science Filibustering and then called in the cavalry.
Is that the best you've got? You are upset other people are seeing this thread? I want to say something because some day this thread is going to keep ringing in your ears. Some day, this will be common knowledge to all. Some day you will remember this, and I'm glad I am at least making an impression here. It may be a negative impression on your mind, but this will end up being a very positive thing for patients health and the doctors well being as well. Less patients hurt, mean less malpractice suits. The only regret I have, is that either you or someone you know are going to have to come close enough to this to learn the hard way. That actually makes me sad. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Not even someone who refuses to heed a warning to a medication that the very drug company and FDA highly warn of.
Thank you for putting this into better verbiage. I appreciate your input very much.
I know that is true, which is why I have never said to take these off the market. I have always said that I am advocating just for them to be used as a last resort like the FDA guidelines recommend. Why is this unreasonable? I don't get it. Shouldn't doctors heed the warning the FDA has published? My goal has been to make people aware of what happened to me and warn them that this could be them, and it could be. There is absolutely nothing to guarantee it won't be. I know that all medications and treatments carry a risk. This one is just so big and happens to be the one I am affected by. We each feel strongly about certain subjects because they hit close to home. This one hit my home and I feel a responsibility to warn others so they can avoid this if at all possible. I also want to warn the doctors that this warning is now quite extensive and they need to keep it in mind when they are prescribing medication. Like the FDA say's "Health care professionals should not prescribe systemic fluoroquinolones to patients who have other treatment options for acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS), acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (ABECB), and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI) because the risks outweigh the benefits in these patients." FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA updates warnings for oral and injectable fluoroquinolone antibiotics due to disabling side effects . As a patient it really concerns me in the amount of defensiveness that a percentage of doctors have with this subject. Warning you guys is for your protection as well. I really like my doctors and surgeons. I believe that most healthcare professionals are in this profession to help and not harm. I hate that the reality is that when something goes wrong with a patient, and this warning is out there, you guys are the ones liable because they published these warnings. If it's not used as the last resort, you guys will take the fall. Its not an unreasonable request to ask the public to make themselves aware of the risks associated with this family of antibiotic and it's not unreasonable to ask doctors to prescribe them as recommended by the FDA.
You are incredibly misinformed.
