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Phosphodiesterase inhibitors have been introduced in recent
June 4, 2014Many Commonly Used Drugs Are Useless
moncler jacket sale Some medications are life saving. I am so thankful for the trusty med that tames my atrial fibrillation. moncler jacket sale
Many meds are helpful demonstrating superiority to placebo in ways that are clearly clinically significant and life enhancing.
cheap moncler coats But many (perhaps most) drugs are probably no more than very expensive placebos. Patients get prescriptions from doctors when their symptoms are most severe and improve with time and positive expectation, not because the med is really effective. cheap moncler coats
cheap moncler jackets Doctors and patients need independent, objective information on drug efficacy and risks. cheap cheap moncler moncler jackets
cheap moncler jackets sale The multibillion dollar pharma moncler sale outlet marketing cheap moncler jackets machine can turn even the most useless and harmful drugs into financial blockbusters. Doctors and patients need independent, objective information on drug efficacy and risks. cheap moncler jackets sale
moncler sale This is the first of a series of blogs aimed at setting the record straight. Dick Bijl is President of the International Society Of Drug Bulletins (ISDB), a wonderful organization representing 53 national drug bulletins, each charged with presenting the best available data on the pluses and minuses of different medications. Drug bulletins are a source of truth to help patients and doctors see through the fudged misinformation generated by ubiquitous Pharma propaganda. moncler sale
moncler jackets outlet Dick writes: “Let’s use the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) as a typical example of why and how medication use has become so excessive.”In the past, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was regarded as the most important cause of urinary symptoms. Nowadays, evidence moncler mens jackets confirming a link between LUTS and prostatic enlargement is regarded as weak. This hasn’t prevented approval of many drugs for the treatment of BPH by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). moncler jackets outlet
The bar for approval is set very low. Drug companies have only to show that their medication has a statistically significant advantage when compared to placebo. The cheap moncler coats FDA and EMA don’t require that the med achieve what is ever so much more important clinically relevant improvement as evidenced by patients actually also feeling and doing better when taking the drug. Small statistical blips are all it takes to get a drug approved.
There is a huge moncler sale difference between moncler outlet store statistical significance and clinical relevance. For example, the International Prostatic Symptoms Score is often used to quantify the treatment effects of urinary drugs. The IPSS scale goes from 0 35 with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. A difference of 3 points = some effect; 5 points = moderate effect; 8 pt. = clear effect). In practice, it turns out that patients can’t detect improvements if they are less than three points.
The results of clinical trials have shown that most drugs used to treat BPH are statistically more efficacious than placebo, but have no real clinical relevance. Because their moncler outlet sale improvement was less than three points, patients will not detect any difference between these drugs and placebo.
The same lack of clinical relevance holds for drug combinations. A combination of an alpha blocker and a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor or an alpha blocker and an antimuscarinic drug often results in statistically significant decreases in symptoms compared to placebo or to moncler outlet the individual drugs given alone. But here also, the differences were of such small magnitude that patients will not detect them.
Only in a small minority of clinical trialswas the decrease in symptom score more than 3 points.
moncler outlet The lack of efficacy of BPS meds supports a policy of watchful waiting instead of starting drug therapy. The natural course of LUTS is quite favorable and in the majority of patients the severity of the symptoms will not increase. moncler outlet
moncler outlet uk Most (or all) of the relief patients feel taking the med is probably due to natural improvement or placebo effect, not to the med itself but they don’t know this and will often misattribute benefit to the drug. moncler outlet uk
cheap moncler outlet And almost all the drug studies have been performed in secondary and tertiary care. The results of these studies can’t simply be generalized to primary care because it is not plausible that these patients have the same characteristics and therefore the same prognosis. cheap moncler outlet
It’s not rational cheap moncler sale to prescribe drugs that do not improve functioning more than placebo. Use of medication for LUTS should be discouraged since it is https://www.cheapmoncler.com no better than placebo, but adds the risk of side effects. Counseling and re assurance should be considered first.
moncler sale outlet Informed patients will be much less willing to take a drug that carries the risk of side effects, while offering at best only a very slight improvement in symptoms. moncler sale outlet
moncler outlet sale Whenever it moncler outlet online is decided to start drug therapy, the best choice are alpha blockers. Side effects should be taken into account: fatigue, decreased vision, severe postoperative ophthalmological side effects or complications, orthostatic hypotension leading to headache and dizziness. moncler outlet sale
moncler outlet jackets 5 alpha reductase inhibitors should not be regarded as an alternative because of their small efficacy and side effects cheap moncler outlet like gynecomastia, erection and ejaculation disorders, decreased libido, impotence, and breast cancer. Phosphodiesterase inhibitors have been introduced in recent years but studied insufficiently in comparative studied to give them a place. Combination therapy cheap moncler should not be given because it does not have an added value related to clinical relevance but does add side effects. moncler outlet jackets
moncler outlet online We conclude that the natural course of LUTS in men is generally favorable; the pathophysiology of LUTS is not clear;the relation between prostatic volume and urinary complaints is weak; the mechanisms of action of meds is uncertain; and positive effects are small in placebo controlled studies. moncler outlet online
moncler outlet store Therefore, primarily counseling and non drug treatment are indicated and drug treatment should be discouraged. In case a drug is needed only an buy moncler jackets alpha blocker is indicated, but this often just a very expensive placebo therapy.” moncler outlet store
Thanks Dick for this illuminating analysis. Before considering any med useful, we should subtract placebo effect from reported efficacy and also consider the considerable risk of med side effects and Pharma’s ridiculously high prices.
cheap moncler In a rational world, people would be taking many fewer drugs, for much clearer indications, with benefits always balanced by consideration of risks, and with prices reflecting real value cheap moncler.
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