Has your medical treatment plan been compromised or delayed as a result of drug recalls, shortages or those taken off of the market? How was it resolved? Would you describe the experience as a minor bump in the road or did the change put you at risk because of a complicated medical history?
Many of us are familiar with the medication hit or miss process and the time it takes to find a treatment that is effective and capable of slowing the progression of arthritis. If you’re an arthritis veteran, more than likely your history involves a period of six months to three years after being diagnosed before finding a treatment plan that worked. And for some, the search is ongoing.
Treating arthritis is complex! Since arthritis is a chronic illness and will never go away, it’s important to slow the progression of the disease and equally necessary to treat the symptoms. Because of this, drug combinations can include high-risk medications, intravenous infusions, narcotics, steroids and more, depending on individual tolerances, effectiveness and secondary illnesses. (See blog, “Take a Pill,” 7/22/09.)
When a medical treatment plan is finally establish and works, the last thing we want to learn is a key drug is no longer available. In recent months, similar headlines have become all too common, putting patients at even higher risks while physicians struggle to find an alternate plan.
Various reports and surveys have indicated a drug shortage with no substitutions or solutions in sight, dramatically affecting patient care across the country.
Some of the reasons cited are directly linked to pharmaceutical companies and finances. However, an even larger problem is due to natural disasters in third world countries and a reduced supply of raw materials typically found outside of the United States. Given the devastation and lives affected by disaster stricken zones over the past years, this is a frightening reality! Regardless of the demand, if there is no supply, drug manufacturers cannot be forced to produce a product.
For 13 years, I played the medication juggling game trying different drugs to treat severe rheumatoid arthritis, with not so positive outcomes. Finally, in 1999, my body was willing to accept rather than reject, providing a sense of relief and confidence in my care that I’d never experienced before. Seven weeks ago, I was notified by my pharmacist, “the drug is no longer available” – period!
After soliciting the help of numerous pharmacists, drug representatives and contacting the manufacturer directly, there was no explanation or glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel for future refills. Currently, I have enough medication to get me through the winter months, ‘if’ everything goes as planned and strategy is on my side. After that, I will once again, spin the wheel of medical fate to determine my future.
(Either that or I will venture into the back woods of a third world country with a machete in hand, cutting away a narrow path through thickened rain forests while reptiles hang from trees, walking on rough terrain and climbing 1,000 foot waterfalls, to retrieve the raw materials necessary to get us through another day!)
Do you have an explanation for this?
What can be done?
Is there a pharmacutical company that I can contact?
Can you please help me with information?
Thanks,
Sharon
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