Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pharmaceutical

I could almost handle the headaches, but I can I handle the stupids?

onshi — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:33:31 -0800

Tips & tricks for adapting to the side effects of Topamax (topiramate) for a full-time office worker & part-time grad student? I have been dealing with chronic migraines for about ten years, and have tried a number of preventative drug therapies during that time (elavil, flunarizine, propranolol) with limited success. Recently another disruptive health issue cropped up, which spurred me to try to get the migraines under control.

I am now a few weeks into a daily dose of Topamax.

Some of the much-discussed (on AskMe and elsewhere) side effects have already become apparent, most notably:

Difficulty with attention / concentration - last week there were at least two days where I accomplished almost literally nothing at work. I continually zoned out for quarter- to half-hour periods, and had trouble thinking clearly even when I did remain on-task for more than a few minutes at a time. Although this did provide some useful insight into my partner's not-always-so-wonderful-world of living with ADHD, I probably cannot justify trading sick days at home with migraine for zombie days at work on "Dopamax" for too long.

Clumsiness / ataxia / psychomotor slowing - terminologically, I'm not sure how to differentiate between these, but at any rate, I'm much more of a klutz than usual. I had been walking carefully on a torn medial meniscus since May while awaiting an MRI and (maybe) surgery, but since the Topamax my knee has been very sore due to countless stumbles and mis-steps. One slip was bad enough that I was walking with a cane for stability for two days afterwards, and I was almost tempted to keep doing so just for the added sense of security. I'm normally a brisk walker, and on top of the cognitive side effects it feels like adding insult to injury that I should have to shuffle along in physical space as well as in my mental environment.

Communication - both in written and verbal form... even simple sentences come out mangled, and I've been producing the most egregious typos -- e.g. "licidiouse" for "delicious" -- and completely mixing up word order to the point of utter nonsense without noticing (with that in mind, I apologize if my sixth proofread doesn't catch all of the errors in this post). At school, I have had to drop one of the two courses I was taking this term because the prospect of full participation in a grad-level seminar was too much to bear right now; as it is, I had to revert to a 'behind the scenes' preparatory role for a group debate for fear of making an ass of myself in front of a tutorial tonight.

Getting to the point, my question for anyone who has taken Topamax or another drug with similar side effects is: what strategies were you able to emplyo successfully to mitigate these (or other) impacts on your life? I know that it will only be possible to 'push back' against the drug to a certain extent, and that I will ultimately have to decide if its effectiveness versus migraine (if any!) is worth the cost, but at this point I'm trying to remain optimistic and gather whatever tools I can.

Thanks.

Best micriobiology textbook for self-teaching?

Punctual — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:05:43 -0800

What is the best microbiology textbook for a non-microbiologist scientist who works in the pharma industry with antibiotic products? I am a neuroscientist so I know some neurobiology and neurochemistry. I would like to teach myself microbiology in order to better understand our antibiotic products. I've gone to Amazon and am confounded by the number of microbio texts. Any microbiologists out there have recommendations? It should be intro but for someone with a science background. I am not in R&D; just on the business/idea generating side. Thanks.

Side effect may include braintooth

adamrice — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:40:50 -0800

I have noticed that TV ads for prescription drugs that feature actors directly addressing you always (?) have the voice track lip-synched. The audio is obviously different from what would have been recorded originally, and this seems to be consistent. Why is this? A friend suggested this somehow avoids some FDA regulation about endorsing drugs. This is in the USA.

Pharmaceutical sales reps - unburden your souls!

ebellicosa — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:18:10 -0800

What's it like to be a drug rep? I'm not looking to be one, I just would like to understand them better.

I just started working as a veterinarian, and we have drug reps come through quite frequently. AFAIK there has been no James Herriots of the pharm industry to portray their daily life, their trials and tribulations.

I'm just curious - what kind of people go into it? What do they find frustrating or encouraging? How is the job structured? What metrics are they measured on? How long do people last in this type of thing? What does it take to do well? Things like that.

Career counseling for science types

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:17:58 -0800

From time to time, I help my liberal arts type friends with resume writing, job hunting and interview coaching. I've now had a scientist ask me for help. How can I help her best? My friend has worked her way up through the same R&D lab at a small pharmaceutical company over the last ten years or so. Her reviews have been stellar but she feels like she's at a career stalemate, and she wants to move on.

What aspects of a pharmaceutical science job search, if any, are dramatically different from a liberal arts one? What industry-specific career and job websites should we be looking at? What trends in the field should we be aware of? Should she just find a headhunter somehow?

This is someone who has been a great friend to me, and I'd really like to help her as best as I can. Thanks for all informative and/or honest advice -- email is pharmaclueless@gmail.com, if needed.

Can I work as a writer or medical liaison at a corporation, and pursue freelance journalism, simultaneously? Or would this be a conflict of interest?

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:10:34 -0800

Can I work as a writer or medical liaison at a corporation, and pursue freelance journalism, simultaneously? Or would this be a conflict of interest? I recently finished a Ph.D. in biomedical research. I want to move into a career than involves more writing, as this is one of my stronger skills, and I find it more enjoyable than laboratory work. I am looking at corporate work as a medical writer or liason (pharma or medical writing,) versus mass media journalism.

I have already done some freelance journalism, and worked a short stint at a major news outlet, so I have some contacts in this field. However, due to a chronic medical issue which came up during grad school, my doctors have advised me to make sure I get solid group plan coverage. (It's mental health/depression, hence the need for *solid* (complete) coverage)
Thus, I'm hesitant to just become a freelancer now, especially I have little to no savings from being in school for so long.

Medical writing, for instance at a large pharmaceutical or medical devices co., seems to be a good solution in that I can combine writing with the benefit perks... but I also like creativity and investigation, hence the pull towards journalism.

So, can I work at a corporation and pursue freelance journalism, simultaneously, or would this be a conflict of interest?

Additionally, how would it look if I went to a corporate job for a while, then tried to change tracks to journalism? Would I be welcomed back into the fold, or looked upon suspiciously?

Thanks, and direct contact can be made at: anonymousnic@gmail.com

Most read pharmaceutical magazines in the UK

celine — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:38:39 -0800

What magazines and publications do people working in the pharmaceutical industry in the UK read?

How seriously are drug companies researching alternative medicine?

fsmontenegro — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:56:45 -0800

How do I find out what percentage of pharmaceutical research is directed towards 'natural remedies' and how much is directed towards 'typical' scientific research? We were having a discussion over dinner on the value and wisdom of "alternative medicine" and "tradicional medicine practices" vis-a-vis modern medicine. One of my friends mentioned with great emphasis that major pharmaceutical companies are actively researching these 'alternative' methods. Recall the movie called 'Medicine Man' with Sean Connery...

Can someone help me point to information on how much of major drug companies' R&D is spent on these 'alternative' methods?

Thanks!

Marketing drugs

sharksandwich — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 10:39:26 -0800

I recall reading an article about the marketing side of prescription drugs. How the name, color, and shape of the pills are arrived at from a marketing point of view, specifically tailored to elicit response in the pill takers. Ring any bells?

Is indomethacin still being manufactured?

Ethereal Bligh — Wed, 10 May 2006 15:04:43 -0800

(Note: I'm in the US) My pharmacist this week was unable to fill my prescription for indomethacin. I was able to find it at another pharmacy; but several pharmacies are out of it and my regular pharmacist says that the manufacturer has stopped making it. Does anyone have any information about this? I'll consult my doctor, of course, but I doubt he'll know anything. My pharmacist didn't tell me much (actually, one of their staff said this was temporary, the other said it was permanent).

I'm very alarmed by this because nothing I've taken for my osteoarthritis (and related; results from collagen gene mutation) has worked as well as indomethacin. Vioxx is the only thing that has come close. Celebrex worked better than ibuprofen, but not as well as Vioxx did.

Because my pharmacist couldn't fill the scrip, I've gone about five days without the indomethacin and I can barely walk at all. It's a bit frightening to see how much the indomethacin has helped me—my disease is progressive and in the year since I switched to indomethacin it's gotten quite a bit worse. My doctor also prescribes a narcotic (was hydrocodone, now 65mg of codeine or whatever the dosage is in in the Tylenol #4) for me, as well; I've tried taking it both regularly and only when I've needed it for acute pain and, frankly, it doesn't help all that much. I'm taking four a day now as I don't have my indomethacin, and it's not doing much good. I mention this only to give a sense of why I'm alarmed at the possibility of not getting any more indomethacin.

Thanks to anyone with any information.

Sex, Drugs, Stock and Rolls and rolls of cash

verisimilitude — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 15:15:32 -0800

Medical professionals can buy shares in pharmaceutical companies. Is this good for my health? (Both my medical and economic health) A doctor friend of mine has just purchased £52G of Merck shares. It seems to me that there is an obvious conflict of interest which could be to the detriment of his patients. But his investment seems to be entirely legal.

Given that free lunches and branded pens from pharma comps are considered to be dangerously influential, how are the private investments of medical professional reconciled with their obligations to give the very best health care to their patients? What proportion of pharma shares are owned by drs? Who regulates this? Where can I read more about this type of thing? (UK only. Not very interested in hearing about other systems, unless its for a usefull comparrison)