AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. GARY NULL
Mr. Gary Null is a radio syndicated host and an advocate
for honest medicine. http://www.garynull.com/MeetGary.aspx
Dear Mr. Null,
I recently obtained sensitive internal documents about the
efficacy of steroid epidural injections using Depo-Medrol
from inside Pharmacia & Upjohn. This drug is used off-label
to treat neck and back pain where either facet joint problems
or spinal disc herniations are diagnosed. I believe that
these documents can open the door for a successful battle
against the widespread practice of epidural steroid injections
using this unregulated and non-recommended drug here in
the USA. Numerous reports indicate that patients who have
complained and suffer as a result of their Depo-Medrol epidurals,
were widely ignored by the medical community.
Background:
There are NO INJECTABLE STEROIDS that are FDA approved for
spinal epidural use. Currently, the most common steroid
used is Depo-Medrol, manufactured by Pharmacia & Upjohn,
(PU). They strongly state, in an internal document, that
they have received many reports of SEVERE MEDICAL EVENTS
associated with epidural injections using their product.
In 1997 they quietly removed this statement from their Depo-Medrol
package insert and buried it an internal document for limited
distribution. No one knows exactly why but it is speculated
that it was done because of increased pressure from the
medical establishment. In it, they step-up the WARNING from
"adverse effects" to "SEVERE MEDICAL EVENTS"!
It's a quantum leap in grammatical terms!
Because of these reports, PU strongly states that an epidural
injection using their product is "NOT RECOMMENDED"!
So why hasn't this important information gotten out? Why
is it that doctors are refusing to inform their patients
of this DRUG ALERT?
(Nerve root blocks and epidurals aside, many patients don't
even realize that Depo-Medrol is literally poured into their
spines before they're closed up after back and neck surgery.
This error has been quietly linked to many failed surgeries
and "failed back syndromes"! To put it bluntly,
Depo-Medrol is dangerous when used around the spine.)
The reason for the ALERT is not because of the steroid component,
but for the KNOWN NEUROTOXIC COMPOUNDS found within Depo-Medrol,
such as Polyethylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, and Myristyl
Gamma Picolinium Chloride, MGPC for short. These are the
components that cause the harm associated with so many worldwide
complaints, not the steroid! The document claims that the
preservative MGPC is not even necessary in the single dose
vials, yet they have decided to keep it in anyway as a suspension
agent. This is highly suspicious because the drug already
has a suspending agent, Polyethylene Glycol!
The secret reason they left it in is because they know and
privately endorse the drug for epidural use. So they decided
to keep MGPC in the drug compound to act as a preservative
against spinal meningitis when injected epidurally, even
though they don't recommend it. That alone is a smoking
gun. They're secretly endorsing the drug for epidural injections
by keeping MGPC in their single dose vials. Otherwise, there
would be no reason to do so if doctors used Depo-Medrol
as indicated.
Another major concern is back-alley bootleg pharmaceutical
compounding of the drug. Many errors in formulation accuracy
frequently occur when hospitals and other surgical centers
buy Depo-Medrol in this fashion. Depo-Medrol is a huge cash
cow. Demand for the drug sometimes outpaces its supply,
so some centers decide to purchase these bootlegged copies
rather than to temporarily shut down their injection-mill
operation! Most patients don't even realize that this could
literally double their potential risk for indefinite pain
because these fake formulations can be even more toxic than
the original!
Currently there are several nations that have pending legislation
that would either force doctors to "properly inform
their patients of the true risks associated " with
steroid epidurals using Depo-Medrol, or ban them entirely.
WHY NOT HERE IN THE USA?
The mechanism by which Depo-Medrol and its neurotoxic components
go wrong has yet to be completely uncovered by a sluggish
medical establishment. It's highly suspicious that there's
very little research to substantiate the causes of so many
worldwide complaints. What is clear is that thousands of
patients are needlessly suffering as a direct result of
their Depo-Medrol epidurals whose complaints generally fall
on deaf ears. Doctors conveniently divert blame for these
new complaints on the worsening state of their patients'
original condition. These cases have been globally documented
by the manufacturer and are available for anyone's review,
BUT NO ONE CARES!
Nothing is currently being done to educate the public about
the true dangers associated with this treatment. In fact,
I discovered that many in the health care profession have
either chosen to ignore the growing controversies and fail
to properly inform their patients of the true risks prior
to the procedure, or have decided to quietly phase-out the
practice altogether without explanation. Puzzling?
The drug is currently contraindicated for intrathecal use
and strongly not recommended for epidural use by the manufacturer,
YET THE LISTED DANGERS ARE IDENTICAL FOR BOTH ROUTES OF
ADMINISTRATION! Why then hasn't Depo-Medrol been contraindicated
for epidural injections since it carries the same risks
as intrathecal injections? Would someone wish to explain
why? Where is the FDA on this issue? Is it simply a matter
of medical politics, or are the financial fortunes for both
the manufacture and those who continue to perform Depo-Medrol
epidurals at stake?
For more information or to see the document, go to:
End
Depo Now Campaign. ...and scroll
down to the bottom to read PU's document.
I can be contacted at: EndDepoNow@msn.com
Kindest regards,
The Crusader
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