ADHD drug caution issued
TORONTO — Health Canada is revising its prescribing and patient information for all ADHD drugs in Canada to add the "potential for psychiatric adverse events."
These have included rare events of agitation and hallucinations in children, spokesman Paul Duchesne said Thursday from Ottawa.
ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a neurobiological disorder marked by poor attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Left untreated, children with the condition may have behaviour problems and trouble learning in school.
Up to five per cent of Canadian kids are believed to have ADHD. Last year, more than two million prescriptions for the drugs were written in Canada.
Government officials are conducting an ongoing review of ADHD drugs and are discussing updated labelling with manufacturers, which should be completed by December, Duchesne said.
"Canadians taking ADHD medication should consult with their doctor if they have any questions or concerns," he said, noting that patients should never stop taking ADHD medication without consulting with their doctor.
Canadian adverse drug reaction reports from 2000 to 2005 list about two dozen cases of mood, personality and psychological reports among ADHD drug users, but there is no way of knowing whether the drugs caused the problems. There were three suicides.
Dr. Umesh Jain, a child psychiatrist who is head of the Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance, said Thursday that Health Canada is right in its message that doctors should "be cautious, be prudent" — but he doesn’t think the advice is anything new.
A properly diagnosed patient on ADHD drugs, taking the correct dosage, would not have a problem with agitation and hallucinations, he said.
"Because what’s happening is you’re taking the patient to a normalization state with the medications. When medications are diverted and abused, they are potentially at risk for developing hallucinations, delusional beliefs, etc."
The new ADHD medications are long-acting, once-a-day preparations and have "low diversion potential," said Jain, who works at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Toronto Hospital for Sick Children.
"If you were somebody who was going to use an excess amount, well beyond that of the range of the ADHD profile, yeah, they can potentially cause those problems."
He said Health Canada is trying to be cautious in alerting the population about all potential risks — "partly I think because the medications are being so widely used."
Jain said the Health Canada statement will likely cause some patients to be worried.
"We have to find ways of calming our patients down and say ‘Look, these aren’t going to cause you hallucinations and delusions in the doses that we prescribe to you,’ " he said.
It’s the second revision to the patient information on ADHD drugs this year. In May there was a warning that identified heart-related risks associated with ADHD drugs.
At the time, Health Canada advised Canadians not to use Strattera, Dexedrine, Ritalin, Ritalin SR, Concerta, Attenade, Biphentin and Adderall XR if they have moderate to severe high blood pressure, heart disease or abnormalities, hardened arteries or an overactive thyroid gland.
Friday, September 22, 2006
WOMEN WERE MARCHING THE STREETS IN FREDERICTON TONIGHT!!!
While sitting at my computer this evening. I heard some loud shouting noise from the streets. It was a group of females marching the streets demanding that violence against women come to a stop.
I decided to run outside and take some picture. Allison Brewer was in the crowd.
It was the first time I saw her since the Election. I gave her a little supportive hug. I told her that she did very good for a rookie. It has nothing to do with Allison.
The issue of abortion and gays are a very touchy issue.
In my opinion, she did a good job and should walk with her head up
I decided to run outside and take some picture. Allison Brewer was in the crowd.
It was the first time I saw her since the Election. I gave her a little supportive hug. I told her that she did very good for a rookie. It has nothing to do with Allison.
The issue of abortion and gays are a very touchy issue.
In my opinion, she did a good job and should walk with her head up
FRIENDS OF BRIAN PERREAULT, THE BEST HOT DOGGER AROUND THIS NECK OF THE WOODS!
Hey Charles, your guy may have the best hot dogs and sausages in Fredericton, but Brian Perreault (shown pictured) has, and was voted best Sausage in Saint John, NB (See Here weekly award, pictured, for 2006) Just wanted to share that with your lovely readers.
Signed:
FRIENDS OF BRIAN PERREAULT, THE BEST HOT DOGGER AROUND THIS NECK OF THE WOODS !
Please blog if you can!
Signed:
FRIENDS OF BRIAN PERREAULT, THE BEST HOT DOGGER AROUND THIS NECK OF THE WOODS !
Please blog if you can!
VENDOR SELLS BEST SAUSAGE, HOT DOGS AND SAMOSA'S IN THE CITY!!!
He's located across the Victory Meat Market during the weekend.
Charles comes face to face in the dark with a former Quebec worker from the New Brunswick Legislature!!!
Jean-Claude is a nice guy. He retired last year from the Library. I first met the guy in the summer of 2002 and it was it was then that I found out that most workers at the New Brunswick Legislature are from Quebec.
Jocelyn Stevens office manager of P.R.U.D.E. inc!!!!
She's a sweetheart. I might add that my cousin Freddie LeBlanc is a volunteer at P.R.U.D.E. also!!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
A LETTER TO THE IRVING PAPER FROM A MOURNING FATHER WHO LOST THEIR SON TO VLT'S!!!
Anti-VLT crusader wants to be heard
The following is a copy of an open letter sent to Premier-designate Shawn Graham:
Congratulations on you and your party's election win. As part of your many serious responsibilities, in the near future you must make a decision about the future of video lottery terminals, racinos and/or casinos in New Brunswick.
Prior to your party making such a decision, I request that you grant me the opportunity to make a presentation to you and or your ministers-elect. To date there has been much lobbying by the harness racing community and others but little if any representation for those who have given their lives or ruined their lives, and the lives of their families and loved ones, all for the sake of raising some blood-money taxes.
As a citizen who has lived with the ultimate results of VLT gambling for the past eight years and has made it a full-time priority to study this parasitic form of gambling, I believe that you and your party owe the vulnerable citizens of this province an opportunity to be heard.
DON BISHOP
Darlings Island
The little guy wins against the Irvings!!!
This 'little guy' wins with her pen by Laura Graham
Source : Halifax Herald
Local journalist speaks out against N.B. media monopoly, wins award
June 19, 2005
In October of last year, the weekly independent newspaper in New Brunswick, called here, was bought by an Irving family company, Brunswick News Inc.
After more than four years of being the alternative news voice in Saint John, the paper tried to expand to Moncton. It met competition from the Irvings, who began their own weekly called the Metro Marquee. here couldn't match the Metro Marquee's advertising rates and the owners decided to sell their paper to the Irvings before they went bankrupt.
As a result, all English newspapers in New Brunswick are now owned by the Irving family.
This got Megan Wennberg, a native of Saint John and now a freelance journalist in Halifax, fired up.
"I have the belief that one person or one company owning all the media in a province or in a country just isn't a good idea," she says. "It's not a good idea for democracy. It's not a good idea for the public. It just limits the number of voices that can be heard because of who's controlling it."
She was going to give a commentary about the sale on CBC, except her father, a corporate lawyer for the Irvings, thought it might harm his firm in some way.
"He said he didn't want to quash me creatively, but he couldn't see how I could do it. Finally I had to call CBC and say I couldn't do it because my dad's obviously more important than this commentary."
Then Wennberg got an e-mail about the Dalton Camp Award, an essay contest put on by the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. The theme of the award is "the link between democratic values and the quality of the media in Canada."
She felt compelled to write about the sale of here once again. She didn't worry about her father's concerns as much this time because she thought her essay would only appear on the web.
But then she found out she won the contest. She travelled to Banff, Alta., earlier this month to claim her medal and $5,000 in prize money. The news resulted in another argument with her father.
"He finally talked to his firm because he was basically thinking that he would have to resign before the essay came out," says Wennberg. "He talked to the partners and they calmed him down by saying that I'm not a member of the firm and they have no right to tell me what I can and can't write."
For Wennberg, it was just another example of how the Irvings pervade every aspect of life in Saint John.
"You don't really think about it all the time, because it doesn't come up. But it's always there. The smell from the pulp mill is always there, the oil refinery smoke towers are always there. Something like this just brings it to the surface."
Wennberg felt like she was speaking out on behalf of all of the people who couldn't.
"The Irvings are the economic force in the province and the city and your parents work for them, your friends' parents work for them and your brother and sister end up working for them. It's hard to be independent."
Wennberg says she was surprised when she saw a post-sale editorial in here's Jan. 6 issue, titled, "They're not evil, but they may be incompetent." It criticized the Irving media monopoly.
"They're not out for editorial control, generally speaking," says Wennberg. "It's just when all the writers know full well who's writing their paycheque that it's more self-censorship that will be the issue."
Wennberg notes that there is a Senate committee looking at the ownership of media in Canada right now. She knows it's a hot topic, but she doesn't know if her essay will have any influence.
"There aren't any anti-monopoly laws and there should be. Or there should be some sort of government program supporting people who want to put out independent, small community publications just to ensure that different voices are getting heard and not having the content dictated by some corporate mandate, which is ultimately to make money."
She says the Irvings are just a small example of what is happening all over Canada.
"Vancouver has the same thing. CanWest Global is a way bigger problem."
In the end, her father accepted the reassurance from his law firm and reconciled with his daughter.
"My dad was really proud . . . really happy."
Source : Halifax Herald
Local journalist speaks out against N.B. media monopoly, wins award
June 19, 2005
In October of last year, the weekly independent newspaper in New Brunswick, called here, was bought by an Irving family company, Brunswick News Inc.
After more than four years of being the alternative news voice in Saint John, the paper tried to expand to Moncton. It met competition from the Irvings, who began their own weekly called the Metro Marquee. here couldn't match the Metro Marquee's advertising rates and the owners decided to sell their paper to the Irvings before they went bankrupt.
As a result, all English newspapers in New Brunswick are now owned by the Irving family.
This got Megan Wennberg, a native of Saint John and now a freelance journalist in Halifax, fired up.
"I have the belief that one person or one company owning all the media in a province or in a country just isn't a good idea," she says. "It's not a good idea for democracy. It's not a good idea for the public. It just limits the number of voices that can be heard because of who's controlling it."
She was going to give a commentary about the sale on CBC, except her father, a corporate lawyer for the Irvings, thought it might harm his firm in some way.
"He said he didn't want to quash me creatively, but he couldn't see how I could do it. Finally I had to call CBC and say I couldn't do it because my dad's obviously more important than this commentary."
Then Wennberg got an e-mail about the Dalton Camp Award, an essay contest put on by the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. The theme of the award is "the link between democratic values and the quality of the media in Canada."
She felt compelled to write about the sale of here once again. She didn't worry about her father's concerns as much this time because she thought her essay would only appear on the web.
But then she found out she won the contest. She travelled to Banff, Alta., earlier this month to claim her medal and $5,000 in prize money. The news resulted in another argument with her father.
"He finally talked to his firm because he was basically thinking that he would have to resign before the essay came out," says Wennberg. "He talked to the partners and they calmed him down by saying that I'm not a member of the firm and they have no right to tell me what I can and can't write."
For Wennberg, it was just another example of how the Irvings pervade every aspect of life in Saint John.
"You don't really think about it all the time, because it doesn't come up. But it's always there. The smell from the pulp mill is always there, the oil refinery smoke towers are always there. Something like this just brings it to the surface."
Wennberg felt like she was speaking out on behalf of all of the people who couldn't.
"The Irvings are the economic force in the province and the city and your parents work for them, your friends' parents work for them and your brother and sister end up working for them. It's hard to be independent."
Wennberg says she was surprised when she saw a post-sale editorial in here's Jan. 6 issue, titled, "They're not evil, but they may be incompetent." It criticized the Irving media monopoly.
"They're not out for editorial control, generally speaking," says Wennberg. "It's just when all the writers know full well who's writing their paycheque that it's more self-censorship that will be the issue."
Wennberg notes that there is a Senate committee looking at the ownership of media in Canada right now. She knows it's a hot topic, but she doesn't know if her essay will have any influence.
"There aren't any anti-monopoly laws and there should be. Or there should be some sort of government program supporting people who want to put out independent, small community publications just to ensure that different voices are getting heard and not having the content dictated by some corporate mandate, which is ultimately to make money."
She says the Irvings are just a small example of what is happening all over Canada.
"Vancouver has the same thing. CanWest Global is a way bigger problem."
In the end, her father accepted the reassurance from his law firm and reconciled with his daughter.
"My dad was really proud . . . really happy."
DAN BUSSIERES - PLEASE LORD.....HELP US!!!
Now the election is over? I can focuse on the adminstration of the New Brunswick Legislature.
New Brunswickers are in for one big surprise. We're going to have a new speaker and lets see if the Government has power?
Loredana Sonier the Assembly Clerk of the Legislative Assembly truly went out of her way spending thousands of dollars to discredit me.
I learned a few more issues about the banning and it's very scary. It's so bad that this will end up in court. Many people could be hurt by this ban and it sure won't be me.
I believe these two individuals should be force to resign!
I'll write more on this issue once I get back in the Capital!
New Brunswickers are in for one big surprise. We're going to have a new speaker and lets see if the Government has power?
Loredana Sonier the Assembly Clerk of the Legislative Assembly truly went out of her way spending thousands of dollars to discredit me.
I learned a few more issues about the banning and it's very scary. It's so bad that this will end up in court. Many people could be hurt by this ban and it sure won't be me.
I believe these two individuals should be force to resign!
I'll write more on this issue once I get back in the Capital!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
HAROLD MAYES IS THE KING OF ALL VOLUNTEERS IN SAINT JOHN!!!
I believe this guy is the king of all volunteers. He’s been a volunteers for 61 years of service. He’s a fantastic individual.
If you see Harold? Please say hello to the guy. He’s the last of the true breed of good hearted people. Good work Harold!!!
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