Zyprexa Series Finds That Doctors May Be Ignoring the Potential Side Effects of the Drug in Their Patients

New York, NY (PRWeb) March 20, 2007 -- Today the Just Say “Know” to Prescription Drugs Campaign, aimed at getting one million people to stop and reevaluate the medications they are taking, released the Just Say Know to Zyprexa Series. The series is a set of radio interviews which include a doctor who prescribes Zyprexa, a woman whose son was on Zyprexa and Pyschrights’ attorney, Jim Gottstein, who has been at the center of the controversy over the drug. The series revealed that doctors may be simply ignoring the potential side effects of Zyprexa in their patients.

According to Eli Lilly, weight gain, high blood pressure and diabetes are among the side effects of Zyprexa. In the series, a woman whose son was on Zyprexa reports that her son gained 100 pounds.
“How are people gaining 50 or 100 pounds on these drugs without raising red flags? Where are the doctors? Why aren’t they saying, ‘Wait a minute, why is my patient gaining all of this weight? Mmmmm, could it be the Zyprexa I put him on?’ ” said Dr. Dominick Riccio, Chairman of the Just Say “Know” to Prescription Drugs Campaign and co-host of the series.

The message from this series is clear. The only person you can trust to look out for your health is you. “There is strong evidence surfacing that doctors are either uninformed, misinformed or simply ignoring the side effects of drugs in their patients,” said Dr. Greg Tefft, co-founder of the Just Say “Know” to Prescription Drugs Campaign. “The series makes it clear that taking a prescription drug without asking lots of informed questions is truly a prescription for a shortened life. So even if you have a doctor you believe you can trust… fine. Trust but verify,” said Tefft.

The Zyprexa series is aimed at filling the critical information gap about the drug and is being distributed through the “Just say Know Network” of online activists. The series is also being made available on demand, as a downloadable podcast on Apple’s iTunes web site.

Additionally, the series is co-hosted by Dr. Larry Simon. “What is clear from these interviews is that patients can no longer afford to be naïve; when a doctor gives you a prescription, you must go and look it up, because clearly the time is over where we can blindly trust.”

People interested in the series can listen by going to:
http://justsayknow.kpncradio.com

Campaign supporters can make the series available on their web sites and blogs by placing the following link on their web sites:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=219190713

People who want to subscribe to the series for updates can do so clicking on the following link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=219190713

The Just Say “Know” to Prescription Drugs Campaign has attracted support from a broad cross section of people, including influential professionals, medical doctors, pharmacists, psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers, actors, filmmakers, producers and concerned citizens from 121 countries around the world. The official web site for the campaign was launched in January to support year- round activism working up to Just Say “Know” to Prescription Drugs Month in October.
Organizations and individuals who want to participate in the campaign may go to http://justsayknow.kpncradio.com

Primary funding for the campaign is provided by Dr. Greg Tefft, who is also providing hosting for the site at www.KPNCradio.com. For more information contact Errol Smith, Media Relations, Jackstreet Media at 818-334-4322.

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Understanding Prescription Drugs

Zyprexa Series Finds That Doctors May Be Ignoring the Potential Side Effects of the Drug in Their Patients

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