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Disturbing Harvard study shows cellular damage after cipro administration.

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Posted 8/30/2013 3:34 PM (GMT 0)
wyss.harvard.edu/viewpressrelease/117/dodging-antibiotic-side-effects

Excerpt from article:
Doctors often prescribe antibiotics freely, thinking that they harm bacteria while leaving human tissue unscathed. But over the years reports have piled up about the occasional side effects of various antibiotics, including tendonitis, inner-ear problems and hearing loss, diarrhea, impaired kidney function, and other problems.

Collins suspected these side effects occurred when antibiotics triggered oxidative stress -- a condition in which cells produce chemically reactive oxygen molecules that damage the bacteria's DNA and enzymes, as well as the membrane that encloses the cell.

Collins' team had already discovered that antibiotics that kill bacteria do so by triggering oxidative stress in the bacteria. They wondered whether antibiotics caused side effects by triggering oxidative stress in the mitochondria, a bacterium-like organelle that supplies human cells with energy.

Sameer Kalghatgi, Ph.D., a former postdoctoral fellow in Collins' laboratory who is now Senior Plasma Scientist at EP Technologies in Akron, Ohio, and Catherine S. Spina, a M.D./Ph.D. candidate at Boston University and researcher at the Wyss Institute, first tested whether clinical levels of three antibiotics -- ciprofloxacin, ampicillin, kanamycin -- each cause oxidative stress in cultured human cells. They found that all of these drugs were safe after six hours of treatment, but longer-term treatment of about four days caused the mitochondria to malfunction.

When a drug can't differentiate between your mitochondria and bacteria, you know there's going to be collateral damage to your whole body.

In other words, taking cipro for a non-threatening condition is equivalent to getting chemotherapy for a bruise. The damage is usually long term and permanent unless something is done about it.

I found this fascinating, but scary at the same time. It's old news to many people that cipro damages the body at a cellular level, but it's interesting to see the level of mitochondrial damage in detail. It kind of makes you wonder what really went on within the FDA to approve these drugs for non-life threatening illnesses.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 8/30/2013 5:49:34 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/30/2013 8:26 PM (GMT 0)
friendly bump
Posted 8/30/2013 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
Holy crap !!

I can't tell you how big grave this is for future antibiotics, which is good is one way but REALLY bad in other terms if we do not get our act together and clean up the environment.
Posted 8/30/2013 9:10 PM (GMT 0)

deltaforce said...
Holy crap !!

I can't tell you how big grave this is for future antibiotics, which is good is one way but REALLY bad in other terms if we do not get our act together and clean up the environment.

It sort of coincides with the new FDA warning that came out a few weeks ago doesn't it?

I predict 10,000 more people will get crippled before real changes happen.

FML.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 8/30/2013 3:13:15 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/30/2013 10:34 PM (GMT 0)
I had no idea of this warning. Thanks for the link.

I am not well versed with the US FDA system but from whatever I have read, its 'risk assessment'. In my understanding, that means how many will be killed / disabled in patent period. If its not large number, thats OK, let pharma company make the money. That is my understanding of 'risk assessment'.

In Europe, there is no risk assessment. If they smell a rat, they show the company the door and ask for more studies. I see so many thing banned in the Europe but routinely used in the US, esp. food industry, pesticides etc. etc. I have never seen olestra in Europe, here half of the chips use olestra...

Every small thing adds up..

And one thing I REALLY hate here, direct to consumer advertisement of medications. IMHO, it promotes overuse (and misuse).
Posted 8/30/2013 11:45 PM (GMT 0)

deltaforce said...
I had no idea of this warning. Thanks for the link.

I am not well versed with the US FDA system but from whatever I have read, its 'risk assessment'. In my understanding, that means how many will be killed / disabled in patent period. If its not large number, thats OK, let pharma company make the money. That is my understanding of 'risk assessment'.

In Europe, there is no risk assessment. If they smell a rat, they show the company the door and ask for more studies. I see so many thing banned in the Europe but routinely used in the US, esp. food industry, pesticides etc. etc. I have never seen olestra in Europe, here half of the chips use olestra...

Every small thing adds up..

And one thing I REALLY hate here, direct to consumer advertisement of medications. IMHO, it promotes overuse (and misuse).

In terms of how the FDA works, you might be interested in reading Bitter Pills. Since a lot of the studies are manipulated, it doesn't take much for a drug to get approved. The testing methods don't control for many things like preexisting diseases, elderly, etc. In other words, the worst side effects don't manifest until the drugs are released to the general population. Worse yet, only 1-5% of adverse reactions are reported and it takes a long, long time for the FDA to issue warnings. The permanent damage thing with antibiotics have been going on for 20 years or so. Due to the FDA's incompetence and antiquated reporting system, it's going to take another 4-5 years and thousands more tendon ruptures for these class of drugs to get more restricted.

You are certainly correct about Europe. There are a whole slew of prestigious medical journals detailing the risks of these antibiotics and doctors are generally well versed. You might be sad to learn that adverse medical deaths are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and we're talking about preventable deaths. The FDA, pharmaceutical industry and stupid doctors have a lot of blood in their hands. You basically have a better chance of surviving a car accident than surviving the pills your doctor throws at you.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 8/30/2013 5:53:19 PM (GMT-6)

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