Claudia Kalb: Another Resignation At Autism Speaks

re: Claudia Kalb: Another Resignation At Autism Speaks

bensmyson — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:23:54 GMT

Good riddance.

"An autistic child can endanger his siblings," said Eric London, the founder of the National Alliance for Autism Research, an advocacy group in Princeton, N.J. "If you have a small baby in the home, it's intolerable to have an autistic child rampaging through the house. For those families, Risperdal could be a godsend."

RISPERDAL ® (risperidone) is used for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults and adolescents ages 13-17 years.

RISPERDAL ® (risperidone) is used for the treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder in children and adolescents ages 5-16 years.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR RISPERDAL ®

Elderly Patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. RISPERDAL ® (risperidone) is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.

The most common adverse reactions observed in all clinical trials with RISPERDAL ® occurring at a rate of at least 10% were somnolence, increased appetite, fatigue, rhinitis, upper respiratory tract infection, vomiting, coughing, urinary incontinence, increased saliva, constipation, fever, tremors, muscle stiffness, abdominal pain, anxiety, nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, rash, restlessness, and indigestion.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) is a rare and potentially fatal side effect reported with RISPERDAL ® and similar medicines. Call your doctor immediately if the person being treated develops symptoms such as high fever; stiff muscles; shaking; confusion; sweating; changes in pulse, heart rate, or blood pressure; or muscle pain and weakness. Treatment should be stopped if the person being treated has NMS.

Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) is a serious, sometimes permanent side effect reported with RISPERDAL ® and similar medications. TD includes uncontrollable movements of the face, tongue, and other parts of the body. The risk of developing TD and the chance that it will become permanent is thought to increase with the length of therapy and the overall dose taken by the patient. This condition can develop after a brief period of therapy at low doses, although this is much less common. There is no known treatment for TD, but it may go away partially or completely if therapy is stopped.

RISPERDAL ® and similar medications can raise the blood levels of a hormone known as prolactin, causing a condition known as hyperprolactinemia. Blood levels of prolactin remain elevated with continued use. Some side effects seen with these medications include the absence of a menstrual period; breasts producing milk; the development of breasts by males; and the inability to achieve an erection. The connection between prolactin levels and side effects is unknown.

High blood sugar and diabetes have been reported with RISPERDAL ® and similar medications. If the person being treated has diabetes or risk factors such as being overweight or a family history of diabetes, blood sugar testing should be performed at the beginning and throughout treatment. Complications of diabetes can be serious and even life threatening. If signs of high blood sugar or diabetes develop, such as being thirsty all the time, going to the bathroom a lot, or feeling weak or hungry, contact your doctor.

RISPERDAL ® should be used cautiously in people with a seizure disorder, who have had seizures in the past, or who have conditions that increase their risk for seizures.

Some people taking RISPERDAL ® may feel faint or lightheaded when they stand up or sit up too quickly. By standing up or sitting up slowly and following your healthcare professional's dosing instructions, this side effect may be reduced or it may go away over time.

Extrapyramidal Symptoms (EPS) are usually persistent movement disorders or muscle disturbances, such as restlessness, tremors, and muscle stiffness. If you observe any of these symptoms, talk to your healthcare professional.

Some medications interact with RISPERDAL ® . Please inform your healthcare professional of any medications or supplements that you are taking. Avoid alcohol while taking RISPERDAL ® .

Inform your healthcare professional if you are pregnant or if you are planning to get pregnant while taking RISPERDAL ® . Do not breast-feed if you are taking RISPERDAL.

RISPERDAL ® may affect your driving ability; therefore, do not drive or operate machinery before talking to your healthcare professional.

RISPERDAL ® may affect alertness and motor skills; use caution until the effect of RISPERDAL is known.

re: Claudia Kalb: Another Resignation At Autism Speaks

I_am_reality — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:07:41 GMT

Buh-Bye Eric London. Go hang out with Paul Offit and the other big pharma shills that are bank-rolled by the vaccine makers. These giants of medicine are the same ones that are doing everything they can to waive the Genetics flag in everyone's face to hide that fact that 36 vaccines given to infants in the US are causing serious health problems like Autism.

(See CBS news story on the conflicts of these groups: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/25/cbsnews_investigates/main4296175.shtml)

Newsweek and this blogger continue to miss the boat on the real issues around vaccines and autism. And that is only two of the vaccines have been tested regarding Autism. Where is the coverage on this?

In the spring of 2009 the CDC did a study on how pet owners trip over their pets.

(See Wash Post story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/26/AR2009032601634.html)

WOW - what a useful study. Great use of our tax dollars. That study forever wipes out the argument that there isn't enough funding to do more studies on vaccines and autism.

How about covering the bill offered by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney calling for the FIRST-EVER vaccinated vs. unvaccinated study.

http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1881&Itemid=61

Now that would be something worth covering.

How about that Newsweek?

re: Claudia Kalb: Another Resignation At Autism Speaks

AutismClassroom.com — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:14:09 GMT

Wow. I wonder what is going on there? I hope they can continue to support and provide solid information and help to families.

-S. B. Linton, Owner, AutismClassroom.com

www.autismclassroom.com

re: Claudia Kalb: Another Resignation At Autism Speaks

Yael Lewis — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:11:08 GMT

I am a mother of a child with epilepsy-MAE to be specific and due to the lack of research funding for alternative methods to treat children w/ autism and epilepsy, many kids today are being overmedicated, thus I am currently in an underdeveloped country in which my son who was treated w/ five medications in a year time and was progressively becoming a special needs child due to the horrible consequence of the medication, is now being treated non-invasively and is returning to his old self.

These big grants for more medication I think is a waste, the research should be focused on how to identify the reason for autism, at an early age and to figure out alternative methods to treat children w/o drugging them and then suffering the consequences of the side effects at home. It is absolutely astounding that my family had to come to a third world country to recieve the treatment to help my son and to begin to return to a sense of normalcy.

re: Claudia Kalb: Another Resignation At Autism Speaks

Montana450815 — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:43:32 GMT

I find the viterol towards those who are working toward understanding and hopefully treating/curing autism to be less than helpful. I recognize that there are different paths that organizations and individuals may take, but if any of them get to an answer than shouldn't you all be cheering them on rather then spewing hateful comments towards them? Shouldn't you be glad they are trying? It may not be the path you think is right, but if you really knew, the need for the research wouldn't be there.

As to the comment reference the danger to other siblings, isn't that a real possibility with some autistic children? I knew a young man who was extremely strong and displayed inappropriate behaviors toward others and was very difficult to get away from. I recall the family who was asked to leave their church because of their autistic son. Not only did the church find him disruptive but the younger and smaller children were afraid of him. For a church to go to court over this makes me believe they felt strongly about the subject.

While I have not had to personally deal with an autistic child, I have known many people who have and I know the heartache for your child is real, as is the lack of real understanding of the disease. I would just hope to see less hatefulness among the different beliefs as to the causes and cures. I would want all avenues explored if my child or grandchild were affected. I am disappointed that the people involved in Autism Speaks couldn't find a way to explore the different paths. I recall seeing the couple who started the organization on tv and had high hopes for the possibilies. I guess that was misplaced.