hypertension Non-fda Approved Va Drugs-but They Are Inexpensive!

[jessejames]

I hope no one experieces what I did in Nov of last year. I have been service-connected for Hypertension for over 16 years and have a total of 170% s/c conditions. I have taken the same Blood pressure medications for over 10 years with controlled Hypertension. For a long while I ws receiving the brand name medication Accupril form the VA, but in my refill in Nov, the pills were the same color, shape and size of the name brand so I did not notice any difference. But, I started having headaches which I attributed to a sinus infection for which I had taken anti-biotics and the infection was cleared, but the headaches continued. I have 2 daughter-in-laws who are registered nurses and one happened to be visiting for about a week since she has been doing "traveling nurse" for about a year. She took my blood pressure and it was 163 over 113, which for ME is almost stroke range. She checked it for 2 days and it remained high. I called the VAMC Nurse and she suggested I go to a local ER since the VA ER would be "FULL". I went to the local ER and my pressure was sky high, but the foreign barely speaking english doctor after a 5 hour wait told me she did not know how to bring my blood pressure down and suggested I go to the VA. Meanwhile, I had checked my medicine and it was NOT genuine Accupril, it was a look alike made in India in a small factory that had NUMEROUS violations for rat infested facilities, not putting appropriate amounts of medications in it's generics, and using a peanut flour FILLER in a drug which had made several people allergic to peanuts sick! I called the FDA and asked if this medicine made by Dr Reddy's Laborities was FDA approved for the USA, this is the answer I got: There is no listing for approval in the Orange Book for a generic quinapril made by Dr. Reddy's Lab.

Joan Powers

Consumer Safety Officer

Division of Drug Information

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

Food and Drug Administration

Phone: 301-796-3148

Generic Accupril is Quinapril! I went to the VAMC Pharmacy and after MUCH discussion was allowed to speak to Chief of Pharmacy who told me the VA did NOT have time to monitor the medicines it purchased and they were required to buy the very cheapest medicine they could find. She also said they could NOT change medications for just one veteran based on how it affected that one veteran. I was so upset I thought I would have a heart attack, I guess she sensed how mentally and physically upset I was, they had me set down and gave me a shot to lower my blood pressure. Then she suggested they give me a different brand of Quinapril by a different manufacturer which i took and after my pressure went down from the shot, I left. After 2 days on the medication, my blood pressure was back to normal and has been ever since. What bothered me was she said that I might recieve the SAME non-FDA approved prescription on the next refill and there was nothing they could do to stop that from happening. Based on advice from the VA, I paid a $150 private insurance deductible to go to the private ER for a service-connected condition, they did nothing, and charged my insurance $400. They also wanted to do a catscan, but I refused. Fellow vets...check your medicines from the VA carefully, if any least sign of something not's right, call somebody...I don't know who to call, the VA don't care, your Congressmen don't care, just do what you have to do! The VA is a dangerous world and nobody, NOBODY gives a @@@@!!!!!!!!!!!

[purple]

Sounds like a case for the media...

I'm glad that you are feeling better and thanks for bringing this to our attention.

See my posts on here about recent med recalls that the VA isn't talking about either....

Edited February 8, 2009 by purple

[tagandbag]

JesseJames,

That really stinks, this is one of the sore spots for me is there drug prescriptions, in where they come from and pill splitting of triangular or oval pills

If you dont mind me asking, how did you go about finding the quinapril you were taking was made in India. If the FDA did not have a listing for this generic pill, I would think it would be very hard to track or identify the manufacturer. This would be good information to pass on to the rest of us.

Also I would like to share something. Over the years I have had friends who were drug reps, one I dated and the other was a friends wife. Both of these persons made really good salaries, six figures and the dressed to the nines and no generics. The reason I am telling you this is when you go to the VA you will always see people pulling a small luggage cart with one or more bags, these are drug reps. Its funny that my friends who were reps and there co-workers were always dressed very proffesional and attractive females. The ones I see at the VA mostly are male and look rather dishevled and had slept in there suits. I guess you get what you pay for. I have asked several of the guys I have seen, who they worked for and they were reps, peddling generics.

T&B