Hubris: The Selling of the Iraq War
Posted by Michelle Moquin on February 18th, 2013
Good morning!
Happy President’s Day! I can’t say I ever recognized this day much in the past, except that it was a day off and the banks etc., were closed. Nothing against President Lincoln, or President Washington, whom this day was honoring most significantly. But until President Obama became president, I didn’t think much about honoring our past presidents. So…here’s to you…in honor of you, President Obama.
And in light of President’s day or not, Rachel Maddow is showing something special this evening on her show:
Rachel Maddow To Probe Lies That Led to Iraq War in TV Special ‘Hubris’
Perhaps you think you’ve read or heard it all. Hell, I even wrote my own book about it, So Wrong for So Long,. But now Rachel Maddow is promising surprising revelations in her MSNBC special Hubris: Selling the Iraq War, next Monday night in her regular time slot.
It will be President’s Day, but it looks like she sure won’t be celebrating George W. Bush. Or the mainstream media.
The special marks the opening of what will surely be a slew of tenth-anniversary programs and other media revisits. If you want to go back yourself now: Ten years ago today Hans Blix made another fateful presentation to the United Nations on his team’s search for WMD in Iraq. It was said to bolster both opponents and proponents of a US invasion, since he still found no evidence of such weapons but Saddam was still not cooperating fully with inspections.
Why does this all matter? Well, consider this major Washington Post piece last night on Iran allegedly boosting nuclear program by pursuing certain…magnets. It never ends.
Here’s Rachel’s teaser for Monday show:
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The doc is partly based on the book Hubris by David Corn and Michael Isikoff but reportedly goes beyond it. An NBC press release claims the documentary features “new and original interviews with members of the Bush administration, the CIA, members of Congress and other insiders who were part of the internal debate over the ultimately faulty-intelligence that led to the invasion of Iraq.
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“Timed to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the invasion, Hubris includes interviews with Douglas Feith, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy; Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, White House Counterterrorism Aide; Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy; Valerie Plame Wilson, Former CIA Officer; Michael Leiter, President’s Commission on Intelligence Regarding WMD; Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (Ret.), Chief of Staff to Colin Powell; Former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson; Sen. Tom Daschle (D), Senate Majority Leader 2001-2003; Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC); and Gen. Anthony Zinni (Ret.), Commander US Central Command among others.”
It will be interesting to see if she covers her colleagues, such as Chris Matthews, backing the war, and her network’s move to oust Phil Donahue partly for opposing it.
Here’s an excerpt featuring Lawrence Wilkerson:
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More excerpts on the Yellowcake lies here and on “Cheney’s Speech” here and on “The Build-up” here andWMD not found.
And if you’re interested a segment from Maddow’s blog a few days ago:
Hubris: The Selling of the Iraq War – Monday 2/18 at 9 p.m. ET
“The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa .”
Included in a collection of web materials associated with Rachel’s upcoming documentary “Hubris: The Selling of the Iraq War,” is a longer cut of that 2003 State of the Union address. It’s a powerful reminder of how thick the Bush administration laid it on to rally the nation to war in Iraq:
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********
Readers: Intrigued? I am. So looking forward to this. Bush: One of the original LSOS.
Social Butterfly: Sending you healing thoughts.
George, WN: How nice to get addressed by you. It has been awhile. How are you? To answer your question, I’m not sure how much sick shit I can find to embarrass a man, but I have no problem in finding shit that men do that is just plain sick. Stay tuned – unfortunately, there is always more to come.
Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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February 18th, 2013 at 1:43 pm
Hi Michelle:
Intent on watching Ms. Maddow tonight, I am sure that she will also air another infamous Bush quote that goes something like this.
We will not rest until we have captured Saddam Husein, I mean Osama Bin-laden for his masterminding of the 9/11 tradgety.
He slipped up there and told the truth for once. Then immediately corrected himself and lied to us as usual. His administration has stolen so much from the American public.
There’s Blackwater and Halliburton privitizing the US Army and a million other ways Bush and his cronies made trillions off of the Iraqi War. And then there is Homeland Security which is taking as many rights away from US citizens as they can get away with. That is theft.
I can’t wait to see how much dirt she uncovers on that gang of thugs called the Bush Administration, that was full of war criminals, traitors, and theives. Bush and Co. fucked the US so bad even my ass is hurting.
Al
February 18th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Bob, you’re welcome : ) oh and I forgot Larry, he hasn’t been writing in for a while so feel off the short list, sorry about that.
I was the receiver of a random act of kindness today, I took my kid out for lunch, when I asked her to read the waitresses wonky writing bc I couldn’t, she read it out loud and the man at the next table stood up to leave and said, I’ll take that. I said, ‘take what?’ he replied, ‘your tab. It has been my pleasure to sit and listen to your mother/daughter chat and wanted to leave you still smiling. It would make my day, hope it makes yours’ – it did. How sweet was that? I’m going to do that for someone sometime…so random, so nice, more people should try it!
Luv, Zen Lill
PS President’s Day with watching LSOS GWB videos, no offense and no thanks!
February 18th, 2013 at 6:58 pm
Hey Al, oh boy, don’t get me going on Blackwater…and you can’t blame ex-military men for going there, we really don’t take care of our Seal’s and military covert teams and they can make tons of money working for BW, (I feel for the poor bastard who took out Osama Bin Laden, no kudos, bc he’s part of an elite group their civie pay is not so good, I’m not sure I even believe that OBL thing happened…really, no body? Kind of questionable)…but your last sentence was the old Al kicking in and I ‘lol’d’ at that one!
Luv, ZL
February 18th, 2013 at 8:09 pm
I had to share this in honor of black history month – here’s history that has happened this month – on February 7, 2013, Mississippi ratified the 13th Amendment finally banning slavery. Yes, 2013. All because of the movie “Lincoln” and a person with a curious mind:
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130217/NEWS01/302170050/Historic-oversight-corrected-Film-Lincoln-inspires-look-into-slavery-vote?gcheck=1
The article says they didn’t get any nay votes, but not everybody voted. I’m guessing the KKK sat this one out.
/SB
February 18th, 2013 at 8:10 pm
and thanks everybody for the healing thoughts. I’m out of bed today. Can’t take a deep breath but I’m on the mend.
/SB
February 19th, 2013 at 3:59 am
What I find interesting is that the title of the book is “Hubris” the selling of the Irag war. Right away any savvy OTW knows that the white boy cover up is in full swing.
I mean the major one, the one where no white person really attempts to nail a member of their race for acts unique to a race that will do anything for money. I mean anything. Enslaving, murdering by the millions, sending the trusting young men and women of their nation to war, making war on an unsuspecting nation by bombing them back into the dark ages, ANYTHING, for money.
So we OTWs get the title “Hubris” meaning excessive pride or self-confidence. So let me get this straight. We are supposed to believe that the Bushes and the Cheneys took the nation to war for pride. BULLSHIT!
They took the nation to war for MONEY. Hence, an honest recitation would have had the title be “Greed” or any synonym that reflected that motive. But we get whites giving the deference to a member of their race they reserve only for members of their race, and so the hypocrisy of criticism starts with the title, “Hubris.”
It sets the tone for how the audience should react to these murders. Limits, so to speak are put on how far we get to take our anger. There are places we don’t get to go. Questions like “what do you think their motives were?” We don’t get to go there to call them “murders.” We are told in advance by the title, “Hubris” that their motive was pride, perhaps excessive but merely pride non the less.
They are honest intended men with a little too much pride. So those of you who have lost loved ones must believe that they weren’t sent to their deaths by greed, the desire to profit from the waging of a multi $billion dollar campaign, the profit from the spoils of war, the political gain from defeating an enemy that is helpless in the sight of your country’s incredible military might.
Hence, we the OTWs of the world don’t get to call these white men war criminals, or traitors, or murders, we get to examine “Hubris,” and the lies that led to war, nothing criminal there. They are but men with too much pride.
I say we have been conned. If you think otherwise, ask yourself when will someone ask the obvious question, “what was the motive of Cheney to instantly set out to wage war upon Iraq?”
If “Hubris comes to mind.” Drinks are on me and a free all expense paid flight to Neveda to examine some beach front property I have for sale there.
If greed is taken off the table, then there is no need to examine the financial behavior of the Bushes, Cheneys and other members of that administration to see if there was a significant move to get ahead of the curve by investing in those things, stock, companies, etc. that involve war or supporting a military waging war. OR, those companies that provide services to the country the war was waged upon when the war is over and the company needs rebuilding. Now that would have been a documentary I would have been interested in.
No, since “Hubris” was their motive, there is no need to follow the money.
That BULLSHIT I saw was not an indictment of criminals taking an unsuspecting nation to war against millions of innocent people. The term “war” itself was a cover up. Bush did not lead America to war upon Iraq. Bush and Cheney lead America’s army into a raid upon a defenseless country of millions of innocent people to make money.
Whatever Saddam may have been guilty of, it was NOT aiding and abetting the 9/11 event and he had no weapons of mass destruction. Since this was known by the perpetrators, they knew they were not declaring war, they knew they were robbing a bank. This was the biggest bank robbery in history, actually a two fer.
They got to loot the country of Iraq, and the country of America to the tune of not $billions, but $Trillions. What did the Iraq war cost in lives? Well as usual to the white boy only his nations deaths matter. So google http://www.viewzone.com/wardeaths.html for those figures. They will be conservative and of course cannot reflect the cost to the emotions of the non civilian relatives of the slain or injured.
If you are an OTW, then you will be interested in the cost to the people of Iraq also. You will be lied to in every account made by the american white boy in the same manner you are when you ask where are the graves of the dead slaves from 250 years of slavery in the United States of America.
Whites never admit to the atrocities they commit. They “whitewash” them with titles like “Hubris.” But go to http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/1-over-one-million-iraqi-deaths-caused-by-us-occupation/ for a start. And remember that does not reflect the emotional loss to tens of millions of their friends and relatives.
Consider there 1,500,000 christian Iraqis before the war living in Iraq. Now there are none. The war caused them to be killed or driven from Iraq. Now imagine what it was like to live in a place where a foreign power has bombed your country into a condition were there is no longer the slightest bit of the services one gets from an organized civilization.
NO: police, water service, fire service, system of barter, or organized amenities one gets or expects from government at any level. This is the state those criminals bombed the women and children of Iraqi into. Also keep in mind that this type of devastation brings cost of revenge, generations of hatred towards the country that caused such loses. Americans had better believe that generations of Iraqis will hate any american because of the actions of Bush and Cheney. So the senseless killing only began with that war. It will be played out for countless years in countless revenge killings against americans.
And the motive no white person is asking for the world to examine is Greed, MONEY, not any gottdamn “Hubris.”
February 19th, 2013 at 4:05 am
I wanted to make a separate acknowledgment to Al for his insightful reflection of the true motives of the Bush administration. I hope that it is understood when I say “white america” I don’t mean ALL whites in America just as when I use “black, or asian or latino America” I don’t mean all of those races.
Al, you called it as it is. Thugs acting out the way thugs do for money. It is all about the money.
Thank you for being willing to say it openly.
Alycedale
February 19th, 2013 at 4:08 am
Social Butterfly, I too wish you a speedy recovery.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:19 am
Bravo Alycedale. It’s way past the appropriate time for these devastating lies and deceit to be thoroughly investigated. I am 100% convinced enough evidence could be uncovered to warrant an indictment for war crimes if pursued properly. Sadly though, nearly half the country will refuse to watch any of the evidence because Fox News tells them not to. Until we reverse the trend of ignoring media ethics in this country, things are only going to get worse.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:20 am
Excellent Alycedale, Rachel Maddow has promised many people will be getting upset when they see this documentary. But I really wonder if the special will have the grittiest facts from the book that make network execs balk? Here’s speculation…
http://www.opednews.com/articl…
February 19th, 2013 at 4:22 am
Well done Alycedale, I always wondered where were the hearings after it became known that the reasons for waging war in Iraq were based on misinformation at best and downright lies at worst.
Over 3,000 of our troops killed and $trillions spent but the GOP is still proud of this. And where were the hearings after it became known that MONTHS of intel were ignored by Bush/Chemy concerning Bin Laden determined to strike in the U.S. Hypocrisy, thy name is Republican.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:25 am
I am grateful to know that there is still a pursuit to expose the lies behind what led up to the Iraqi invasion. There is an abundance of undeniable evidence behind 9/11 that can no longer be dismissed as conspiracy “theory” but in fact is historical evidence of a conspiracy.
This will look bad on many but is the healthy first step at bringing an end to policy making that sends our family member off to become canon fodder. I hope this hits hard where it needs to. Please encourage others to watch. I just recently watch Fahrenheit 9/11 with someone who hadn’t seen it before. If you haven’t seen it, you should and if you have you should see it again. It’s even more compelling today.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:26 am
Alycedale, as usual, you get to the meat of the matter. This white man adores you. I really really hope that Rachel takes the media to task for bending over, laying down, kneeling, and swallowing, all the other stuff that it did in the build-up. Yes, I know, the corporate media, shilling for the powers that be, but it is capable of better.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:27 am
No matter how much this subject is discussed by historians and journalists, I would like to see a book about this debacle written by a psychologist. That is, if one has not been written.
It would probably tell us that George had to “make his Daddy proud” by finishing up the job left undone during “Desert Storm”, and to show Daddy that he too could land on an aircraft carrier just like Daddy did during World War II.
Such a book would probably also delve into the mind of the then Vice President and give us a glimpse of why men who get draft deferred (so they can finish a PhD) from previous wars, delight in having the power to start wars so that other men can die and become physically and mentally maimed.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:32 am
Sorry Ira, I don’t buy it. Read Alycedale #6 again. This is not a psychological issue. This is about Greed, Criminal Greed, making money at the expense of others in a criminal way.
One doesn’t need t look to a shrink, to solve this one. A good criminal investigator will find the money trail to explain all their actions.
Thanks Alycedale for acknowledging the elephant in the room.
Helen
February 19th, 2013 at 4:36 am
Thanks Alycedale, you, Al, and Zen Lill show that at least some americans want justice not just a psychoanalysis of what happened to cause the Iraq war. I don’t think America will survive, as a functioning Republic of any measure, unless the truth comes out and theoe neo-con bastards are put on trial.
I’m somewhat hopeful though. Even Pinochet and Pol Pot eventually went down.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:39 am
Alycedale, you called it as it is. The Iraq “war” was a criminal act, and most of white america is complicit in that act. All the subsequent attempts to cover the fact up and revise history to avoid their murder and displacement of millions of Iraqis will come out.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:43 am
This white man is glad you qualified your post Alycedale. But I have to admit you were calling them as was, a criminal undertaking to profit from waging terror upon the Iraqis.
I remember when the war started. At work watching the TV even my colleagues who vote democrat where absolutely giddy over “Shock and Awe” when CNN was televising it like a video game. All I could do was put my head down and walk away. The media for months made it seem like it was a great thing.
That our soldiers would be greeted like liberators and we’d be out of there in six months. Next to Pearl Harbor, Katrina and 9/11, the invasion of Iraq is one of the worst episodes in American history.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:45 am
Alycedale, I commend you on your courage to call this a criminal undertaking. It was no less than that. Given the magnitude and scale of their crimes, I think something more punitive is in order. See Nuremberg trials.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:51 am
Alycedale, you can go off, but this time you were on the money, no pun intended. I would like to suggest this short video. It kind of summed up Rachel’s entire documentary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N_tnsvmeAo&list=FLdb0cGGpZHzZhORvnLIlVrw&index=198
February 19th, 2013 at 4:52 am
You nailed it Alycedale. This country is ruled by white boys and its people are as dumb as a bag of hammers.
Just gin up the fear and nationalism through the corporate media and the geo-politicians can have any war they want.
Gotta support the troops ya’ know.
February 19th, 2013 at 4:55 am
Sorry to those who have seen this before but NO ONE HAS EVER REPEATED THIS ESSENTIAL PIECE OF EVIDENCE PROVING IT WASN’T AN INTELLIGENCE FAILURE. It was as Alycedale called it a criminal intent to profit from waging war on Iraq.
Please Heather and Maddow do a special article/segment on Tyler Drumheller !!! Here he is calling Bush a LIAR on 60 Minutes. video at link below…
“A Spy Speaks Out
When no weapons of mass destruction surfaced in Iraq, President Bush insisted that all those WMD claims before the war were the result of faulty intelligence. But a former top CIA official, Tyler Drumheller — a 26-year veteran of the agency — has decided to do something CIA officials at his level almost never do: Speak out.
He tells correspondent Ed Bradley the real failure was not in the intelligence community but in the White House. He says he saw how the Bush administration, time and again, welcomed intelligence that fit the president’s determination to go to war and turned a blind eye to intelligence that did not.
“It just sticks in my craw every time I hear them say it’s an intelligence failure. It’s an intelligence failure. This was a policy failure,” Drumheller tells Bradley.
Drumheller was the CIA’s top man in Europe, the head of covert operations there, until he retired a year ago. He says he saw firsthand how the White House promoted intelligence it liked and ignored intelligence it didn’t:
“The idea of going after Iraq was U.S. policy. It was going to happen one way or the other,” says Drumheller.”
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/21/60m…
February 19th, 2013 at 4:56 am
Thanks for the nod Zen Lill. The PNAC – Project for the New American Century – neo-con cabal, including Cheney, Rummy, Wolfie, Kristol, Perleman, Feith, et al – wrote their Middle East Invasion plan in 1999 and called it “Defense Strategy for the 21st Century”.
They clearly stated their objectives to secure the oil, gas and mineral resources of the ME, pretty much by any means possible: which included invading sovereign nations and establishing forward military bases from which to start the march across to Asia. Iraq was first on the list because it was easy pickings.
In that Document – the PNAC guys actually stated that they foresaw that the American public would not support any kind of pre-emptive invasions of countries in the ME without an event “Like a New Pearl Harbor”. Not long after the neo-cons took over the White House….there was a problem in New York, on 9/11.
And. just days later the rumblings about invading Iraq began…..the rest is History, but not coincidence!
February 19th, 2013 at 4:57 am
Paul Thompson’s “Terror Timeline”…..in June 2000, Chalibai was happy that HIS FRIEND, Cheney had appointed himself as Bush’s running mate….so Chalibai was known to the Cheney cabal long before 9/11…
so much stuff in that timeline…also shows specific pre-9/11 warnings (including that 8/6/2001 PDB…in the documentary “9/11: Press For Truth”…it shows Bush ‘explaining’ that PDB as he ‘asked’ to see it….I always thought Presidents were given that infor (PDBs) whether they wanted to see them or not….anyone????
Also interesting on youtube.com is “In Their Own Words” (to which I add 9/11 as there are other videos by that name).. it’s almost two hours, but shows a couple of FBI guys saying..’it’s time to let sleeping dogs lie….’….
February 19th, 2013 at 5:00 am
Yep, Larry.
Read that myself many years ago and I tried to tell people in 2003 that this was part of a plan cooked up years before. I knew these people were lying.
Sad. So very sad. If the press had done its job, perhaps a lot of good people would still be alive today.
Even sadder. the history books will probably tow the “intelligence failure line”. Any history book today still treats the Gulf of Tonkin incidents as real justifications for escalating the war in Vietnam and the sinking of the USS Liberty as an “accident”.
February 19th, 2013 at 5:03 am
Now we get to re-live that whole Iraq fiasco. That was the most horrible the United States has acted since the southern states broke from the Union some 150 years ago. Iraq is a truly satanic period in our nation’s history. And I can’t psychologically endure being reminded of all that.
Alycedale, you left out Keith Olbermann as one of the sterling white examples of his race not allowing it to get away with atrocities. It’s a travesty that this “special” doesn’t revolve around Keith Olbermann.
Back in the day, the only personality on MSNBC that dared broach subject of the Bush/Cheney war crimes was Keith Olbermann. I doubt Rachel can even mention Keith due to legal reasons. Back then Keith was John the Baptist crying in the wilderness. And if he isn’t bestowed the hero status he deserves, then it’s a jip.
February 19th, 2013 at 5:04 am
Alycedale, keep it up, you rock!
How can we forget the Downing Street memo, direct proof we were tricked by Bush into an unneeded war, many of us have been asking for the truth for years and thought that once Democrats came into power that honest would be restored.
One of the leading democratic leaders (Nancy Pelosi ) instantaneously took the investigation into this matter off the table and subverted the core of American law, Pelosi her self should be investigated and put in ADX Florence for life for her crimes against America, because she chose NOT to uphold basic US criminal law.
February 19th, 2013 at 5:05 am
I remember Robert Byrd standing alone in the Senate chambers practically begging the other Senators to listen to him, to stop this fearmongering about war, to not go to war. To reconsider such a serious stand to take……..alas to no avail. Byrd was right.
February 19th, 2013 at 6:43 am
Generic Drug Dangers
Joe Graedon
Teresa Graedon, PhD
Generic drugs cost 30% to 80% less than their brand-name counterparts and most people feel safe taking them because the FDA requires that both types of medications provide the same active ingredients and level of effectiveness.
Recent development: A 2006 survey found that about 25% of 300 doctors throughout the US don’t believe that generics are chemically identical to brand-name drugs… nearly one in five believe that generics are less safe… and more than one in four believe that generics cause more side effects.
So what’s the truth about generic drugs?
WHAT PATIENTS SAY
Since 1976, when our book The People’s Pharmacy was originally published as a consumer guide to drug and health information, thousands of patients have contacted us about their experiences with medications.
In the last few years, we’ve received hundreds of letters and E-mails — most of them complaints — about generic drugs, including pain relievers, antidepressants and blood pressure medicines. The number of such complaints has increased dramatically in that time.
What we’ve learned: Some patients who switch from a brand-name to a generic drug report a decline in effectiveness — for example, blood pressure that isn’t controlled as well or a worsening of depression. Others report having a rash or other types of allergic reactions, probably due to one of the inactive “filler” ingredients in generic drugs. There also seem to be problems with the timed-release mechanism of some generics.
Example: We’ve heard more than 100 complaints about a generic version of the long-acting anti-depressant Wellbutrin XL. At least one manufacturer’s timed-release generic formulation appears to be different from the brand name — and may be releasing too much of the drug too quickly (known as “dose dumping”). This would explain many of the side effects, such as headaches and anxiety, that some people tell us they experience when they take the generic drug, but not the brand-name version.
We’ve contacted the FDA about the complaints regarding this generic drug, and we’re also working with an independent laboratory to analyze this formulation.
IS THE FDA DOING ENOUGH?
Drug companies must apply to the FDA to sell generic versions of drugs. To gain FDA approval, a generic drug must contain the same active ingredients as brand-name medications and meet the same criteria for such factors as quality, strength and purity. Possible problems with generic drugs…
Periodic checks for impurities. The FDA monitors generic drugs, testing for such things as proper dosing and active ingredients. But the agency only checks about 300 “dosage forms,” such as tablets and capsules, among brand-name and generic products a year — out of a total of more than three billion prescriptions.
Infrequent inspections. The FDA is supposed to inspect each US drug manufacturing plant every two years — but lacks the resources to meet that requirement.
Overseas manufacturing. An enormous percentage of drug ingredients and raw materials for drugs (primarily generic and over-the-counter) come from India, China and other countries where quality assurance is not as rigorous as in the US — and where drug counterfeiting has been a problem.
Trap: Overseas plants are inspected much less frequently than those in the US. Without testing, there’s no way to tell whether drugs and drug ingredients derived from these plants have impurities — or come in “subtherapeutic” doses (for example, a drug labeled as 10 mg may be only 6 mg).
STAYING SAFE
Most of the evidence for problems with generic drugs is based on anecdotal reports. However, research published in Neurology in 2004 reported that people with epilepsy who switched from the brand-name form of the antiseizure drug phenytoin (Dilantin) to the generic form of the drug began to have higher-than-expected rates of seizures. Investigators found that in many patients, blood levels of the active ingredient had dropped by 30%. Even so, patients should not give up on generic drugs. The cost savings can be considerable… and there’s no evidence so far that the majority of generic drugs will cause problems for most patients. Patients using generic drugs should simply take extra precautions…
Stick with one manufacturer. This is particularly important if you’re taking a drug with a narrow therapeutic index (NTI), such as the anticoagulant warfarin, the antipsychotic lithium or the anticonvulsant carbamazepine. NTI drugs, which typically require periodic blood tests to measure blood levels of the medications, have a very thin margin between an effective dose and a toxic dose. If you’re taking a generic form, ask your pharmacist for the name of the manufacturer — and request that the pharmacy stick with that company, if possible, to avoid variations between products.
Track your numbers. Many conditions, such as hypertension or high cholesterol, don’t cause obvious symptoms. The best way to tell whether a drug is working is to monitor your numbers — by taking daily blood pressure readings, tracking blood-sugar levels and keeping track of cholesterol levels with frequent blood tests at your doctor’s office.
Important: Ask your doctor to give you copies of your test results. Check them periodically to make sure that you’re maintaining adequate control — particularly if you’ve recently switched from a brand name to a generic, or the reverse.
Trust your instincts. Some medications affect the body in subtle ways. A patient taking a thyroid drug, for example, might feel slightly run-down if it isn’t working exactly the way it should, even if test results appear to be normal. Pay attention. If you’ve switched to a generic and notice a difference — either in effectiveness or side effects — tell your doctor.
Do a “challenge, rechallenge” test. If you suspect that a generic drug isn’t working the way it should, write down changes in how long the drug works and side effects. Then, ask your doctor to switch you to the brand-name equivalent, and see if there’s improvement — in most cases, it will be apparent in about two weeks. Under the close supervision of your doctor, repeat the test, going back and forth until you have a clear idea which drug is more effective for you.
Report problems to the FDA.* The FDA can analyze generic drugs to determine if they contain the stated amount of active ingredient. When reporting a drug to the FDA, ask your pharmacist to provide the name of the manufacturer, the lot number and exactly when the drug was dispensed to you.
If you’d also like to report problems with generic drugs to us, go to The People’s Pharmacy Web site, http://www.peoplespharmacy.org.
*Go to the FDA Web site, http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 888-463-6332.
Bottom Line/Health interviewed Joe Graedon, a pharmacologist, and Teresa Graedon, PhD, consumer advocates who specialize in health issues related to drugs, herbs and vitamins. Their syndicated newspaper column “The People’s Pharmacy” is widely distributed in the US and abroad, and they cohost an award-winning radio talk show. They are coauthors of 12 books, including the recently published Best Choices from The People’s Pharmacy (Rodale).