Heparin Recall - More Details - Affects Patients Using Bladder Instillations

[icnmgrjill]

Folks

I sent out an expanded consumer alert about heparin and our great concern about patients using contaminated products in their instillations... particularly if they have a backlogged amount at hand.

Please read this at: http://www.ic-network.com/newsletters/consumeralert0308.html

Jill O.

[waterflow]

What I don't understand with all of this is my heparin was bought a long time ago. Way back in spring time but it still had to be thrown out. Now I wonder if my Uro will be able to find some for thurday. The nurse said they could but now I wonder. I still have some here at home so if they can't I'm using it. Used half of it to begin with. This really makes me mad. I say bring everything that has to do with the US people back home to our country. I'm sorry but too many people are loosing way to much. Homes, family, health care, medicines. It just isn't right and does not have to happen.

[LolaDoggie]

Could the impurities have caused a flare up and/or uti? The list of side effects didn't mention anything about it.

I had been in very good shape with my IC well under control with heparin instills every 2 weeks at the urology clinic, and urispas orally. This summer I started having flares and UTI's right after my treatments. I stopped doing instills in Sept and started on Elmiron. The flares have continued, I've now had 5 kidney infections, this last one being complicated and causing enough bleeding to make me anemic. I'm pretty beat up by this time and it's gotten hard for me to keep regular colds/flus away. (not to mention being depressed all the way around)

I'm wondering if this recall has got anything to do with my sudden decline when I had previously been in very good shape with my IC.

Any ideas?

[blackcatwomon]

Jill,

I am so glad we have the ICN as a resource. I just called my pharmacy and it turns out the case of Heparin I had purchased a couple months ago was made by Baxter and is part of the recall. My pharmacist said it was mostly risky for people using Heparin intravenously but I certainly don't want to take the risk with my sensitive bladder. He's replacing the whole lot for free with Heparin from another manufacturer. Thanks for spreading the word about this important issue.

[jen74]

I am using heperin from the manufacturer abraxis. Anyone know if this is safe? I am going to call my pharmacist today again and ask for the manufacture number just to make sure. This is scary. I know they say that since it is going in the bladder it is not like having it intraveinously, but I am sure some does get absorbed in the bloodstream even so, especailly when our bladder are very irriated and likely more would get through. Hope they get this settled soon.
Jen

[catlover2]

Abraxis heparin is safe to use. Baxter heparin is the only heparin being recalled.

[jen74]

Thanks catlover.
I called my manufacturer to make sure and he said the same thing, so I feel better now.
Jen