Heperin

[sue041]

Is that the stuff that they do the bladder installations with, Well it just said on the news that Heperin from China was contaminated with something that
can kill you. I just caught the tail end of it, so see it for yourself on the news.
They said they discovered it in Chicago.
Sue fro PA.:bonk:

[tangerine3]

Earlier this year it did cause some ppl to die; i think around April. The heparin came from a specific manufacturer in China (don't know which one) and was contaminated. The ppl that died did large doses and was injected directly into their bloodstream.

When you instill heparin into your bladder it does not go into your bloodstream. There was a recall and now it is hard to get because of the shortage and/or the price has skyrocketed.

I am going to be making calls around next month when my supply runs out to see who still is making it and distributing it. You could do a search on the net and probably find out what company the contaminated batch came from (i am) just to feel more comfortable. I know alot of hospitals use it so you would think supplies will be replenished.

My nurse said that I had nothing to worry about.

[tangerine3]

http://www.fda.gov/medwAtch/safety/2008/safety08.htm#HeparinInj2

[sue041]

Thanks for the information, I myself do not use the heperin for the instill or anything, but I knew some of you on this site were getting the instillations and it made you feel better. For some reason it burned me like crazy and ran out as fast as the Dr. put it in.
Again thanks for keeping me up to date on things I will go to the site and read also.
Take care and good luck to all.
Sue041:pray:

[jen74]

I was told by my urogyne when I was doing the instills( I am not doing them anymore lately), but I was also told it does not go in the blood stream. But then As I thought about it, imagine if the bladder is very inflammed and irritated, it likely has little cuts or fisures in there that are very small and I do believe stuff can get into the blood stream if this is the case. Whenever you have a open wound or inflammation anywhere, there is always a chance something can get in. In any event, I do believe that there is a company ( abraxis) that distributes the heparin and their heparin was not in the contaminated group. It is also preservative free( no alchohol in it).
Jen

[matilda789]

Is that the stuff that they do the bladder installations with, Well it just said on the news that Heperin from China was contaminated with something that
can kill you. I just caught the tail end of it, so see it for yourself on the news.
They said they discovered it in Chicago.
Sue fro PA.:bonk:

Almost any product that is made in China are all harmful especially is their contaminated milk and fake cellphones. But I never thought that even some medicines that is made in China are also dangerous. Thank you for giving me a warning.:bow:

[kadi]

I had the contaminated heparin, had a burning bladder from it. I ended up discarding several boxes. But, until the recall, I had no way to know the heparin had come from China, because the boxes were all labelled with the American manufacturer's address in the US. There was nothing on the box that indicated that the ingredients came from China.

[justice4j]

Does anyone know if the contaminated Heparin was from Abraxis? That's where my local small pharmacy gets it. I don't have to use it right now, but was going to order some before the end of the year just in case.

[sue041]

Thanks to all the replies about Heperin. I am not sure where it came from. But it seems once there is a recall we all panic, but if we do not look out for each of us who will.

Thanks Again and Happys Days Ahead.
Sue041

[harleybluz]

I cannot imagine putting a "bad" drug into a damaged bladder is going to make it better. Think about it. I refuse to let anyone put that into me again. Personally though, it never seemed to help, only hurt me more.

[kadi]

This is a very old thread.
The recall is over & there is no problem right now with the new batches of heparin.

[harleybluz]

I did realize the thread is old but there are still people, like me for instance, that click on it to see what is being said. Until I can be sure that the heperin they are putting in me in NOT from China I will not use this med again. Quality control in this country has repeatedly failed. I won't take the chance of making a bad situation (IC) worse by using bad med's. My doctors office isn't sure where the med is coming from, or let me reiterate, they are not sure if any components of the med is coming from China. I have even called one Pharmaceutical company putting out heperin to ask them and THEY didn't know if any components were coming from China. I tried the same with Elmiron and the company couldn't tell me where the properties of this drug is coming from. They researched it and couldn't find the info for me. I'm not a big supporter of new drugs (Elmiron) and by this post you know how I feel about the quality control from China so I will suffer through and wait until the flare passes. But then, heperin never did a thing for me anyway so it's easier for me to say this.

[kadi]

I would hate to see people rule out a very helpful medication out of concerns about a product recall that occurred over a year ago. The heparin that was contaminated was dealt with. I'm going to trust that the companies who lost so much money over this are going to be more careful in the future, if not for us, then for themselves & their liability.

[harleybluz]

but since this recall there have been many recalls on food and meds out of this country that it's very difficult to ignore. It's obvious the standards are not up to par with what we are used to and taking chances on something as important as my health isn't quite worth it. But I'm going to leave this post at that before it turns into a political debate on healthcare and our role in monitoring other countries. :)

[icnmgrjill]

Harley,

I have to say that I agree with you. I also will not willingly consume anything produced from China unless that is my ONLY Option. I tried to find a soy supplement to take to help with hot flashes and they all came from China.

That said, the heparin manufacturers have been held to a very high standard and scrutiny because of this recall and the deaths that occurred. I think you might find it interesting to actually call the companies directly and ask them what they've done to insure that the heparin today is safe, free from contaminants and reliable.

jill