Vice & Consequence (4-26-18)

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=121773 From Politico:

Ronny Jackson, the White House physician who is battling to save his nomination to be the secretary of veterans affairs, regularly handed out the sleep drug Ambien and the alertness drug Provigil to West Wing officials traveling on overseas flights.

Jackson’s nomination has inadvertently exposed the widespread use of sleep and alertness drugs among government officials from the White House and State Department to the Pentagon and Congress itself…

Medical experts sounded the same warnings about Provigil, which was hailed by many as a miracle drug for its ability to keep people awake without many of the side effects, like jitteriness, of other substances like caffeine…

Schwartz said use of Provigil to help people stay awake in stressful situations or after long travel is not an FDA-approved use. Doctors can legally prescribe medicines for unapproved uses, but she said there aren’t a lot of studies to inform physicians and patients of the benefits and safety risks of using Provigil in these situations…

Provigil has addiction potential, so caution should be taken in prescribing it, she added. Because it’s a stimulant, doctors also need to carefully consider whether patients have heart problems or anxiety — conditions that could be exacerbated by use of the drug.