Lonelygirl15

[Broken Kid]

[HazelButtercup]

I just talked to the inventor of EPOGEN (my brother!). Here's some info:

Epogen is usually taken for two reasons:
1. For patients with anemia (usually with cancer or with kidney failure, and other reasons for anemia.)
2. For athletes for doping purposes. Can be used before event to build up red blood cells for very aerobic activities or during event if the event is over days or weeks. Common for bicycling because the events are often done in stages over time so athletes' red blood cell counts normally goes down after each stage. Epogen will replenish red blood cell count and it really does help cyclists. It is illegal to do this, of course, and Amgen is working to stop this.

I asked him why someone would give it to a healthy 16 year-old girl, perhaps in preparation for a "ceremony." He said they could be preparing her for a very physical event to give her body the oxygen/red blood cell count to handle it. I asked if it is possible that it could be use to prepare someone for bloodletting so they could tolerate it and replenish their blood more easily and he said, "that would be very strange, but yes, Epogen could do that."

About side effects- within a couple of weeks, Epogen should give a patient more energy. It does not take away energy. A patient would only be tired or run down because of the anemia. A healthy patient would not be tired because they took it. There are really no known negative side effects unless someone overdoses- this could cause strokes because the blood turns to sludge.

Epogen is pretty expensive. It costs about $50-$100 per shot. Most patients get 1-3 shots per week and spend about $5,000-$10,000 per year. It does not come in any other form other than injections.

He is going to watch the video and if I get any more info, I will pass it on.

[Killthesmiley]

[trainer101]

[Dogma72]

Given the strict storage requirements and the age of the product - how much effectiveness would the drug have?

Looking at all of the open boxes, packing croutons abounds and haphazard arrangement - would this drug be any good at all? I mean, this certainly did not look like a climate controlled environment - i.e. refrigerator...

[Luv2Skydive]

So......maybe she really wasn't taking it after all if it wouldnt cause the tiredness and weakness she was obviously exibiting.

Maybe her dad or mom was taking it. Her mom could have needed a kidney transplant (hey, Bree could give up a kidney....she's got two! )
_________________
LG15 needs more COWBELL!
http://www.youtube.com/luv2skydive

[Way2Curious]

I was thinking....why would they need such a huge supply of it? Obviously, more people than just Bree or her parents are taking it (or are going to).
Is the entire order taking it? And how the heck are they getting such a huge supply of a prescription drug??

[childofmetis]

[Slainte]

I suffer from hemochromotosis - a high level of iron in the blood - treatment is pretty much limited to phlebotomy (draining the blood) until things even out.

Side effect? Anemia

I would suspect that they have been taking too much blood from Bree becasue of the gauze on her shoulder, except that they always draw blood form an artery (arm/ankle).

Or maybe theya re indeed preparing her for someahting like bloodletting or vigorous activity.

The really scary thing was mentioned in a post above:
Why do they need so much of this stuff?
hmmmmmmm.......
Probablyh nothing, but at least I get to share my hypchondria!

[Way2Curious]

[Pi]

[lonelyelendi]

[girlAnachronism]

Some cultures consider any woman whose bare skin has been touched by a man outside her family as no longer a virgin. (Oops, I lost that ages ago). Still to get back on topic...

HB that's so awesome about your brother! I'll bet that's one thing the Creators weren't expecting!

When we saw Lucy prepping Bree for the ceremony, she had her walk around the field in a stiff fashion. Maybe the ceremony is an attempt to contact some divinity by bringing on fatigue? (When a person is tired, they are more likely to see/hear things that don't exist) Bloodletting can also bring on a similar state of lightheadedness.

On a side note, I'm a rather odd case of anemic (never felt tired but when the doctors tested my blood they saw my iron level was 8, which is dangerously low) and I take iron supplements, but the odd thing I learned from my doctor was that people who eat meat are more likely to become anemic than vegetarians...

[Way2Curious]

HazelButtercup...so you're brother is a scientist for Amgen.....seriously??

Anyhow, I found the drugs website, it says some things about the side effects:
"The most commonly reported side effects in clinical trials were hypertension, headache, arthralgias, and nausea."

Heres the site for anyone who is interested:

http://www.epogen.com/patient/understanding_epogen/what_epogen.jsp

Here is a link to the product safety info:

http://www.epogen.com/patient/safety_info/safety_info.jsp

More about side effects: http://www.epogen.com/patient/understanding_epogen/side_effects.jsp

It mentions seizures and blood clots as possible side effects.

edit: This also just stood out to me....

"It is also possible that your body may make antibodies against EPOGEN®. Antibodies can block or reduce your body’s ability to make red blood cells, causing severe anemia. Symptoms of severe anemia include unusual tiredness and lack of energy."

So Epogen itself could cause anemia...say if you weren't already anemic...

[HazelButtercup]