Lauren Dempsey, MS in Biomedicine and Law, RN, FISM News
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration quietly added new warnings last month about the risks associated with taking puberty blockers.
While these risks have been well known and documented, many in the healthcare community have continued to declare that these drugs are safe, effective, and reversible for children who want to change their gender.
Doctors also prescribe the drugs to treat central precocious puberty, a rare early onset puberty, in pediatric patients. However, this condition only affects about 1% of the U.S. population.
In adults, doctors can use the drugs to treat prostate cancer, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. They can also be used in chemical castration.
The new warning comes after six children developed brain swelling symptoms after taking a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists (commonly known as a puberty blocker). Commonly used medications in the group include Lupron Depot-Ped (leuprolide acetate), Fensolvi (leuprolide acetate), Synarel (nafarelin), Supprelin LA (histrelin), and Triptodur (triptorelin).
Patients taking GnRH agonists should be monitored for signs and symptoms of pseudotumor cerebri that include headache, papilledema (swelling of the optic nerve), blurred or loss of vision, diplopia (seeing two images of one object), pain behind the eye or pain with eye movement, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dizziness, and nausea, according to the FDA.
GnRH stimulates the production of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. These hormones are responsible for making the sex hormones testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone and are essential to sexual maturity, sex drive, and fertility.
When a person takes a GnRH agonist, it stops the stimulation of the pituitary gland and leads to a decrease in the secretion of gonadotropins and the production of sex hormones by the ovaries and testes.
Doctors adhering to leftist gender ideology give these drugs to gender-confused children to prevent the natural physical changes of puberty.
The drugs can come with serious side effects such as anger and mood swings, aggression, depression, suicidal ideations, joint pain, skin lesions, abnormal skin sensations, palpitations, eye pain, liver damage, impaired blood flow or hemorrhage to the pituitary gland, diabetes, heart attack, sudden cardiac death, stroke, and seizures. Many of these side effects are long-lasting and can impair the quality of life for those that are taking them.
FDA approval is considered the gold standard in pharmaceutical development in the United States. However, the regulatory agency has in recent years fallen under increased scrutiny – including from within its own highest ranks – that its decisions are often motivated by political and financial agendas.
During the pandemic, the agency pushed vaccines as the only way through the pandemic and condemned the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19. The agency helped sway public perception of ivermectin by supporting the claims that the drug was a medication meant for horses, not humans. While one form of the drug is used for horses, doctors have prescribed the drug to treat parasites in humans for decades.
Apparent scientific hypocrisy, fueled by political agenda, has been a common theme at the FDA since the pandemic. In contrast to ivermectin reports during the pandemic, the agency was publicly silent when pro-abortion activists told women to take misoprostol tablets, which can be used to treat horse ulcers, as an alternative abortion pill. The FDA website does list serious complications that could arise if pregnant women take the drug.
None of the drugs being used to treat gender dysphoria are FDA approved for that specific use. There is little or no evidence that supports such usage is safe and there is extensive evidence that they can cause permanent damage.
Tulsi Gabbard recently spoke out against the Biden administration for pushing gender ideologies, saying that it is turning a blind eye to warnings like these. She said that the White House active promotion of these drugs and surgeries for the means of gender reassignment is the same as the “promotion of child abuse.”
Puberty-blocking procedures promoted by the Biden/Harris Admin are child abuse. The FDA has just confirmed these hormones/drugs have extremely dangerous side effects, like brain swelling and vision loss. pic.twitter.com/NqYZYjieWU
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) July 31, 2022