Do antidepressants lead to chronic use?
Data from Netherlands point to the chronic use of antidepressant drugs in general practice in a study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. Antidepressant use is highly prevalent. Research has mainly focused on efficacy during short periods of use for depression and…
Even Open-Label Placebos Work – if They Are Explained
For some medical complaints, open-label placebos work just as well as deceptive ones. As psychologists from the University of Basel and Harvard Medical School report in the journal Pain, the accompanying rationale plays an important role when administering a placebo.
Side effect to blood pressure drugs is genetically determined for some patients, study finds
Some patients may have a genetic risk of developing a serious side effect to a type of medication commonly used to treat high blood pressure, research by clinicians and scientists at the University of Nottingham has found.
Quitting statins after stroke may raise risk of another stroke
Stroke patients who stopped taking statin drugs three to six months after a first ischemic stroke, the type caused by narrowed arteries, had a higher risk of a having another stroke within a year, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association,…
Delaying the effects of aging through safe hormonal therapy
A group of researchers from diverse Spanish public entities, including UPM, has developed the bases of a new model to better classify patients when it comes to prescribing anabolic hormone supplementation.
Steroids May Do More Harm Than Good in Some Cases of Severe Asthma
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences and UPMC have uncovered the molecular mechanism underlying corticosteroid resistance in severe asthma. The new findings have important clinical implications, suggesting that corticosteroids, the main treatment for asthma, may worsen the disease in this…
Acetaminophen: A Viable Alternative for Preventing Acute Mountain Sickness
Available without prescription and with fewer side effects than acetazolamide and ibuprofen, acetaminophen is effective, according to the latest issue of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
Study Suggests NSAIDs Improve Survival for Certain Colorectal Cancer Patients
Findings published in Journal of Clinical Oncology show NSAID benefits associated with cancer subtype and timing of drug’s use
Certain Cardiovascular Medications May Increase Risk of Falling
A new analysis suggests that among older adults who take cardiovascular medications, those using non-selective beta-blockers may be at an increased of falling compared with those using selective beta-blockers. These types of drugs are already known to differ by their receptor binding properties and their…
Diabetes treatment: how practical is personalised drug therapy?
The way type-2 diabetes is currently treated generates differences of opinion within the medical community. Whilst some favour a drug combination approach that could improve quality of life for patients and reduce costs, others are concerned about the risks and side effects of this strategy…
Statins: no increase in muscle-related side effects in patients who are unaware they are taking the drug, analysis finds
When patients were unaware they were taking statins there was no reported increase in muscle-related symptoms. But, when patients knew they were taking a statin, they were more likely to report symptoms, a finding consistent with the nocebo effect.
Newly prescribed sleeping pills increase risk of hip fracture
Older people newly prescribed sleeping pills like benzodiazepines and ‘Z-drugs’ have over double the odds of a hip fracture in the first two weeks compared with non-users, according to a new study by researchers at Cardiff University and King’s College London.