Study found people would rather pop a pill or sip tea than exercise to treat high blood pressure
In a survey to assess treatment preferences for high blood pressure, respondents were more likely to choose a daily cup of tea or a pill over exercise, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions…
Long-term proton pump inhibitor use does not increase hip fracture risk among Alzheimer’s patients
Long-term proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use does not increase the risk of hip fracture among persons with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. The risk of hip fracture was slightly increased for PPI use of less than one…
Heart Attack Risk Increases with Six-Month Dual Antiplatelet Therapy
The combined rate of death from any cause, heart attack or stroke within 18 months was not significantly different in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who were randomly assigned to receive dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for either six months or at least 12 months…
Haloperidol does not prevent delirium or improve survival rates in ICU patients
Large-scale study shows commonly used drug has no preventive effect.
Antidepressants are more effective than placebo at treating acute depression in adults, concludes study
Meta-analysis of 522 trials includes the largest amount of unpublished data to date, and finds that antidepressants are more effective than placebo for short-term treatment of acute depression in adults.
Herbal Products May Compromise Prescription Drugs and Cause Serious Side Effects
An analysis of published studies and reports indicates that a number of herbal products may affect the properties of prescription drugs, leading to alterations in the drugs’ effectiveness as well as potentially dangerous side effects.
Statins to help prevent scar tissue in the eye?
According to a Finnish study, statins seems to reduce the risk of repeated surgery in patients who undergo a vitrectomy to treat a detached retina.
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…
Third of people not taking their prescribed diabetes medication due to side effects
Researchers from the University of Surrey examined in detail how likely 1.6 million people with Type 2 diabetes were to take their medication. The study combined data from clinical trials and observational studies looking at adherence rates for both tablet and injectable medicines.
Postmenopausal breast cancer: It is sufficient to extend treatment by two years
Standard treatment for postmenopausal breast cancer is to give a hormonal breast cancer drug for 5 years following surgical removal of the tumour.
Increasing the dose of antidepressants is not helpful
In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics a new analysis discloses that increasing the dosage of antidepressant drugs does not carry benefits. As many patients with unipolar depression do not respond sufficiently to initial antidepressant monotherapy, a dose increase of the current administered antidepressant…
The cardiovascular risk of antidepressant drugs: New data.
In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics a meta-analysis is performed on the cardiovascular risk of antidepressant drugs.Antidepressants are commonly prescribed medications, but their long-term health effects are debated. Antidepressants disrupt multiple adaptive processes regulated by evolutionarily ancient biochemicals, potentially increasing mortality. However, many…