06.07.2016 Permanent and fatal arrhythmias tied to misuse of loperamide by Crystal Phend Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today Higher than recommended doses of diarrhea drug loperamide (Imodium) can cause serious and even fatal cardiac arrhythmias, the FDA warned. Although some of the 48 cases of QT interval prolongation, torsades de pointes, cardiac arrest, syncope, and […]
May 30, 2016 Increased risk of small bowel injury for healthy participants treated with celecoxib + PPI HealthDay FRIDAY, May 27, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) increase the risk of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced small bowel injury, according to a study published in the June issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Ema Washio, […]
May 17, 2016 American Journal of Ophthalmology TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The analysis of databases from the British Columbia Ministry of Health and the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System found an increased risk of developing wet age-related macular degeneration with the use of oral bisphosphonates (prescribed for osteoporosis prevention). Compared with controls, those using alendronate, ibandronate, and […]
May 09, 2016 Both warfarin and atrial fibrillation may raise risk FRIDAY, May 6, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Patients with atrial fibrillation may have a heightened risk of developing dementia — and the quality of their anticoagulation treatment may play a role, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society, […]
May 10, 2016 HealthDay ReporterTUESDAY, May 10, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A popular over-the-counter heartburn medication accelerated aging of blood vessel cells in lab tests, raising red flags about its long-term effect on heart health, researchers say. Faster aging of blood vessel cells exposed to the antacid Nexium (esomeprazole) might potentially hinder the tasks these […]
05.05.2016 by Wayne Kuznar Contributing Writer Incorporating opioids into the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) was not cost-effective as the drugs had a negative impact on the long-term outcome in patients destined for total knee arthroplasty (TKA), researchers reported. Tramadol with or without oxycodone increased cost and decreased quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) compared with an opioid-sparing […]
May 06, 2016 Annals of Internal Medicine TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors of this systematic review evaluated the risk of severe bleeding associated with the use of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The use of low-dose aspirin was associated with a 58% increased risk of major gastrointestinal bleeding and a 27% increased […]
JAMA May 3, 2016, Vol 315, No. 17 Katherine E. Fleming-Dutra, MD Importance The National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria set a goal of reducing inappropriate outpatient antibiotic use by 50% by 2020, but the extent of inappropriate outpatient antibiotic use is unknown. Objective To estimate the rates of outpatient oral antibiotic prescribing by […]
“An antihistamine is a type of pharmaceutical drug that opposes the activity of histamine receptors in the body,” that’s what Wikipedia knows about antihistamines. This, and the fact that there are H1-antihistamines and H2-antihistamines, that they target the histamine H1/2-receptors and that they are used to treat “problems” from allergic reactions in the nose (e.g., […]
Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2016 Apr 13. doi: 10.1111/bcp.12973. [Epub ahead of print] Ekhart C1, de Jong LA1, Gross-Martirosyan LD2, van Hunsel FP1. Author information 1Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. 2Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board Agency, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Abstract AIM: Statins are used in the treatment of hyperlipidaemia. They are among the most […]
04.04.2016 by Molly Walker Contributing Writer For women who used hormone replacement therapy to treat menopausal symptoms, risk of blood clots tended to vary depending on the type of therapy used, a small Swedish case-control study found. While the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was moderately higher with estrogen-only therapy compared with untreated, age-matched controls, […]
Date: April 4, 2016 Source: Houston Methodist Summary: Allergy season can be the worst time of year for people suffering with restless legs syndrome because popular over the counter medications can make symptoms much worse, say experts. Allergy season can be the worst time of year for people suffering with restless legs syndrome because popular […]
Opioid Addiction Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illicit drug heroin as well as the licit prescription pain relievers oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, fentanyl and others.1 Opioids are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the brain and nervous system to produce pleasurable effects and relieve pain.1 Addiction is a […]
William B Weeks, MD, PhD, MBA Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether the per-capita supply of doctors of chiropractic (DCs) or Medicare spending on chiropractic care was associated with opioid use among younger, disabled Medicare beneficiaries. Methods Using 2011 data, at the hospital referral region level, we correlated the per-capita […]
March 30, 2016 JAMA ophthalmology TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this case-crossover study of retinal detachment (RD) patients from French healthcare databases, there was an increased risk for RD during the 10-day period after the dispensing of oral fluoroquinolones (adjusted OR, 1.46). Previous use of fluoroquinolones was not associated with RD. Abstract IMPORTANCE Several studies have focused […]
03.30.2016 Focus on Lyme and antibiotics for persistent symptoms called unhelpful by Nancy Walsh Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Lengthy antibiotic treatment failed to improve quality of life among patients with symptoms attributed to persistent Lyme disease, a randomized Dutch study found. Following a 2-week course of ceftriaxone, patients were randomly assigned to one of […]
03.30.2016 Focus on Lyme and antibiotics for persistent symptoms called unhelpful by Nancy Walsh Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Lengthy antibiotic treatment failed to improve quality of life among patients with symptoms attributed to persistent Lyme disease, a randomized Dutch study found. Following a 2-week course of ceftriaxone, patients were randomly assigned to one of […]
MARCH 29, 2016 Ensuring diagnosis matches the indication is key, experts emphasize Properly used, epidural spinal injections are an effective way to manage chronic spinal pain, according to the results of a systematic review of the available literature. Published in Pain Physician (2015;18:E939-E1004), the study’s investigators, including first author and that journal’s editor-in-chief Alan […]
03/29/2016 The medical industry’s uptake of complementary and integrative health and medicine is wildly uneven. This is true even in pain treatment, an area that drew most people to integrative practices and practitioners. For those interested in seeing more integration of these contributions, opening new governmental pronunciations is kind of like a white elephant gift […]