By NICHOLAS BAKALAR MARCH 27, 2014, 3:57 PM A large study has linked several common anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping pills to an increased risk of death, although it’s not certain the drugs were the cause. For more than seven years, researchers followed 34,727 people who filled prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications like Valium and Xanax, or […]
The Telegraph As experts clash over proposals that millions more of us take statins to prevent heart disease and stroke, a vascular surgeon explains why he feels better without them By Haroun Gajraj9:50PM GMT 23 Mar 2014 When I had a routine health check-up eight years ago, my cholesterol was so high that the laboratory […]
New study sheds light on day-to-day practice versus guidelines, with variations in practice related to indications, the duration of conservative treatment before initiating injections, and the time between injections. By Girish P Joshi, MBBS, MD There are several evidence-based (EB) guidelines that address the use of epidural injections for the treatment of low back pain. […]
Research · March 14, 2014 Full Story Journal Reference TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this cohort study, 85% of over 14,000 patients who reported chronic nonmalignant pain did not use opioids. Occasional and persistent use was reported in 12% and 3% of patients, respectively. In addition, about 75% of patients who did use opioids reported that their […]
Published: Mar 10, 2014 By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story Action Points Azithromycin and levofloxacin were both associated with elevated risks of death and serious cardiac arrhythmias during standard lengths of prescription. Point out that although the risk of death was higher with azithromycin (through 5 days) and levofloxacin (through 10 […]
Sue Hughes March 06, 2014 Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) were more likely to have used oral contraceptives in the 3 years before their diagnosis than women who did not have MS or CIS, the results of a new case-control study show. “Independent of age, smoking status, parity and obesity, […]
Published time: 25 Feb, 2014 21:14 Over-the-counter pain relievers made with acetaminophen are among the most widely-sold in the United States, but concerns raised by a new study could possibly change all of that. Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles say that acetaminophen — the effective ingredient in popular retail drugs including Excedrin […]
by Todd Neale Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today February 24, 2014 Older adults with multiple chronic health conditions — including hypertension — appear to be at greater risk for sustaining serious fall injuries when treated for high blood pressure, an observational study showed. During 3 years of follow-up, 9% of adults with an average age […]
By Carole Alison Chrvala, PhD Reviewed by Philip Green, MD, Assistant in Clinical Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, NY Full Story Take Note A modest, statistically significant increase in the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) was evident for women who had previously undergone hysterectomy and were treated with estrogen […]
By Carole Alison Chrvala, PhD Reviewed by Philip Green, MD, Assistant in Clinical Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, NY Take Note Results from case-control studies suggest that nonselective NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors are associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, with the highest risk evident for new and […]
by Melissa Healy February 15, 2014 A team of researchers from the City of Hope in Duarte has developed a speedy way to identify drugs and chemicals that can disrupt the balance of sex hormones in human beings and influence the development and progress of diseases such as breast cancer. In a trial screening of […]
Published: Feb 13, 2014 | Updated: Feb 13, 2014 By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story Action Points Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Moderate physical activity confers a […]
Published: Feb 11, 2014 By John Gever, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Toda Full Story In 16-9 vote, the FDA advisory committee assessing NSAID safety said the warning label on naproxen should not be changed to suggest it has a better cardiovascular risk profile than other drugs in this class. Those voting “No” on the question […]
FEBRUARY 11, 2014 Michael Snyder American Dream February 11, 2014 The American people are the most drugged people in the history of the planet. Illegal drugs get most of the headlines, but the truth is that the number of Americans that are addicted to legal drugs is far greater than the number of Americans that […]
Published: Feb 9, 2014 | Updated: Feb 9, 2014 By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story Two FDA advisory committees will meet Monday and Tuesday to consider the significance of recent evidence surrounding the cardiovascular risks of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including studies pointing to lower risks with naproxen. The FDA put […]
Results of a large population-based study in randomly selected Dutch inhabitants Tielemans MM, et al. Int J Clin Pract. 2014 Feb 6. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.12346. [Epub ahead of print] Affiliation Abstract AIM: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use is widespread and associated with gastrointestinal symptoms and complications. The aims of this study were to assess (i) gastrointestinal […]
An Observational Study Prinsen JK, et al. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2014 Feb;114(2):90-8. doi: 10.7556/jaoa.2014.022. PubMed Reference Abstract CONTEXT: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the standard for establishing practice guidelines; however, they are expensive and time-consuming, and often the generalizability of the results is limited. OBJECTIVES: To conduct an observational study using the findings […]
FDA: Naproxen May Pose Lower CV Risk IMNG Medical Media, 2014 Jan 29, A Ault February 03, 2014 Full Story The Food and Drug Administration says that the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen may carry a lower risk of cardiovascular thromboembolic events than that of other selective or nonselective NSAIDs. The agency presented evidence for that […]
Zosia Chustecka January 30, 2014 Full Story A retrospective analysis suggests a potential therapeutic role for aspirin in the management of acoustic neuromas, which arise in the internal auditory canal and account for about 8% of all intracranial tumors. These tumors, also known as sporadic vestibular schwannomas (sVS), are unlike most other solid tumors, in […]
Pain Medicine News POSTED: JANUARY 21, 2014 Full Story Following the FDA’s announcement that it is asking physicians and other health care professionals to stop prescribing combination drugs that include more than 325 mg of the analgesic and fever reducer acetaminophen, medical professionals, journalists, pain patients and members of the general population alike took to […]