Drugs

Older Americans Taking Too Many Unneeded Drugs: An Overlooked Epidemic

Sandra G. Boodman December 13, 2017 Consider it America’s other prescription drug epidemic. For decades, experts have warned that older Americans are taking too many unnecessary drugs, often prescribed by multiple doctors, for dubious or unknown reasons. Researchers estimate that 25 percent of people ages 65 to 69 take at least five prescription drugs to treat chronic conditions, a figure […]

Acid reflux drug linked to more than doubled risk of stomach cancer

NOVEMBER 10, 2017 Top News in Family Medicine University College London News The long term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a class of drugs commonly used to treat acid reflux, is linked to a more than doubling in the risk of developing stomach cancer, finds research by UCL and The University of Hong Kong. […]

Maintenance therapy with proton pump inhibitors and risk of gastric cancer: A nationwide population-based cohort study in Sweden

BMJ Open | October 31, 2017 Brusselaers N, et al. – In Sweden, a nationwide population-based cohort study is performed to evaluate the risk of gastric cancer-related to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use, considering underlying signs. The outcome suggests that the long-term PPI use might be an independent risk factor for gastric cancer. This challenges […]

Attenuation of early phase inflammation by cannabidiol prevents pain and nerve damage in rat osteoarthritis – Full Text Article

Pain. 2017 Dec; 158(12): 2442–2451. Published online 2017 Sep 1. doi: [10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001052] Holly T. Philpott Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial joint disease, which includes joint degeneration, intermittent inflammation, and peripheral neuropathy. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a noneuphoria producing constituent of cannabis that has the potential to relieve pain. The aim of this study was to […]

The Effects of Cannabis Among Adults With Chronic Pain

August 28, 2017 Annals of Internal Medicine TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors of this systematic review evaluated the benefits and harms of using cannabis preparations for the treatment of chronic pain. There is limited evidence to support the efficacy of cannabis for neuropathic pain in select patients but little evidence to support the use of cannabis […]

Gabapentinoids Seem to Offer Little Benefit, Substantial Risks in Low Back Pain

August 16, 2017 By Amy Orciari Herman Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM Gabapentinoids, increasingly used for chronic low back pain, offer little benefit and carry substantial risks in this setting, finds a systematic review in PLOS Medicine. Researchers examined eight randomized trials in which gabapentin or pregabalin was compared […]

Viscosupplementation for hip osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy for pain, disability and adverse events

AUGUST 14, 2017 Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Leite VF, et al. This meta–analysis intended to evaluate the efficacy of viscosupplementation (HA) in hip osteoarthritis (OA) pain, disability and adverse events. In this systematic review, the researchers did not recommend viscosupplementation for hip OA. Data indicated scarce evidence of its efficacy up to 3 […]

Corticosteroid injections for rotator cuff tendinosis

The wide use of corticosteroid injections into the subacromial space for symptomatic rotator cuff tendinosis may be attributable to habit or an incentive to satisfy the patient with a “quick fix” rather than discuss other options such as physiotherapy and exercise. This 2016 meta-analysis found corticosteroid injections provide, at best – minimal transient pain relief […]

Mortality and Long-Term PPIs

Patients who take proton pump inhibitors for a year or more have an increased risk for death, according to a new study. JULY 7, 2017 Popular Heartburn Drugs Linked to Higher Death  By PPN News Staff Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been linked to a variety of health problems, including serious kidney damage, bone fractures and […]

Controversy Continues Regarding PPI Use and Dementia

News | July 06, 2017 | Alzheimer disease By Felicia C. Goldstein, PhD and Heidi Anne Duerr, MPH Dr Goldstein is Professor in the department of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine. Following last year’s study in JAMA Neurology, which linked proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) with cognitive decline and dementia, patients and clinicians grew concerned about […]

Cannabis as a Substitute for Opioid-Based Pain Medication: Patient Self-Report – Full Text Article

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Vol. 2, No. 1 Amanda Reiman, Mark Welty, and Perry Solomon Published Online:1 Jun 2017 https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2017.0012 Abstract Introduction: Prescription drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Alternatives to opioids for the treatment of pain are necessary to address this issue. Cannabis can be an effective treatment […]

Hydrocortisone, Vitamin C, and Thiamine for the Treatment of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock – Full Text

A Retrospective Before-After Study Chest June 2017 Volume 151, Issue 6, Pages 1229–1238 Paul E. Marik, MD, FCCP Background The global burden of sepsis is estimated as 15 to 19 million cases annually, with a mortality rate approaching 60% in low-income countries. Methods In this retrospective before-after clinical study, we compared the outcome and clinical […]

NSAIDS and Acute MI: Even Short-Term Use Increases Risk

May 24, 2017 BMJ : British Medical Journal TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this meta-analysis of individual patient data, investigators examined records from Canadian and European healthcare databases to determine if exposure to an oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) was associated with an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (MI). Data from 446,763 individuals were included; 61,460 […]

Knee osteoarthritis: Steroid injections offer no benefit, study suggests

Medical News Today Tuesday 16 May 2017 By Honor Whiteman Patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis do not benefit from steroid injections, concludes a new study published in JAMA. Study co-author Timothy E. McAlindon, of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA, and colleagues found that steroid injections administered every 3 months were no better than a placebo for alleviating […]

Steroid Shots Do Little for Knee Pain of Arthritis

May 16, 2017 Doctors often prescribe steroid injections for the pain of knee arthritis, but a rigorous trial has found they work no better than a placebo. Researchers randomly assigned 140 men and women over 45 with painful knee osteoarthritis to injections of either a corticosteroid or a saline placebo. The subjects were injected every […]

Researchers: Spinal Manipulation for Low Back Pain Comparable to NSAIDs

APRIL 27, 2017 Spinal manipulation therapy was shown to have modest improvements on pain and function at up to six weeks in patients with acute low back pain (LBP), according to a study published in JAMA (2017;317:1451-1460). Moreover, the therapy was associated with only “temporary minor musculoskeletal harms,” according to the researchers. Paul G. Shekelle, […]

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is associated with increased risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide case-time-control study

Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Pharmacother. 2017 Apr 1;3(2):100-107. doi: 10.1093/ehjcvp/pvw041. Sondergaard KB Abstract AIMS: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used and have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Nonetheless, it remains unknown whether use of NSAIDs is associated with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS AND RESULTS: From the nationwide Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry, all […]

Vitamin D and Statin-Related Myalgia

Philip J. Gregory, PharmD March 10, 2017 Question Do low vitamin D levels increase the risk for myalgia in patients who are taking statins? About 1%-2% of patients who take hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors or statins for hyperlipidemia develop muscle pain. This myalgia can feel like the aches and pains experienced with the flu. Muscles may […]

Dry Needling Versus Cortisone Injection in the Treatment of Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Non-Inferiority Randomized Clinical Trial

Kindyle L. Brennan, PT, PhD Study Design Prospective, randomized, partially-blinded. Background Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) is the current terminology for what was once called greater trochanteric or sub-gluteal bursitis. Cortisone (corticosteroid) injections into the lateral hip is a traditionally accepted treatment for this condition. However, the effectiveness of injecting the bursa with steroids is […]

Popular heartburn medications linked to gradual, yet silent, kidney damage

Al Saint Jacques, MDLinx Study authors have shown that taking popular proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for heartburn for prolonged periods has been linked to serious kidney problems, including kidney failure, according to a study published in the February 22 issues of the journal Kidney International. In many cases, the sudden onset of kidney problems serves […]