Nausea Drug Shows Promise Against Opioid Addiction
A drug currently used to treat nausea can prevent symptoms of withdrawal from illegal and prescription opioid drugs such as heroin, morphine and codeine, a new study shows. The Stanford University scientists behind the research added it can do so without some of the serious side effects caused by existing treatments for addiction to these drugs. Initial tests in mice showed that the drug ondansetron... Read more
Medical pot backers say L.A. raids betray Obama vow
Several recent federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in California have betrayed President Barack Obama’s campaign pledge to halt such busts if elected, medicinal cannabis advocates said on Wednesday. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents served search warrants on four medical marijuana vendors in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, seizing more than 200 kg (440 pounds) of cannabis,... Read more
Hallucinations Are Rare Side Effects of ADHD Medications
Children who take medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may rarely experience some disturbing side effects, such as hallucinations. U.S. government experts reviewed clinical trials and post-marketing reports of side effects from the commonly prescribed ADHD stimulant medications, such as Concerta, Ritalin and Strattera. They found that out of every 100 “person-years”... Read more
New anti-psychotic medications as risky as older ones: study
Newer anti-psychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia, dementia and other psychiatric disorders appear to double a patient’s risk of sudden heart failure, research published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine found. The major study is the latest in recent months to show that these newer drugs, dubbed “atypical medications,” are not much safer than the older generation... Read more
Vets Often Forgo Medication When Co-Pays Rise
When the co-payment amount for prescription drugs goes up, veterans tend to stop taking needed medications, a new study has found. Reporting in the Jan 27. issue of the journal Circulation, University of Pennsylvania researchers found that adherence to medication dropped more than 19 percent among veterans who had to make co-payments when that amount was increased in 2002. By comparison, medication... Read more
Drug from genetically engineered goats a first
You’ve heard of making cheese from goats’ milk, but prescription drugs? In what would be a scientific first, an anti-clotting drug made from the milk of genetically engineered goats moved closer to government approval Wednesday after experts at the Food and Drug Administration reported that the medication works and its safety is acceptable. Called ATryn, the drug is intended to help people... Read more
Diet pills from Brazil pose health risks: report
A new report highlights the potentially serious health risks of using imported Brazilian-made prescription diet pills that combine amphetamines and other prescription medicines, such as anti-anxiety agents and antidepressants. Banned amphetamine-based weight loss pills are easily available via the Internet and are being illicitly imported into the United States, warns the report’s author, Massachusetts-based... Read more
Deep Brain Stimulation Helps Those With Advanced Parkinson’s
The largest study of its kind finds that deep brain stimulation improves both physical function and quality of life after six months in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) performed better than currently available drug treatments, but it did carry some risks, including one death, according to a study in the Jan. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. “This... Read more
Resolving to Break an Addictive Habit?
No matter the addiction — drugs, gambling, shopping, smoking, alcohol or more — people who want to kick their habit in the new year might find help in a new Harvard University publication. “Overcoming Addiction: Paths toward recovery” offers guidance for breaking unwanted addictive habits. The advice applies universally, because what all addictions have in common, the Harvard... Read more
Older people mixing drugs: study
Potentially dangerous mixing of medications is common among older people and non-prescription drugs are the culprit more than half of the time, a new study has found. US researchers found nearly one out of every 25 people aged 57 to 85 took dangerous combinations of drugs with the potential for serious interactions, the study found. For men ages 75 to 85, it was as high as 1 in 10. “The public... Read more