Nearly one in four primary care doctors prescribes antidepressants as a treatment for low back pain. But a new report shows there’s no evidence the drugs offer any relief.
The finding comes from a review by the Cochrane Collaboration, a not-for-profit group that evaluates medical research. The use of depression pills to treat back pain has been controversial. Some studies have suggested a benefit while others have shown the drugs don’t help. Complicating matters is the fact that depression is common among sufferers of chronic back pain, so it’s not always clear if doctors are prescribing the drugs for pain relief or as a preventative measure against depression.
The Cochrane review, led by Donna Urquhart, a research fellow at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, analyzed 10 published studies that compared antidepressants to placebos in patients with low back pain. Some of the patients had ruptured discs, slipped vertebrae, pinched nerves or other problems; some were depressed, while others were free of depression.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Sleep disorders: Don't take it lying down
Millions suffer from sleep disorders – and many never seek help. But the cures are out there, says Roger Dobson
Getting to sleep tonight will be a big problem for millions of Britons. Insomnia affects one in four of us at some time, but it's far from the only disorder that spoils our sleep – researchers have now identified 75 such conditions, from snoring, sleep apnoea, restless legs, bruxism and nocturnal cramps, to sleep-talking, rhythmic movement disorder and confusional arousal. Some 31 per cent of people, including children and teenagers, have one or more of these disorders at some time. They can severely affect everyday life.
"Most of those with sleeping problems considered them to have an impact on their daily functioning, with family life most affected," say Paris University researchers who quizzed 10,000 men and women in the UK and other countries.
The research shows that many people don't seek help with their problems. "Almost half had never taken any steps to resolving them, and the majority had not spoken to a physician about their problems," researchers found. Yet treatments exist for many of the conditions that work well for large numbers of patients. Although half of those who see a doctor are prescribed drugs, other treatments and lifestyle changes can work, too.
READ MORE @ THE INDEPENDENT
Getting to sleep tonight will be a big problem for millions of Britons. Insomnia affects one in four of us at some time, but it's far from the only disorder that spoils our sleep – researchers have now identified 75 such conditions, from snoring, sleep apnoea, restless legs, bruxism and nocturnal cramps, to sleep-talking, rhythmic movement disorder and confusional arousal. Some 31 per cent of people, including children and teenagers, have one or more of these disorders at some time. They can severely affect everyday life.
"Most of those with sleeping problems considered them to have an impact on their daily functioning, with family life most affected," say Paris University researchers who quizzed 10,000 men and women in the UK and other countries.
The research shows that many people don't seek help with their problems. "Almost half had never taken any steps to resolving them, and the majority had not spoken to a physician about their problems," researchers found. Yet treatments exist for many of the conditions that work well for large numbers of patients. Although half of those who see a doctor are prescribed drugs, other treatments and lifestyle changes can work, too.
READ MORE @ THE INDEPENDENT
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Battle Concussions Tied to Stress Disorder
The study, in The New England Journal of Medicine, is the military’s first large-scale effort to gauge the effect of mild head injuries — concussions, many of them from roadside blasts — that some experts worry may be causing a host of undiagnosed neurological deficiencies.
The new report found that soldiers who had concussions were more likely than those with other injuries to report a variety of physical and mental symptoms in their first months back home, including headaches, poor sleep and balance problems. But they were also at higher risk for the stress disorder, or PTSD, and that accounted for most of the difference in complaints, the researchers concluded. Symptoms of the disorder include irritability, sleep problems and flashbacks.
Experts cautioned that the study had not been designed to detect subtle changes in mental performance, like slips in concentration or short-term memory, that might have developed in the wake of a concussion and might be unrelated to stress reactions. Many returning veterans are still struggling with those problems, which can linger for months.
The findings are in line with previous research linking concussions to post-traumatic stress disorder that develops after frightening events outside a military context, like car accidents; concussions from athletic collisions rarely lead to the disorder.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
The new report found that soldiers who had concussions were more likely than those with other injuries to report a variety of physical and mental symptoms in their first months back home, including headaches, poor sleep and balance problems. But they were also at higher risk for the stress disorder, or PTSD, and that accounted for most of the difference in complaints, the researchers concluded. Symptoms of the disorder include irritability, sleep problems and flashbacks.
Experts cautioned that the study had not been designed to detect subtle changes in mental performance, like slips in concentration or short-term memory, that might have developed in the wake of a concussion and might be unrelated to stress reactions. Many returning veterans are still struggling with those problems, which can linger for months.
The findings are in line with previous research linking concussions to post-traumatic stress disorder that develops after frightening events outside a military context, like car accidents; concussions from athletic collisions rarely lead to the disorder.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Drugs may increase falls in nursing home residents
Cutting down on medication, especially tranquilizers and antidepressants, and using wheelchairs and bed rails selectively, could help reduce the number of falls among nursing home residents, Swedish researchers report.
"Although freedom-restricting actions cannot eliminate falls totally, our results support the hypothesis that they might be protective when used selectively with fewer...benzodiazepines," Edit Fonad of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and colleagues write.
Fonad and her team investigated risk factors for falls among residents of 21 nursing home units over a 4-year period, during which time 2,343 falls occurred.
Patients in wheelchairs were more likely to also be using bed rails, safety belts, sleeping pills and antidepressants. Those who were using bed rails were also more likely to be using safety belts and medication. Patients using safety belts were more likely to be on several different drugs.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
"Although freedom-restricting actions cannot eliminate falls totally, our results support the hypothesis that they might be protective when used selectively with fewer...benzodiazepines," Edit Fonad of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and colleagues write.
Fonad and her team investigated risk factors for falls among residents of 21 nursing home units over a 4-year period, during which time 2,343 falls occurred.
Patients in wheelchairs were more likely to also be using bed rails, safety belts, sleeping pills and antidepressants. Those who were using bed rails were also more likely to be using safety belts and medication. Patients using safety belts were more likely to be on several different drugs.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
New focus on foster kids' meds
Psychiatric drugs - DHS prescribes more oversight and follow-up for youngsters under its care
Children in state foster care who are on psychiatric drugs would receive more oversight under a new plan to make sure they're on the right medications and getting the mental health help they need.
The draft proposal by the Oregon Department of Human Services could affect more than 2,000 foster children who receive psychiatric medications.
State officials last spring adopted new rules regarding psychiatric medications and foster children.
But The Oregonian reported in November that state law and rules governing the use of psychiatric medications in foster care are often ignored and that hundreds of children are taking multiple prescriptions with little or no state scrutiny.
READ MORE @ THE OREGONIAN
Children in state foster care who are on psychiatric drugs would receive more oversight under a new plan to make sure they're on the right medications and getting the mental health help they need.
The draft proposal by the Oregon Department of Human Services could affect more than 2,000 foster children who receive psychiatric medications.
State officials last spring adopted new rules regarding psychiatric medications and foster children.
But The Oregonian reported in November that state law and rules governing the use of psychiatric medications in foster care are often ignored and that hundreds of children are taking multiple prescriptions with little or no state scrutiny.
READ MORE @ THE OREGONIAN
Monday, January 28, 2008
Depression - the facts and the fables
If there's one thing I love, it's academics who take on the work of investigative journalism, because they are dogged. This has been a bad week for the SSRI antidepressants. First there's the stuff you already know: bad data got buried. In a cracking new analysis of the "publication bias" in the literature, a group of academics this week published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine which listed all the trials on SSRIs that had ever been formally registered with the Food and Drug Administration, and then went to look for the same trials in the academic literature.
Thirty-seven studies were assessed by the FDA as positive and, with one exception, every single one of those positive trials got properly written up and published. Meanwhile, 22 studies that had negative or iffy results were simply not published at all, and 11 were written up and published in a way that described them as having a positive outcome.
You're a sophisticated reader, so you understand this doesn't mean that they're necessarily rubbish drugs, but you also understand that this is dodgy behaviour, all the same.
That's the easy one.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
Thirty-seven studies were assessed by the FDA as positive and, with one exception, every single one of those positive trials got properly written up and published. Meanwhile, 22 studies that had negative or iffy results were simply not published at all, and 11 were written up and published in a way that described them as having a positive outcome.
You're a sophisticated reader, so you understand this doesn't mean that they're necessarily rubbish drugs, but you also understand that this is dodgy behaviour, all the same.
That's the easy one.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
Saturday, January 26, 2008
FDA fast-tracks first cocaine, meth addiction fighter
Deerfield-based Ovation Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday its drug vigabatrin, being developed to treat cocaine and methamphetamine dependence, has landed “fast track” designation from U.S. regulators potentially speeding up the process for market approval.
The drug would be the first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of the addictions.
The anticonvulsant drug, to be marketed under the brand name Sabril, is believed to block the craving and euphoria associated with cocaine and meth use. It is thought to work by increasing brain levels of so-called gamma-aminobutyric acid, a transmitter that inhibits certain activity in the brain.
Data from animal testing and two small-scale early-stage studies in people with chronic cocaine and meth addiction have found that when given Sabril, cocaine and meth users no longer have a craving for the drugs, and if the drugs are taken, the users have no euphoria related to taking them, executives have said.
Ovation is collaborating with the National Institute on Drug Abuse on Phase II studies to evaluate the safety of the drug. Phase III trials are expected to be launched by the end of next year.
READ MORE @ CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
The drug would be the first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of the addictions.
The anticonvulsant drug, to be marketed under the brand name Sabril, is believed to block the craving and euphoria associated with cocaine and meth use. It is thought to work by increasing brain levels of so-called gamma-aminobutyric acid, a transmitter that inhibits certain activity in the brain.
Data from animal testing and two small-scale early-stage studies in people with chronic cocaine and meth addiction have found that when given Sabril, cocaine and meth users no longer have a craving for the drugs, and if the drugs are taken, the users have no euphoria related to taking them, executives have said.
Ovation is collaborating with the National Institute on Drug Abuse on Phase II studies to evaluate the safety of the drug. Phase III trials are expected to be launched by the end of next year.
READ MORE @ CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Friday, January 25, 2008
Genetic changes key in antidepressant drugs: study
Changes in a gene that protects the brain from foreign substances may affect whether commonly used antidepressants work -- and a simple test could help doctors prescribe the right drug, researchers said on Wednesday.
The findings could also help doctors adjust doses to make the drugs more effective while cutting down on harmful side effects, said Florian Holsboer, director of the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich, who led the study.
"This is the first step into personalized antidepressant treatment according to genetic makeup," Holsboer said. "The gene test can help the clinician when he makes a choice for the antidepressant he gives to the patient."
Depression is a leading cause of suicide and affects about 121 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
The findings could also help doctors adjust doses to make the drugs more effective while cutting down on harmful side effects, said Florian Holsboer, director of the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich, who led the study.
"This is the first step into personalized antidepressant treatment according to genetic makeup," Holsboer said. "The gene test can help the clinician when he makes a choice for the antidepressant he gives to the patient."
Depression is a leading cause of suicide and affects about 121 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Thursday, January 24, 2008
F.D.A. Requiring Suicide Studies in Drug Trials
After decades of inattention to the possible psychiatric side effects of experimental medicines, the Food and Drug Administration is now requiring drug makers to study closely whether patients become suicidal during clinical trials.
The new rules represent one of the most profound changes of the past 16 years to regulations governing drug development. But since the F.D.A.’s oversight of experimental medicines is done in secret, the agency’s shift has not been announced publicly.
The drug industry, however, is keenly aware of the change. Makers of drugs to treat obesity, urinary incontinence, epilepsy, smoking cessation, depression and many other conditions are being asked for the first time by the drug agency to put a comprehensive suicide assessment into their clinical trials.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
The new rules represent one of the most profound changes of the past 16 years to regulations governing drug development. But since the F.D.A.’s oversight of experimental medicines is done in secret, the agency’s shift has not been announced publicly.
The drug industry, however, is keenly aware of the change. Makers of drugs to treat obesity, urinary incontinence, epilepsy, smoking cessation, depression and many other conditions are being asked for the first time by the drug agency to put a comprehensive suicide assessment into their clinical trials.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Jury Trials In 2008 Expected To Expose SSRI Maker's Dirty Secrets
Jury Trials In 2008 Expected To Expose SSRI Maker's Dirty Secrets
The blockbuster sales figures for the new generation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants (SSRI's), which have resulted from their promotion for so many unapproved uses, represents the most profitable off-label marketing coup in the history of modern medicine. Sales total about $21 billion a year, according to IMS Health.
However, in the end these drugs will probably also hold the title for the most lawsuits filed against drug companies for overstating their benefits while concealing their serious side effects from as far back as 20 years ago.
The SSRI's include Prozac by Eli Lilly; Paxil marketed by GlaxoSmithKline, Zoloft by Pfizer, and Celexa and Lexapro from Forest Laboratories. Cymbalta by Eli Lilly and Effexor by Wyeth are often called SSRI's, but they are actually serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI's). Wellbutrin sold by Glaxo is an inhibitor of the neuronal uptake of norepinephrine and dopamine. Several of these antidepressants now have generic counterparts.
READ MORE @ OPEDNEWS
The blockbuster sales figures for the new generation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants (SSRI's), which have resulted from their promotion for so many unapproved uses, represents the most profitable off-label marketing coup in the history of modern medicine. Sales total about $21 billion a year, according to IMS Health.
However, in the end these drugs will probably also hold the title for the most lawsuits filed against drug companies for overstating their benefits while concealing their serious side effects from as far back as 20 years ago.
The SSRI's include Prozac by Eli Lilly; Paxil marketed by GlaxoSmithKline, Zoloft by Pfizer, and Celexa and Lexapro from Forest Laboratories. Cymbalta by Eli Lilly and Effexor by Wyeth are often called SSRI's, but they are actually serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI's). Wellbutrin sold by Glaxo is an inhibitor of the neuronal uptake of norepinephrine and dopamine. Several of these antidepressants now have generic counterparts.
READ MORE @ OPEDNEWS
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Antidepressants behind 52 percent of all suicides among women
Incredible data have just been revealed that antidepressant drugs were behind 52 percent of all suicides among women (18-84) in Sweden (2006)
This is not data from a limited study; it instead concerns information on a national level for ALL suicides (18-84 years) for 2006. The information is unique; registries now exist in Sweden making it possible for the National Board of Health and Welfare to see how many of the suicides were preceded by psychiatric drug treatment.
Among a total number of 377 women who committed suicide, 197 (52%) had filled a prescription for antidepressants within 180 days before their death. And 29 women (8%) had filled a prescription for neuroleptics ("antipsychotics") ONLY within 180 days before the suicide.
This means that 229 women - 60% - of those who committed suicide (18-84) in Sweden (2006) had filled a prescription for antidepressant drugs OR neuroleptics within 180 days before their suicide.
Neuroleptics were involved in total in 97 (26%) of the suicides among women, (68 women, 18%, got BOTH antidepressants and neuroleptics). NOT included in these figures is the percentage of women who got other forms of psychiatric drugs, like benzodiazepines.
The data are revealed just after the news broke that pharmaceutical companies have systematically hidden negative and exaggerated positive results in their clinical trials of antidepressants (see article Antidepressant Studies Unpublished in NYT), thus misleading patients and doctors for many years.
READ MORE @ TRANS WORLD NEWS
This is not data from a limited study; it instead concerns information on a national level for ALL suicides (18-84 years) for 2006. The information is unique; registries now exist in Sweden making it possible for the National Board of Health and Welfare to see how many of the suicides were preceded by psychiatric drug treatment.
Among a total number of 377 women who committed suicide, 197 (52%) had filled a prescription for antidepressants within 180 days before their death. And 29 women (8%) had filled a prescription for neuroleptics ("antipsychotics") ONLY within 180 days before the suicide.
This means that 229 women - 60% - of those who committed suicide (18-84) in Sweden (2006) had filled a prescription for antidepressant drugs OR neuroleptics within 180 days before their suicide.
Neuroleptics were involved in total in 97 (26%) of the suicides among women, (68 women, 18%, got BOTH antidepressants and neuroleptics). NOT included in these figures is the percentage of women who got other forms of psychiatric drugs, like benzodiazepines.
The data are revealed just after the news broke that pharmaceutical companies have systematically hidden negative and exaggerated positive results in their clinical trials of antidepressants (see article Antidepressant Studies Unpublished in NYT), thus misleading patients and doctors for many years.
READ MORE @ TRANS WORLD NEWS
Monday, January 21, 2008
Height link to suicide attempts
Men are less likely to attempt suicide if they are tall, research has shown.
A study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health examined the suicide and death figures for 320,000 Swedish men born between 1973 and 1980.
It found that short babies - those less than 47cm in length at birth - were more likely to attempt suicide as adults, regardless of their eventual height.
Short birth length more than doubled the risk of violent suicide, defined as the use of guns or knives, jumping from a height or in front of vehicles, or drowning.
But short men who were born a normal length were also affected.
The study found they were 56% more likely to take their own lives than tall men.
The authors of the study suggested the brain chemical serotonin, which is crucial to brain development, could be the reason for their findings.
Low serotonin levels can trigger impulsive, aggressive and suicidal behaviour, and can be caused by premature birth and other factors affecting growth in the womb.
READ MORE @ THE PRESS ASSOCIATION
A study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health examined the suicide and death figures for 320,000 Swedish men born between 1973 and 1980.
It found that short babies - those less than 47cm in length at birth - were more likely to attempt suicide as adults, regardless of their eventual height.
Short birth length more than doubled the risk of violent suicide, defined as the use of guns or knives, jumping from a height or in front of vehicles, or drowning.
But short men who were born a normal length were also affected.
The study found they were 56% more likely to take their own lives than tall men.
The authors of the study suggested the brain chemical serotonin, which is crucial to brain development, could be the reason for their findings.
Low serotonin levels can trigger impulsive, aggressive and suicidal behaviour, and can be caused by premature birth and other factors affecting growth in the womb.
READ MORE @ THE PRESS ASSOCIATION
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Should Bipolar Medication Be Halted During Pregnancy?
When faced with pregnant women who have bipolar disorder, clinicians are urged to balance carefully the potential harm of medication to the fetus and the high risk of recurrent mood episodes in the mother.
Pregnant women with bipolar disorder and their physicians face a dilemma: stay on mood-stabilizing medications, which carry risks of causing birth defects, or discontinue the medications and brace for the possibility of relapse.
The possibility of relapse due to interrupted pharmacotherapy has been quantified in a study published in the December 2007 American Journal of Psychiatry, which warns that pregnant women with bipolar disorder who discontinue mood stabilizers are much more likely to suffer the return of their illness than those who continue taking the medications.
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC NEWS
Pregnant women with bipolar disorder and their physicians face a dilemma: stay on mood-stabilizing medications, which carry risks of causing birth defects, or discontinue the medications and brace for the possibility of relapse.
The possibility of relapse due to interrupted pharmacotherapy has been quantified in a study published in the December 2007 American Journal of Psychiatry, which warns that pregnant women with bipolar disorder who discontinue mood stabilizers are much more likely to suffer the return of their illness than those who continue taking the medications.
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC NEWS
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Some Medications Can Be Difficult, Even Dangerous, To Stop
Savvy patients have learned that it is essential to ask physicians and pharmacists about side effects before they take any medicine. Drugs can cause reactions that range from mild discomfort to life-threatening complications.
Even a thoughtful consumer may forget another crucial question: What will happen when I stop this medication? Many drugs can cause trouble if they are stopped abruptly.
The patient information on the back of an ad for the antidepressant Effexor XR has a heading, "What happens when I stop using Effexor XR?" When people stop suddenly, they may experience symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, confusion, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, muscle twitching, headaches, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, nervousness, nightmares, poor coordination, seizures, sensory disturbances (like electric-shock sensations), sleepiness, sweating, tinnitus, tremor, unpleasant mood or vomiting.
That's hardly a pleasant prospect. We wonder if people review that list before they begin taking this drug.
Effexor XR is not the only medicine that can cause symptoms if it is stopped abruptly. Other antidepressants, such as Paxil or Zoloft, may cause similar problems.
READ MORE @ HARTFORD COURANT
Even a thoughtful consumer may forget another crucial question: What will happen when I stop this medication? Many drugs can cause trouble if they are stopped abruptly.
The patient information on the back of an ad for the antidepressant Effexor XR has a heading, "What happens when I stop using Effexor XR?" When people stop suddenly, they may experience symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, confusion, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, muscle twitching, headaches, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, nervousness, nightmares, poor coordination, seizures, sensory disturbances (like electric-shock sensations), sleepiness, sweating, tinnitus, tremor, unpleasant mood or vomiting.
That's hardly a pleasant prospect. We wonder if people review that list before they begin taking this drug.
Effexor XR is not the only medicine that can cause symptoms if it is stopped abruptly. Other antidepressants, such as Paxil or Zoloft, may cause similar problems.
READ MORE @ HARTFORD COURANT
Friday, January 18, 2008
Facing lawsuit, state revisited prescription drug data law
A new Vermont law restricting the drug industry's use of data on doctors' drug prescribing habits is facing a federal lawsuit and a new round of scrutiny.
more stories like this
The law, which was amended in the waning days of last year's legislative session after a federal court struck down a similar measure in New Hampshire, contains several provisions aimed at slowing cost increases for prescription drugs.
One target of the measure was companies that gather information on which drugs doctors prescribe most often and then sell that information to pharmaceutical companies. The information allows the drug companies to develop sophisticated sales pitches, called "detailing," to entice doctors to switch to their medications, said Julie Brill, an assistant attorney general who worked on the legislation.
Brill called the so-called "data.m.ining" restrictions "one piece of a larger effort by the state to ensure that marketing that goes on with respect to pharmaceutical products is appropriate and ... also to protect the privacy concerns prescribers have."
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
more stories like this
The law, which was amended in the waning days of last year's legislative session after a federal court struck down a similar measure in New Hampshire, contains several provisions aimed at slowing cost increases for prescription drugs.
One target of the measure was companies that gather information on which drugs doctors prescribe most often and then sell that information to pharmaceutical companies. The information allows the drug companies to develop sophisticated sales pitches, called "detailing," to entice doctors to switch to their medications, said Julie Brill, an assistant attorney general who worked on the legislation.
Brill called the so-called "data.m.ining" restrictions "one piece of a larger effort by the state to ensure that marketing that goes on with respect to pharmaceutical products is appropriate and ... also to protect the privacy concerns prescribers have."
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Antidepressants don't work as well as reported, study says
New England Journal of Medicine reports that 88 per cent of clinical trials that showed the drugs didn't work either weren't published in medical journals or were presented as positive findings
Antidepressants are far less effective than doctors have been led to believe, a new study has found.
That's because 88 per cent of clinical trials that showed the drugs didn't work either weren't published in medical journals or were presented as positive findings, says the study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
It provides the first hard data on a practice known as selective reporting, in which the good news about a drug is made public but the bad news isn't. Ethicists say it gives doctors and patients too rosy a picture. Clinicians rely on the medical literature to learn about new drugs and to help them assess whether it is worth prescribing a medication, given the risk of side effects.
The researchers examined the studies that drug companies submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in the United States when they were seeking regulatory approval for 12 antidepressants. The drugs were all approved between 1981 and 2004, and are now widely prescribed. (Canada has its own drug approvals process, which relies on essentially the same information drug companies give the FDA.)
READ MORE @ GLOBE AND MAIL
Antidepressants are far less effective than doctors have been led to believe, a new study has found.
That's because 88 per cent of clinical trials that showed the drugs didn't work either weren't published in medical journals or were presented as positive findings, says the study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
It provides the first hard data on a practice known as selective reporting, in which the good news about a drug is made public but the bad news isn't. Ethicists say it gives doctors and patients too rosy a picture. Clinicians rely on the medical literature to learn about new drugs and to help them assess whether it is worth prescribing a medication, given the risk of side effects.
The researchers examined the studies that drug companies submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in the United States when they were seeking regulatory approval for 12 antidepressants. The drugs were all approved between 1981 and 2004, and are now widely prescribed. (Canada has its own drug approvals process, which relies on essentially the same information drug companies give the FDA.)
READ MORE @ GLOBE AND MAIL
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
On Parenting: Getting a Doctor to Face Behavioral Concerns
Pediatricians may not look after kids' mental health—unless parents lend a hand
When parents are worried about a child being depressed or having an eating disorder or a problem with drugs or drinking, the family pediatrician is the natural place to turn for help. But families might not get the help they need. Doctors, it turns out, are often reluctant to tackle children's mental and behavioral problems.
That's the sobering news from a study that offers clues as to why so many families struggle to get treatment for their troubled children. Fortunately, it also offers insight into how parents can work the system to get their children the help they need.
Mental-health care may sound like a frill compared with, say, treating asthma or strep throat. Yet mental-health problems are nearly twice as common as asthma, with at least 11 percent of children having a mental or behavioral disorder that significantly impairs their life. Given that, you'd think that pediatricians would be all over the mental-health issue.
READ MORE @ US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
When parents are worried about a child being depressed or having an eating disorder or a problem with drugs or drinking, the family pediatrician is the natural place to turn for help. But families might not get the help they need. Doctors, it turns out, are often reluctant to tackle children's mental and behavioral problems.
That's the sobering news from a study that offers clues as to why so many families struggle to get treatment for their troubled children. Fortunately, it also offers insight into how parents can work the system to get their children the help they need.
Mental-health care may sound like a frill compared with, say, treating asthma or strep throat. Yet mental-health problems are nearly twice as common as asthma, with at least 11 percent of children having a mental or behavioral disorder that significantly impairs their life. Given that, you'd think that pediatricians would be all over the mental-health issue.
READ MORE @ US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Guidelines To Improve Care Of Three Symptoms At End Of Life
The American College of Physicians (ACP) has issued new guidelines to improve palliative care at the end of life (EOL).
The guidelines say that clinicians should regularly assess people with serious illness at the end of life for symptoms of pain, shortness of breath, and depression; that they should use proven therapies to treat these conditions; and should ensure that advance care planning occurs for all patients with serious illness.
"Many Americans will face a serious illness at the end of life and their families will be involved in their care," said Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA, Senior Medical Associate in the Clinical Programs and Quality of Care Department of the Medical Education and Publishing Division at ACP. "We wanted to pull together best available evidence on improving care that relieves or soothes symptoms at the end of life. Evidence review showed that the three most common symptoms were pain, difficult breathing and depression, so our guidelines address these."
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
The guidelines say that clinicians should regularly assess people with serious illness at the end of life for symptoms of pain, shortness of breath, and depression; that they should use proven therapies to treat these conditions; and should ensure that advance care planning occurs for all patients with serious illness.
"Many Americans will face a serious illness at the end of life and their families will be involved in their care," said Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA, Senior Medical Associate in the Clinical Programs and Quality of Care Department of the Medical Education and Publishing Division at ACP. "We wanted to pull together best available evidence on improving care that relieves or soothes symptoms at the end of life. Evidence review showed that the three most common symptoms were pain, difficult breathing and depression, so our guidelines address these."
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Monday, January 14, 2008
Review of Adverse Effect Profile, Safety, and Dosing of Antidepressants
n 2002, 8.5% of the US population purchased at least one prescription antidepressant.1 Given this relatively high rate of antidepressant use, best practices should be followed in choosing the correct medication and dosing, to avoid adverse events or ineffective treatment. Two of the major classes of antidepressants that are more commonly prescribed are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). The SSRIs are generally the antidepressants of first choice. They are relatively safe and effective. The Cochrane Collaboration reviewed 32 well-conducted trials and found SSRIs to be just as effective as TCAs with fewer adverse effects in the elderly population.2 In the inpatient population, TCAs appear to be slightly more effective than SSRIs, but TCAs were noted to have decreased tolerability.3 Given the popularity and tolerability of SSRIs, this review focuses mainly on this group of antidepressants and also touches on some of the newer unique antidepressants.
READ MORE @ ABKHAZIA
READ MORE @ ABKHAZIA
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Doctors commonly enlist the power of placebos
Doctors prescribe placebos more often than patients might imagine.
A survey of Chicago-area physicians found that 45 per cent report they have given a patient a placebo at least once, according to a study published in this month's Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Past surveys of Israeli and Danish doctors revealed that 60 per cent and 85 per cent, respectively, admit they've relied on the "placebo effect" to heal patients.
So, should patients worry about their doctors shamming them?
Maybe not. Though prescribing dummy pills is viewed as ethically shady, the placebo effect can work. Brain-scan research indicates that placebos trigger pain-relieving endorphins in the brain. Indeed, anyone who has ever felt better after taking cough syrup may have enjoyed the placebo effect - some studies suggest that sugar water is just as good at healing sore throats. Belief in medicine can contribute heavily to its success.
Doctors turn to placebos for a variety of reasons, according to the Chicago study, including to calm the patient, as a last resort when nothing else works, or simply to get a patient to stop complaining.
READ MORE @ GLOBE AND MAIL
A survey of Chicago-area physicians found that 45 per cent report they have given a patient a placebo at least once, according to a study published in this month's Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Past surveys of Israeli and Danish doctors revealed that 60 per cent and 85 per cent, respectively, admit they've relied on the "placebo effect" to heal patients.
So, should patients worry about their doctors shamming them?
Maybe not. Though prescribing dummy pills is viewed as ethically shady, the placebo effect can work. Brain-scan research indicates that placebos trigger pain-relieving endorphins in the brain. Indeed, anyone who has ever felt better after taking cough syrup may have enjoyed the placebo effect - some studies suggest that sugar water is just as good at healing sore throats. Belief in medicine can contribute heavily to its success.
Doctors turn to placebos for a variety of reasons, according to the Chicago study, including to calm the patient, as a last resort when nothing else works, or simply to get a patient to stop complaining.
READ MORE @ GLOBE AND MAIL
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