Researchers at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA have found that low-dose antidepressant therapy can significantly improve the overall quality of life for adolescents suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. The syndrome affects 6 percent of middle school students and 14 percent of high school kids in the United States.
he study, published in the May issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Pediatrics, is the first of its kind to look at the effects of amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant, in the pediatric IBS population, researchers said.
The research was conducted between 2002 and 2005 and involved 33 newly diagnosed IBS patients, including 24 girls, between the ages of 12 and 18.
Irritable bowel syndrome causes discomfort in the abdomen, along with diarrhea, constipation or both. Currently, there is no cure, and treatments only lessen the symptoms.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Friday, May 2, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Prozac may slow MS - Dutch study
The popular antidepressant Prozac may help slow multiple sclerosis, according to a Dutch study showing that people who took the drug had fewer of the brain lesions that are a hallmark of the incurable disease.
The findings were from a small study but justified further examination in those afflicted with MS, the researchers reported in one of the British Medical Journal's specialist journals on Thursday.
"This proof-of-concept study shows that (the drug) tends to reduce the formation of new enhancing lesions in patients with MS," Jop Mostert, a neurologist at the University Medical Center Groeningen in the Netherlands, and colleagues wrote.
There is no cure for MS, which affects more than 1 million people worldwide. It is twice as common in women than men with symptoms often first appearing between the ages of 20 and 40.
The disease can be a mild illness in some people while causing permanent disability in others. Symptoms may include numbness or weakness in one or more limbs, partial or complete loss of vision, tingling or pain, electric-shock sensations with certain head movements, tremors and an unsteady gait.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
The findings were from a small study but justified further examination in those afflicted with MS, the researchers reported in one of the British Medical Journal's specialist journals on Thursday.
"This proof-of-concept study shows that (the drug) tends to reduce the formation of new enhancing lesions in patients with MS," Jop Mostert, a neurologist at the University Medical Center Groeningen in the Netherlands, and colleagues wrote.
There is no cure for MS, which affects more than 1 million people worldwide. It is twice as common in women than men with symptoms often first appearing between the ages of 20 and 40.
The disease can be a mild illness in some people while causing permanent disability in others. Symptoms may include numbness or weakness in one or more limbs, partial or complete loss of vision, tingling or pain, electric-shock sensations with certain head movements, tremors and an unsteady gait.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Antipsychotic Drugs Linked to Pneumonia in Elderly
Nursing home patients who take antipsychotic drugs are 60 percent more likely to develop pneumonia in the short term than those who don't take the drugs, a new study shows.
The risk is greatest during the first week after patients start taking the medications and gradually decreases, say Dutch researchers.
"The risk of developing pneumonia is not associated with long-term use, but is the highest shortly after starting the drug," said study authors Dr. Rob van Marum and Dr. Wilma Knol. They warned that "all antipsychotic drugs may be associated with pneumonia in elderly patients."
This is the first study to show an association between pneumonia risk and the use of antipsychotic drugs, which are frequently used to treat psychosis and behavioral problems in elderly patients with dementia and delirium.
The study was published in the current issue of theJournal of the American Geriatrics Society.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
The risk is greatest during the first week after patients start taking the medications and gradually decreases, say Dutch researchers.
"The risk of developing pneumonia is not associated with long-term use, but is the highest shortly after starting the drug," said study authors Dr. Rob van Marum and Dr. Wilma Knol. They warned that "all antipsychotic drugs may be associated with pneumonia in elderly patients."
This is the first study to show an association between pneumonia risk and the use of antipsychotic drugs, which are frequently used to treat psychosis and behavioral problems in elderly patients with dementia and delirium.
The study was published in the current issue of theJournal of the American Geriatrics Society.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Stop drugging dementia patients, urges report
Ministers should step in to stop inappropriate prescriptions of powerful antipsychotic drugs for Alzheimer's patients, an influential group of MPs has said.
Up to 105,000 people with dementia in Britain are wrongly being treated with the drugs, which are used to control behavioural symptoms such as aggression, they claim. Research has shown that the medications have side effects that can accelerate mental decline, triple the risk of stroke, and double the chances of premature death.
They are intended for psychotic patients suffering from delusions, paranoia and hallucinations. Yet the drugs continue to be used as a first resort to address the challenging behaviour of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, according to the MPs.
A report from the all-party parliamentary group on dementia demanded Government action on the problem and urged the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the health watchdog, to carry out a review.
READ MORE @ DAILY TELEGRAPH
Up to 105,000 people with dementia in Britain are wrongly being treated with the drugs, which are used to control behavioural symptoms such as aggression, they claim. Research has shown that the medications have side effects that can accelerate mental decline, triple the risk of stroke, and double the chances of premature death.
They are intended for psychotic patients suffering from delusions, paranoia and hallucinations. Yet the drugs continue to be used as a first resort to address the challenging behaviour of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, according to the MPs.
A report from the all-party parliamentary group on dementia demanded Government action on the problem and urged the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the health watchdog, to carry out a review.
READ MORE @ DAILY TELEGRAPH
Monday, April 28, 2008
Stimulating Immune Function With Lithium and Antidepressants
Stimulating immune function would transform the prevention, treatment, research and economics of infectious disorders, among them the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), hospital-acquired infections, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, resistant tuberculosis, a possible avian influenza pandemic and acts of bioterrorism. Immune stimulation is widely held to be beyond our reach, an unfortunate misconception, for as early as nineteen eighty-one published evidence showed that lithium (1) and antidepressants (2) have immune stimulating and antimicrobial properties (3).
In the early 1950’s physicians observed that patients treated for tuberculosis with the monoamine oxidase inhibitors isoniazid and iproniazid became animated and energized, the observation the first that drugs are capable of acting as antidepressants. That monoamine oxidase inhibitors have dual antimicrobial and antidepressant properties curiously failed to impact the pharmacology of infectious disorders. Remission of such manifestations of viral infections as sinusitis, bronchitis, frequent colds, sore throats, cold sores and genital herpes in patients taking lithium carbonate has been reported. In various studies chronic lithium therapy reduced the rate of recurrent labial herpes infections, while lithium and antidepressants reduced the rates of common, “flu-like” colds, and lithium reduced the frequency and duration of recurrences of genital herpes.
READ MORE @ MEDHEADLINES
In the early 1950’s physicians observed that patients treated for tuberculosis with the monoamine oxidase inhibitors isoniazid and iproniazid became animated and energized, the observation the first that drugs are capable of acting as antidepressants. That monoamine oxidase inhibitors have dual antimicrobial and antidepressant properties curiously failed to impact the pharmacology of infectious disorders. Remission of such manifestations of viral infections as sinusitis, bronchitis, frequent colds, sore throats, cold sores and genital herpes in patients taking lithium carbonate has been reported. In various studies chronic lithium therapy reduced the rate of recurrent labial herpes infections, while lithium and antidepressants reduced the rates of common, “flu-like” colds, and lithium reduced the frequency and duration of recurrences of genital herpes.
READ MORE @ MEDHEADLINES
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Antipsychotic drugs up pneumonia risk in elderly
Older patients given antipsychotic drugs are at increased risk of pneumonia, particularly during the first week after starting treatment, Dutch researchers report. Thirty days after treatment begins, however, the risk is no longer apparent.
Elderly people are often prescribed antipsychotic drugs, Dr. Rob J. van Marum, at University Medical Center in Utrecht, and colleagues point out in a report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Usually treatment is related to controlling the effects of dementia, but not always.
In fact, studies have shown that up to 40 percent of nursing home residents are treated with the drugs, and in half of those cases the treatment is "inappropriate."
To look at the risk of pneumonia with antipsychotic drugs, the researchers studied information from community pharmacies and the hospital records of 22,944 patients aged 65 or older who received a prescription for an antipsychotic at some point between 1985 and 2003.
After taking into account factors such as age, other medications, and other illnesses, the investigators found that the likelihood of being hospitalized for pneumonia was 60 percent higher for subjects who were currently on an antipsychotic medication than for those who were weren't.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Elderly people are often prescribed antipsychotic drugs, Dr. Rob J. van Marum, at University Medical Center in Utrecht, and colleagues point out in a report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Usually treatment is related to controlling the effects of dementia, but not always.
In fact, studies have shown that up to 40 percent of nursing home residents are treated with the drugs, and in half of those cases the treatment is "inappropriate."
To look at the risk of pneumonia with antipsychotic drugs, the researchers studied information from community pharmacies and the hospital records of 22,944 patients aged 65 or older who received a prescription for an antipsychotic at some point between 1985 and 2003.
After taking into account factors such as age, other medications, and other illnesses, the investigators found that the likelihood of being hospitalized for pneumonia was 60 percent higher for subjects who were currently on an antipsychotic medication than for those who were weren't.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Saturday, April 26, 2008
More children are suffering from mental health problems, says report
Rising numbers of children are suffering mental health problems caused by family breakdown and peer pressure, a report suggests.
It says that more than a quarter of under-16s regularly feel depressed because of the stresses of family life, friendships and school. The report by the Good Childhood Inquiry, which heard evidence from mental health experts, says that 13 per cent of girls between 13 and 15 years old and 10 per cent of boys in the same age group suffer from mental health problems, yet there is little treatment on offer.
The report is part of a two-year inquiry into the state of modern childhood commissioned by the Children’s Society. It comes after Unicef concluded that Britain was one of the worst places in the industrialised world to be a child.
Thousands of children took part in the study. Twenty-seven per cent of those aged 14 to 16 said that they often felt depressed, and 22 worried about the state of their physical health. Anxiety about appearance was mentioned by seven out of ten under16s, who said that they dieted some or all of the time. Family breakdown was a common problem.
READ MORE @ TIMESONLINE
It says that more than a quarter of under-16s regularly feel depressed because of the stresses of family life, friendships and school. The report by the Good Childhood Inquiry, which heard evidence from mental health experts, says that 13 per cent of girls between 13 and 15 years old and 10 per cent of boys in the same age group suffer from mental health problems, yet there is little treatment on offer.
The report is part of a two-year inquiry into the state of modern childhood commissioned by the Children’s Society. It comes after Unicef concluded that Britain was one of the worst places in the industrialised world to be a child.
Thousands of children took part in the study. Twenty-seven per cent of those aged 14 to 16 said that they often felt depressed, and 22 worried about the state of their physical health. Anxiety about appearance was mentioned by seven out of ten under16s, who said that they dieted some or all of the time. Family breakdown was a common problem.
READ MORE @ TIMESONLINE
Friday, April 25, 2008
Mood lifting - Growing evidence suggests that exercise is as good for your mental health as it is for your physical well-being
Monday mornings, Theo Baars's exhausting depression often tries to seduce him into just staying in bed. But then, he says, a staffer at Appleton House, a residence for people with psychotic disorders at McLean Hospital, comes into his room and says, insistently, "You want to go work out."
So Baars, a 22-year-old surfer and musician, drags himself to McLean's new gym and sweats through a half hour of presses and curls. And then, he finds, he doesn't want to go back to bed. And more: His confidence is pumped up. His thinking tends to be less delusional, more reality-based.
"Working out helps me get my self back," he said.
Baars's personal experience reflects longstanding wisdom that is now gaining the added heft that comes from carefully conducted research. Exercise, the studies increasingly suggest, may be as good for your brain as it is for your body, whether you are mentally ill or not.
As Cambridge psychiatrist and author Dr. John Ratey puts it, if exercise could be bottled, it would be the greatest blockbuster drug ever. "Exercise is medicine for the brain," he said.
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
So Baars, a 22-year-old surfer and musician, drags himself to McLean's new gym and sweats through a half hour of presses and curls. And then, he finds, he doesn't want to go back to bed. And more: His confidence is pumped up. His thinking tends to be less delusional, more reality-based.
"Working out helps me get my self back," he said.
Baars's personal experience reflects longstanding wisdom that is now gaining the added heft that comes from carefully conducted research. Exercise, the studies increasingly suggest, may be as good for your brain as it is for your body, whether you are mentally ill or not.
As Cambridge psychiatrist and author Dr. John Ratey puts it, if exercise could be bottled, it would be the greatest blockbuster drug ever. "Exercise is medicine for the brain," he said.
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
Thursday, April 24, 2008
NIH study reveals incidence, precursors and psychiatric sequelae of major psychiatric disorders
A new study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) presents results on the first onset of substance use disorders (i.e., alcohol and drug abuse and dependence) and major mood and anxiety disorders, based on Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC).
This landmark survey is the first conducted in the U.S. to identify rates of first episodes (i.e., incidence) of these disorders in the U.S. population. In addition, it provides information on sociodemographic and psychopathologic risk factors for those disorders—information critical for developing evidence-based preventive interventions—and estimates risk for subsequent comorbid disorders.
Bridget Grant, Ph.D., Chief of NIAAA’s Laboratory of Biometry and Epidemiology, and her colleagues found that 1-year incidence rates were highest for DSM-IV alcohol dependence (1.70%), alcohol abuse (1.02%), major depressive disorder (1.51%) and generalized anxiety disorder (1.12%), followed by panic disorder (0.62%), bipolar I disorder (0.53%) and specific phobia (0.44%). One-year incidence rates of DSM-IV social phobia (0.32%), bipolar II (0.21%) and drug abuse (0.28%) and drug dependence (0.32%) were lower but not insignificant. These rates are comparable to or exceed corresponding incidence rates for other common medical diseases such as lung cancer (0.06%), stroke (0.45%) and cardiovascular disease (1.5%).
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT
This landmark survey is the first conducted in the U.S. to identify rates of first episodes (i.e., incidence) of these disorders in the U.S. population. In addition, it provides information on sociodemographic and psychopathologic risk factors for those disorders—information critical for developing evidence-based preventive interventions—and estimates risk for subsequent comorbid disorders.
Bridget Grant, Ph.D., Chief of NIAAA’s Laboratory of Biometry and Epidemiology, and her colleagues found that 1-year incidence rates were highest for DSM-IV alcohol dependence (1.70%), alcohol abuse (1.02%), major depressive disorder (1.51%) and generalized anxiety disorder (1.12%), followed by panic disorder (0.62%), bipolar I disorder (0.53%) and specific phobia (0.44%). One-year incidence rates of DSM-IV social phobia (0.32%), bipolar II (0.21%) and drug abuse (0.28%) and drug dependence (0.32%) were lower but not insignificant. These rates are comparable to or exceed corresponding incidence rates for other common medical diseases such as lung cancer (0.06%), stroke (0.45%) and cardiovascular disease (1.5%).
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
NO CLEAR RX FOR DISPOSING OF DRUGS - Local groups start take-back programs for unwanted medicines
Pittsburg resident Maggie Dee Dowling used to flush her expired medications down the toilet, but decided to take them back to her local Walgreens after hearing that traces of prescription drugs have been found in drinking water. She was stunned when the pharmacy refused to accept them.
"The pharmacy tech opened the brown paper bag and said, 'What do you want us to do with it?' " said Dowling, 68, adding that the drugs she tried to drop off about a week ago included an inhaler and some anti-diarrheal pills.
The experience left Dowling frustrated and unsure of what to do with her unwanted medications. "It just seems to me that with all the things we're doing to pollute the Earth, if I can in some small way do my part in not flushing pollutants down the drain, then I was all for it," she said.
Consumers are rightly confused about what to do with their unwanted medications because they've received conflicting messages from government and environmental sources. Federal guidelines direct consumers which medications to flush and how to properly put others in the trash. But landfills can leak, potentially causing drugs to leach into the soil, and flushing has contaminated waterways.
READ MORE @ SF CHRONICLE
"The pharmacy tech opened the brown paper bag and said, 'What do you want us to do with it?' " said Dowling, 68, adding that the drugs she tried to drop off about a week ago included an inhaler and some anti-diarrheal pills.
The experience left Dowling frustrated and unsure of what to do with her unwanted medications. "It just seems to me that with all the things we're doing to pollute the Earth, if I can in some small way do my part in not flushing pollutants down the drain, then I was all for it," she said.
Consumers are rightly confused about what to do with their unwanted medications because they've received conflicting messages from government and environmental sources. Federal guidelines direct consumers which medications to flush and how to properly put others in the trash. But landfills can leak, potentially causing drugs to leach into the soil, and flushing has contaminated waterways.
READ MORE @ SF CHRONICLE
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
‘Lethal’ drugs given for dementia
WHEN David Ramsay, a former senior consultant at Guy’s hospital in London, was diagnosed with dementia in 1998, his wife fought for three years to have him taken into full-time care.
But just months after winning her battle, David’s neck twisted by 90 degrees, leaving his chin permanently fixed to his chest and forcing him to spend the rest of his life staring at the ground.
His condition, a rare neurological disorder, was a side-effect of a powerful antipsychotic drug prescribed to control the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. According to a parliamentary report, to be published later this month, his case is far from isolated.
The report, by the all party parliamentary group on dementia, has found that elderly people are routinely being prescribed antipsychotic drugs to make the lives of carers easier, despite evidence that they are of little benefit to the patient and have potentially lethal side effects.
Jeremy Wright MP, the Conservative chairman of the group, said: “It is clear that there are many occasions when these drugs are being used as a method of chemical restraint. This is undoubtedly systematic abuse.”
READ MORE @ TIMESONLINE
But just months after winning her battle, David’s neck twisted by 90 degrees, leaving his chin permanently fixed to his chest and forcing him to spend the rest of his life staring at the ground.
His condition, a rare neurological disorder, was a side-effect of a powerful antipsychotic drug prescribed to control the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. According to a parliamentary report, to be published later this month, his case is far from isolated.
The report, by the all party parliamentary group on dementia, has found that elderly people are routinely being prescribed antipsychotic drugs to make the lives of carers easier, despite evidence that they are of little benefit to the patient and have potentially lethal side effects.
Jeremy Wright MP, the Conservative chairman of the group, said: “It is clear that there are many occasions when these drugs are being used as a method of chemical restraint. This is undoubtedly systematic abuse.”
READ MORE @ TIMESONLINE
Monday, April 21, 2008
Common Medications May Harm Memory in Older People - Those on anticholinergic drugs had sharper declines in thinking skills, study finds
Common medications known as anticholinergic drugs -- used to treat ulcers, stomach cramps, motion sickness, Parkinson's disease and urinary incontinence -- may cause older people to lose their thinking skills more quickly than seniors who don't take the medicines, new research suggests.
"What we found is being on these drugs does worsen your cognitive performance," said Dr. Jack Tsao, an associate professor of neurology at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md., who led the study of the effect of the medications on older adults who were, on average, 75. "In the course of a few years, there is a small slippage. It's a minor effect."
Medications for bladder problems and Parkinson's appear to have the worst effect on memory, he said.
Anticholinergic drugs are a class of medicines that work by blocking the binding of a brain chemical called acetylcholine to its receptor in nerve cells.
"You need acetylcholine for [good] memory," Tsao explained. Drugs used to treat Alzheimer's inhibit the enzyme which breaks down acetylcholine, he said, allowing more of it to be used by the brain.
Tsao was expected to present his research Thursday at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, in Chicago.
READ MORE @ US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
"What we found is being on these drugs does worsen your cognitive performance," said Dr. Jack Tsao, an associate professor of neurology at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md., who led the study of the effect of the medications on older adults who were, on average, 75. "In the course of a few years, there is a small slippage. It's a minor effect."
Medications for bladder problems and Parkinson's appear to have the worst effect on memory, he said.
Anticholinergic drugs are a class of medicines that work by blocking the binding of a brain chemical called acetylcholine to its receptor in nerve cells.
"You need acetylcholine for [good] memory," Tsao explained. Drugs used to treat Alzheimer's inhibit the enzyme which breaks down acetylcholine, he said, allowing more of it to be used by the brain.
Tsao was expected to present his research Thursday at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, in Chicago.
READ MORE @ US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Sunday, April 20, 2008
1 in 5 veterans found with mental disorder - Depression, stress called undertreated
The latest and most comprehensive study of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has concluded that nearly 1 in every 5 veterans is suffering from depression or stress disorders and that many are not getting adequate care.
more stories like this
* Wars, guns and money
* Nearly 1 in 5 troops has mental problems after war service
* Summary: Nearly 1 in 5 troops has mental problems after war
* Nearly 1 in 5 vets reports mental problems
* Study: 300,000 veterans suffer mental problems
*
The study shows that mental disorders are more prevalent and lasting than previously known, surfacing belatedly and lingering after troops have been discharged into civilian and family life.
An estimated 300,000 veterans among the nearly 1.7 million who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are battling depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. More than half of those people, according to the study conducted by the Rand Corp., are slipping through the cracks in the bureaucratic system, going without necessary treatment.
The Rand study underscores one of the hard lessons of modern counterinsurgency conflicts: Such wars might kill fewer soldiers than traditional fights but can leave deeper psychological scars.
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
more stories like this
* Wars, guns and money
* Nearly 1 in 5 troops has mental problems after war service
* Summary: Nearly 1 in 5 troops has mental problems after war
* Nearly 1 in 5 vets reports mental problems
* Study: 300,000 veterans suffer mental problems
*
The study shows that mental disorders are more prevalent and lasting than previously known, surfacing belatedly and lingering after troops have been discharged into civilian and family life.
An estimated 300,000 veterans among the nearly 1.7 million who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are battling depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. More than half of those people, according to the study conducted by the Rand Corp., are slipping through the cracks in the bureaucratic system, going without necessary treatment.
The Rand study underscores one of the hard lessons of modern counterinsurgency conflicts: Such wars might kill fewer soldiers than traditional fights but can leave deeper psychological scars.
READ MORE @ BOSTON GLOBE
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Who Are We? Coming of Age on Antidepressants
“I’ve grown up on medication,” my patient Julie told me recently. “I don’t have a sense of who I really am without it.”
At 31, she had been on one antidepressant or another nearly continuously since she was 14. There was little question that she had very serious depression and had survived several suicide attempts. In fact, she credited the medication with saving her life.
But now she was raising an equally fundamental question: how the drugs might have affected her psychological development and core identity.
It was not an issue I had seriously considered before. Most of my patients, who are adults, developed their psychiatric problems after they had a pretty clear idea of who they were as individuals. During treatment, most of them could tell me whether they were back to their normal baseline.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
At 31, she had been on one antidepressant or another nearly continuously since she was 14. There was little question that she had very serious depression and had survived several suicide attempts. In fact, she credited the medication with saving her life.
But now she was raising an equally fundamental question: how the drugs might have affected her psychological development and core identity.
It was not an issue I had seriously considered before. Most of my patients, who are adults, developed their psychiatric problems after they had a pretty clear idea of who they were as individuals. During treatment, most of them could tell me whether they were back to their normal baseline.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Friday, April 18, 2008
Antipsychotic Drugs Increase Risk Of Developing Pneumonia In Elderly, Study Suggests
Elderly patients who use antipsychotic drugs have a 60 percent increased risk of developing pneumonia compared to non-users. This risk is highest in the first week following prescription and decreases gradually thereafter. Antipsychotic drugs are frequently used in elderly patients for the treatment of psychosis and behavioral problems associated with dementia and delirium. This study is the first to show that the development of pneumonia is associated with antipsychotic drug use.
“The risk of developing pneumonia is not associated with long-term use, but is the highest shortly after starting the drug,” say Drs. Rob van Marum and Wilma Knol, authors of the study. They caution that “all antipsychotic drugs may be associated with pneumonia in elderly patients.”
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
“The risk of developing pneumonia is not associated with long-term use, but is the highest shortly after starting the drug,” say Drs. Rob van Marum and Wilma Knol, authors of the study. They caution that “all antipsychotic drugs may be associated with pneumonia in elderly patients.”
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Antidepressants Account For Only 10% Of Fall In Suicide Rates Among Older People
The use of antidepressants is likely to account for only 10 per cent of the fall in suicide rates among middle aged and older people, suggests a large study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Globally, more than 800, 000 people commit suicide every year. Rates have been falling in many countries, a factor that has been associated with better recognition of depression and the increasing use of antidepressants, particularly the newer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
But research involving more than 2 million Danes aged 50 and above and living in Denmark between 1996 and 2000, throws this into question.
The researchers assessed changes in the numbers of middle aged and older people committing suicide during this period and the types of antidepressant drugs they had been prescribed.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Globally, more than 800, 000 people commit suicide every year. Rates have been falling in many countries, a factor that has been associated with better recognition of depression and the increasing use of antidepressants, particularly the newer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
But research involving more than 2 million Danes aged 50 and above and living in Denmark between 1996 and 2000, throws this into question.
The researchers assessed changes in the numbers of middle aged and older people committing suicide during this period and the types of antidepressant drugs they had been prescribed.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Can Atypical Antipsychotics Reduce Suicide Risk in Patients With Schizophrenia?: An Evidence-Based Analysis
Suicide is a devastating, tragically frequent outcome for persons with varying psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia. An estimated 5% to 10% of persons with schizophrenia commit suicide and 20% to 50% attempt suicide during their lifetime.1,2 Patients with schizophrenia have more than an 8-fold increased risk of completing suicide (based on the standardized mortality ratio) than the general population.3 Antipsychotic treatment is the cornerstone of the therapeutic approach to schizophrenia and has been thought to influence suicidal tendencies.4 Yet, both typical and atypical antipsychotics (the latter of which have been considered to have a better profile for reducing the risk of suicide than the former) have not been shown to have a net positive effect on suicidality.5,6
Atypical antipsychotics are now considered to be a first-line treatment for schizophrenia. It is therefore crucial that we have an evidence-based approach to minimizing suicidal thinking and behavior. We have recently reviewed the relationship between antipsychotic drugs and suicide in patients with schizophrenia, observing that many inconsistencies exist among the studies. This, in turn, prevents any definitive conclusions; the sole exception is clozapine, which should be considered when suicide risk is detected.7
This article reviews the evidence for the various atypical antipsychotics in potentially reducing the risk of suicide in patients with schizophrenia. A high degree of efficacy should not be expected, since 2 large reviews on premarketing data have failed to demonstrate the efficacy of atypical antipsychotics (excluding clozapine) in reducing the risk of suicidality in patients with schizophrenia.8,9 Further limitations come from methodological issues, which may be seen in some studies that originate within the pharmaceutical industry.10
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC TIMES
Atypical antipsychotics are now considered to be a first-line treatment for schizophrenia. It is therefore crucial that we have an evidence-based approach to minimizing suicidal thinking and behavior. We have recently reviewed the relationship between antipsychotic drugs and suicide in patients with schizophrenia, observing that many inconsistencies exist among the studies. This, in turn, prevents any definitive conclusions; the sole exception is clozapine, which should be considered when suicide risk is detected.7
This article reviews the evidence for the various atypical antipsychotics in potentially reducing the risk of suicide in patients with schizophrenia. A high degree of efficacy should not be expected, since 2 large reviews on premarketing data have failed to demonstrate the efficacy of atypical antipsychotics (excluding clozapine) in reducing the risk of suicidality in patients with schizophrenia.8,9 Further limitations come from methodological issues, which may be seen in some studies that originate within the pharmaceutical industry.10
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC TIMES
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
When Drug Costs Soar Beyond Reach - Editorial
It doesn’t take a health policy expert to recognize that something has gone terribly wrong when patients have to pay thousands of dollars a month for drugs that they need to maintain their health — and possibly save their lives. Congress needs to determine why this is happening and what can be done about it.
The plight of patients who have recently been hit with a huge increase in their insurance co-payments for high-priced prescription drugs was laid out in The Times on Monday by Gina Kolata. Instead of paying a modest $10 to $30 co-payment, as is usually the case for cheaper drugs, patients who need especially costly medicines are being forced to pay 20 percent to 33 percent of the bill (up to an annual maximum) for drugs that can cost tens of thousands of dollars, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, a year.
These drugs — what insurers call Tier 4 medicines — are used to treat such serious illnesses as multiple sclerosis, hemophilia, certain cancers and rheumatoid arthritis. And since there are usually no cheaper alternatives, patients must either pay or do without, unless they can get their medicines through some charitable plan.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
The plight of patients who have recently been hit with a huge increase in their insurance co-payments for high-priced prescription drugs was laid out in The Times on Monday by Gina Kolata. Instead of paying a modest $10 to $30 co-payment, as is usually the case for cheaper drugs, patients who need especially costly medicines are being forced to pay 20 percent to 33 percent of the bill (up to an annual maximum) for drugs that can cost tens of thousands of dollars, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, a year.
These drugs — what insurers call Tier 4 medicines — are used to treat such serious illnesses as multiple sclerosis, hemophilia, certain cancers and rheumatoid arthritis. And since there are usually no cheaper alternatives, patients must either pay or do without, unless they can get their medicines through some charitable plan.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Monday, April 14, 2008
Area firm to test medication alert system
A Crystal Lake technology firm wants your smartphone to remind you when to take your medications.
For the last three years, Leap of Faith Technologies (www.leapoffaith.com) has been developing a software application, called eMedonline (www.emedonline.com), designed to help monitor your medications by sending you a call to remind you of your next dose.
It then can use a radio frequency identification bar to read whether you're choosing the correct container, said founder and owner Barbara Rapchak.
"It primarily works with a Treo smartphone or it could be used on any smartphone with Windows Mobile operating system," she said.
READ MORED @ CHICAGO DAILT HERALD
For the last three years, Leap of Faith Technologies (www.leapoffaith.com) has been developing a software application, called eMedonline (www.emedonline.com), designed to help monitor your medications by sending you a call to remind you of your next dose.
It then can use a radio frequency identification bar to read whether you're choosing the correct container, said founder and owner Barbara Rapchak.
"It primarily works with a Treo smartphone or it could be used on any smartphone with Windows Mobile operating system," she said.
READ MORED @ CHICAGO DAILT HERALD
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Co-Payments Go Way Up for Drugs With High Prices
Health insurance companies are rapidly adopting a new pricing system for very expensive drugs, asking patients to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for prescriptions for medications that may save their lives or slow the progress of serious diseases.
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With the new pricing system, insurers abandoned the traditional arrangement that has patients pay a fixed amount, like $10, $20 or $30 for a prescription, no matter what the drug’s actual cost. Instead, they are charging patients a percentage of the cost of certain high-priced drugs, usually 20 to 33 percent, which can amount to thousands of dollars a month.
The system means that the burden of expensive health care can now affect insured people, too.
No one knows how many patients are affected, but hundreds of drugs are priced this new way. They are used to treat diseases that may be fairly common, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, hepatitis C and some cancers. There are no cheaper equivalents for these drugs, so patients are forced to pay the price or do without.
Insurers say the new system keeps everyone’s premiums down at a time when some of the most innovative and promising new treatments for conditions like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis can cost $100,000 and more a year.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Skip to next paragraph
With the new pricing system, insurers abandoned the traditional arrangement that has patients pay a fixed amount, like $10, $20 or $30 for a prescription, no matter what the drug’s actual cost. Instead, they are charging patients a percentage of the cost of certain high-priced drugs, usually 20 to 33 percent, which can amount to thousands of dollars a month.
The system means that the burden of expensive health care can now affect insured people, too.
No one knows how many patients are affected, but hundreds of drugs are priced this new way. They are used to treat diseases that may be fairly common, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, hepatitis C and some cancers. There are no cheaper equivalents for these drugs, so patients are forced to pay the price or do without.
Insurers say the new system keeps everyone’s premiums down at a time when some of the most innovative and promising new treatments for conditions like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis can cost $100,000 and more a year.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
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