Two drugs combined more cost-effective safer for managing arthritis in high-risk patients
...ffective and safest treatment is actually a common painkiller combined with an acid-reducing drug. Published in the April 15 issue of Arthritis Care and Research, the clinical journal of the American College of Rheumatology, the study used a sophisticated economic model to develop patient scenarios and compare...Aspirin use may protect against colon cancer recurrence, reduce risk of death
...dose, as long as the patient consistently took the painkiller throughout the follow-up period. Those who took Celebrex or Vioxx had a 53 percent reduction in recurrence risk. The researchers also assessed the study participants' use of acetaminophen to determine whether the benefits attributed to regular aspir...As morphine turns 200, drug that blocks its side effects reveals new secrets
...t notably himself. Finding that it was a powerful painkiller and appeared effective for a variety of respiratory ailments, Bayer began producing and marketing this drug as an analgesic and a "sedative for coughs" in 1898. Because of its "heroic" ability to relieve pain, they called it heroin. The medical prof...Statins underprescribed to patients at higher risk of heart disease, Stanford study says
...eports that some prescription drugs, including the painkiller Vioxx and postmenopausal hormone therapy, were overprescribed to patients who had little to gain from them. "You have to look at drug therapy on a case-by-case basis. We have many situations where drugs are misused or overused," said lead author Jun ...High doses of ibuprofen cause significant GI bleeding, despite safety profile
...he traditional non-selective NSAIDs, touted as the painkiller with the fewest side effects and lowest incidence of ulcers or GI bleeding. Everyday more than 30 million people take over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription NSAIDs for pain relief, headaches and arthritis. Although long-term use of NSAIDs in high ...Study shows people unaware of harmful effects of painkillers
...elves at risk for any side effects associated with painkiller use. Similar numbers of people who exclusively used prescription painkillers were unaware of their risks and experienced complications. Everyday more than 36 million people take over-the-counter and prescription NSAIDs for pain relief, headaches and...No risk of heart attack associated with short-term use of traditional painkillers
Short-term use of painkiller drugs in the same family as ibuprofen does not increase the risk of having a heart attack. The results of a large study, published today in the open access journal BMC Medicine, confirm that taking traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (N...Studies confirm effectiveness of fentanyl lozenges for 'breakthrough' cancer pain
The narcotic painkiller fentanyl relieves breakthrough pain quickly and more effectively than other narcotics and traditional drug therapy in patients with cancer, according to a systematic review of current evidence. "When compared to placebo and morphine, participants gav...Antipsychotic drug may block addiction, UIC researchers find
...rs, you can still use a relatively low dose of the painkiller to achieve fairly good pain control and no drug dependence." Opioids such as morphine are commonly used in pain management, but many patients are wary of taking them because of concerns over addiction or adverse side effects. The study, which began...Doctors treating pain from circumcision more seriously
...ock. Both techniques involve the injection of the painkiller lidocaine at the base of the penis which decreases pain sensation prior to circumcision. Topical anesthetic creams are less effective but they are safe and do provide some pain relief. Any of these techniques can be used in combination with the Mogen...UK recommendations on the availability of common painkillers are being contravened
...er outlets in South London to see how much of the painkiller they would be allowed to buy. They attempted to buy 64 tablets in one go by taking packs off the shelves, and if not available on display, by simply asking for four packs. In four of the eight pharmacies they visited, they were able to buy at lea...TV effective 'painkiller' for kids
TV really does act like a painkiller when it comes to kids, reveals a small study published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. The research team assessed 69 children between the ages of 7 and 12, who were randomly divided into three groups to have a blood sample t...Study highlights new and cheaper way to treat heroin addiction
...r heroin addicts could be replaced by a substitute painkiller that is half the price, safer and less toxic. I...alf years, researchers found that the prescription painkiller dihydrocodeine is equally as effective as methadone to help drug users kick the habit. The researc......actors, a 25% increase in pain severity, increased painkiller consumption, new pathological bone fractures, tumour related orthopaedic surgical intervention, and use of radioisotopes to relieve new skeletal related symptoms. The authors believe larger clinical trials are needed to study the effect of radium-2...