Pharma
Diabetes treatments and risk of heart failure, cardiovascular disease, and all cause mortality: cohort study in primary care – The BMJ
Conclusions – There are clinically important differences in risk of cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and all cause mortality between different diabetes drugs alone and in combination. Overall, use of gliptins or glitazones was associated with decreased risks of heart failure, cardiovascular disease, and all cause mortality compared with non-use of these drugs. These results, which do not account for levels of adherence or dosage information and which are subject to confounding by indication, might have implications for prescribing of diabetes drugs.
iMedicalApps: Aspirin Guide – Medpage Today
Makes sense of USPSTF recommendations
Source: iMedicalApps: Aspirin Guide | Medpage Today
Loyal readers know I’ve been looking at this daily aspirin thing for quite some time. Read this, or this, and this. So when I learned about a new iPhone app I had to download it and enter my personal data.
The app says I should take low dose aspirin daily. I stopped taking aspirin a few years ago after a minor bleeding episode. I had bumped my shin, broke the skin and began bleeding. The bleeding took forever to stop so I stopped the aspirin. I’ve cut myself since and not had any difficulties coagulating.
Annual wellness visit is in a few months. I’ll show the app to my doctor and see what he recommends.
Great little app by the way.
Long-Acting Opioids Carry Higher Risk of Death – Medpage Today
Claims data show higher mortality risk than other drug types for pain
Source: Long-Acting Opioids Carry Higher Risk of Death | Medpage Today
Antibiotics Stop Growth of New Brain Cells – Physician’s Weekly
Cardiac Effects of Loperamide OD – The Poison Review
Source: Cardiac effects of loperamide overdose | The Poison Review
Just when you start to think you’ve heard it all you stumble upon this article. I’ve never thought about taking mass quantities of anti-diarrheal medication for the purpose of getting high.
A little-known manifestation of loperamide toxicity is cardiac dysrhythmias. This case report describes a 48-year-old woman who had ingested up to 40 tablets 2-mg loperamide daily for several weeks to “get a high.”
I’m practically speechless.
Off-Label Ketamine
USPSTF Backs Aspirin for Primary Prevention – Medpage Today
But CVD, colon cancer recommendation still has very thin evidence, experts caution
Source: CardioBrief: USPSTF Backs Aspirin for Primary Prevention | Medpage Today
Still taking daily aspirin? Stopped? Confused?
Join the club. I’ve been following this issue for years. Read more here, here, and and here.
Cholesterol Lowering in Intermediate-Risk Persons without Cardiovascular Disease — NEJM
Conclusions: Treatment with rosuvastatin at a dose of 10 mg per day resulted in a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events than placebo in an intermediate-risk, ethnically diverse population without cardiovascular disease. (Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and AstraZeneca; HOPE-3 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00468923.)
Source: Cholesterol Lowering in Intermediate-Risk Persons without Cardiovascular Disease — NEJM
Source: Blood-Pressure Lowering in Intermediate-Risk Persons without Cardiovascular Disease — NEJM
Source: Blood-Pressure and Cholesterol Lowering in Persons without Cardiovascular Disease — NEJM
CNS – Pfizer to Face Testosterone Claims
Source: CNS – Pfizer to Face Testosterone Claims After All
The multi-district master complaint asserted 10 primary state law claims, including strict liability based on design defect and failure to warn, negligence, breach of implied and express warranty, fraud, consumer protection, and unjust enrichment.
The plaintiffs also allege non-tort claims for wrongful death, survival, loss of consortium, and punitive damages.
One of the books I’m reading is Powerful Medicines – The Benefits, Risks, and Costs of Prescription Drugs written by Jerry Avorn M.D. Definitely a fun read in the context of our culture’s addiction to the quick fix. Whatever ails you there is a pill that promises to fix everything. Dr. Avorn’s book is packed with information. Simply stated, there are benefits and risks associated with any medication. Ultimately it is the consumer’s responsibility to know and understand what those benefits and risks are with anything you put in your body.
It was clear to me from the beginning that the unsuspecting and too trustful public was going to be introduced to a new disease Low-T. The pharmaceutical strategy was just another medicalization of a natural process.
More. Drugs. Please.
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