8/16/10

Express prescription drug machine


We are used to using vending machines for crisps, drinks and toiletries - but are we ready for them to give us our prescription drugs?

Each year, 886 million prescription drug items are dispensed in England and it is hoped this new technology can streamline the process.

There are questions though over if it is safe to break the patient-pharmacist link, if drugs stored in the machine will be safe from thieves and if people could fraudulently pick up the medicine meant for others.

Two different types of machines are being trialled with the aim of national roll-out across England.

The supermarket chain Sainsbury's is currently piloting a scheme in two of its West Sussex stores. After a year it will look at customer feedback, before deciding whether to extend to other stores. It is hoped the machines will speed up customer queuing times.

How it works

Customers will use a unique ID or fingerprint as well as a Pin when putting in their prescription and again when they come back to collect the medicine, ensuring the drugs go to the correct person. While the patient waits, the pharmacist will prepare and place the drugs into the machine for collection.

Each machine can hold up to 450 packs of medicines.

While the machines will be available only alongside the in-store pharmacy service, it is possible to conduct the whole process without face-to-face contact.

Repeat prescribing accounts for 80% of prescription items - the other items are treatments the patient has not used before and may be unfamiliar with.

Do you think it is a good idea?

8/10/10

Health Care Costs

According to Reuters, “The United States spends more on healthcare than any country in the world but has higher rates of infant mortality, diabetes and other ills than many other developed countries.”

Every year, without fail, spending for services covered by private health insurance increases. Sometimes health care spending grows slowly, as it did in the mid-1990s during the managed-care boom. But more often, it increases rapidly, as it is doing now — in part because of the managed-care bust.
Between 1999 and 2003, the per capita spending for services covered by private health insurance increased by 39 percent. Given that the average hourly earnings of U.S. workers increased by only percent during that period (see FigureFigureAnnual Percent Changes per Capita in Health Care Expenditures and in Average Hourly Wages for Workers in All Industries, 2000 through 2003.), affordability is an acute and growing concern.

The simple explanation for rapidly increasing health care costs is that people are getting more care, much of which is associated with new medical technologies. But many experts have doubts about the value of some of this care in relation to its cost. And when health care costs increase at a much faster rate than incomes, many people — especially those with low incomes — can no longer afford insurance coverage.

Reporting from Washington — In a stark reminder of growing costs, the government has released a new estimate that healthcare spending grew to a record 17.3% of the U.S. economy last year, marking the largest one-year jump in its share of the economy since the government started keeping such records half a century ago.
The almost $2.5 trillion spent in 2009 was $134 billion more than the previous year, when healthcare consumed 16.2% of the gross domestic product, according to an annual report by independent actuaries at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, scheduled for release Thursday.
Considering the national health-care discussion in Congress, it doesn't appear that reform is on the way. Because while the Congressional debate over the national health-care plan focuses on reforming America's employer-based insurance system and adding a "public option" of Government-provided health insurance, these debates are akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic if our total health costs don't drop dramatically, and soon.

While supporters of the health-care bill claim it will eventually lead to costs savings, analysts have questioned these projections. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that the proposed legislation would do little to stem the rise in health-care expenditures, according to the CFR report.

Critics such as Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard claim that the highly complex plan "low-balls costs and exaggerates the means for paying for it." The bill purports to cut the $1.5 trillion Federal budget deficit by $118 billion, but actually will end up borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars more, Barnes says.

8/3/10

Addictive pain killer prescription drugs



Prescription drug abuse by teens and young adults is a serious problem in the United States. As reported in the Partnership
for a Drug Free America’s annual tracking study:

* 1 in 5 teens has abused a prescription (Rx) pain medication
* 1 in 5 report abusing prescription stimulants and tranquilizers
* 1 in 10 has abused cough medication

U.S. officials reported a 400 per cent increase over 10 years in the proportion of Americans treated for prescription painkiller abuse and said the problem cut across age groups, geography and income.

pain killer:
Due to the physical dependence produced by chronic use of opioid painkillers, teens who are prescribed pain killer medications need to be monitored not just when they are appropriately taking the medicine, but also when they stop using the drug to reduce or avoid withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms of withdrawal can include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, and involuntary leg movements



Addictive prescription drugs produce an artificial feeling of pleasure. If pain killing prescription drug use is stopped when no longer needed for real pain, there is less chance of the prescription drug becoming addictive to that user. This is possibly due to the non-abusing patients’ pain levels reducing some of the opioid euphoric effects. Such drugs short-circuit your survival system by artificially stimulating the pleasure areas in your brain. As this happens, it leads to increased confidence in the drug and less confidence in normal body feelings and the rewards of life. This first happens on a physical level, then like other addictive drugs, it has a psychological effect. Interest in other aspects of life decreases as reliance on the drug increases. People, places and activities involved with using these drugs become increasingly important. Conversely, lifestyles that worked through your normal reward system before using the drug begin to diminish. After awhile, a heavy prescriptive drug user, like the illicit drug user, will actually resent people, places, and activities that do not fit in with that drug use.

7/22/10

Generic Lattise to grow longer eyelashes




Latisse is the new FDA-approved eyelash growth treatment that has been shown to grow thicker, darker, and longer eyelashes. Today you can allow yourself to look natural without cosmetics and MASCARA.

Latisse is the same formula as Lumigan, Allergan’s eyedrops for glaucoma, which reduces eye pressure but also happens to grow lashes. Both are also known as bimatoprost ophthalmic solution. In early 2009, Allergan introduced the drug as a lash enhancer.

The commercial name of the medication may differ from the brand one. Generic Latisse manufactured by Ajanta is available under commercial name Bimat. Generic Latisse comes with one applicator brush.

However when using Latisse without seeing a doctor, the side effects may come as a big surprise. Among the common Side effects such as eye irritation are of temporary nature and they disappear after first few uses. Darkening of the eyelids close to the application area is also a common side effect. This is reversible by stopping the use of the Latisse solution.

Today you can easily find and buy Generic Latisse online at any online pharmacy store.
But it is insistently recommend to use this drug under doctor supervision only.
“When the F.D.A. approved this product for marketing, they made a determination that the side effects or misuse or inappropriate use could cause harm, and that’s why they restricted it to a prescription drug,” said Carmen A. Catizone, the executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which represents state agencies that regulate pharmacies and pharmacists. “If it was completely safe to use without doctor supervision, they would have deemed it over-the-counter.”

All doctors explain how to use the medication, even though you can easily find this info online.
Some doctors proscribe the medication without careful examination. In order to avoid any side effects that this product might cause you should insist on medical examination.



How to apply:

* Ensure the face is clean, makeup and contact lenses are removed.
* Once nightly, place one drop of LATISSE (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution)0.03% on the disposable sterile applicator supplied with the package and apply evenly along the skin of the upper eyelid margin at the base of the eyelashes. The upper lid margin in the area of lash growth should feel lightly moist wijavascript:void(0)thout runoff.
* Dispose of the applicator after one use.
* Repeat for the opposite eyelid margin using a new sterile applicator.

7/19/10

Generic drug prices to drop



For years, credible online pharmacies have charged too much for generic medications. Generics are copycat versions of brand-name drugs, allowed once patents expire. They're clinically identical, but much cheaper to produce. Clinically, there is no difference!

No one outside the industry knows the precise manufacturing cost. Generic drugs online are cheaper than their brand name equivalents because the manufacturers do not have the research and development costs associated with bringing new drugs to the market.

What we have is access to brand name as well as generic over-the-counter medication with choice for patients and competition between manufacturers, which brings prices down.

Manufacturers determine what to charge for generic drugs and governments set the prices they will pay for publicly funded medications.


Under the deal, the cost of generic prescription drugs will drop from 65 per cent of the brand name cost to 35 per cent.
Studies suggest a fair estimate would be 35 per cent or less of the brand-name equivalent. Yet pharmacies have been collaborating with manufacturers to charge 65 per cent of the patent-protected medications' prices.

The government's clean-up of generic online pharmaceuticals is an excellent start.
The drop started from Canada. "By requiring the generic drug industry to reduce its excessive prices, the government is doing its job to ensure the sustainability of Quebec's Prescription Drug Insurance Plan," stated Rx&D president Russell Williams, noting that the generic drugs sold in Canada are among the most expensive in the world.

British Columbia is joining Ontario in cracking down on the rising cost of generic prescription drugs. But the province is avoiding the kind of highly public fight Ontario’s government had with the country’s largest drug store chains by offsetting lower revenue with new funding to expand pharmacy services, sources say.

British Columbia spends more than $900 million annually on prescription drugs through its PharmaCare program, The Globe and Mail said. Generic drugs are capturing a greater percentage of that amount, totaling $286 million in fiscal year 2008-09.

The B.C. government will announce on Friday that it will cut the price of generic drugs by reducing rebates manufacturers pay to pharmacies in return for selling their products, industry sources familiar with the plan said. Unlike Ontario, British Columbia will not abolish the rebates altogether, the sources said.

6/25/10

Health Care Reform Law Fills in the Hole Gradually Between Now and 2020




Before President Obama signed health care reform, Medicare beneficiaries first paid a deductible of $310 for online prescription drugs. Then Medicare pays 75 percent of charges up to $2,830. After that, coverage would stop cold until all of a senior’s out of pocket spending totalled $4,550. For those who reached this level of cost, which the government calls catastrophic, Medicare picked up again and covers 95 percent of the beneficiary’s drug bills.

The new health care reform law fills in the hole gradually between now and 2020. This year only, Medicare will send about 4 million people who reach the donut threshold a one-time rebate check of $250.

According to Peter Ashkenaz, a spokesperson for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, seniors will receive their checks about a month after they reach the donut hole.

Next year, Ashkenaz explained Medicare patients will receive a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs and a 7 percent discount generic drug brands. “If people need more, they could qualify for extra help and should talk to their state health insurance program and Social Security office to apply for extra help,” he said. The hole will be gradually filled a bit more each year after until it is completely closed over the course of the decade.

Medicare beneficiaries will receive a monthly mailing from Medicare showing how far along they are in spending.

A looming problem, Ashkenaz added, is that seniors need to be wary of scams. For instance, criminals have called seniors to say they are from Medicare and only need your Social Security number and bank information to deposit the $250 in your account.\

Political movers and shakers could not easily deny coverage to very sick people, so they agreed that Medicare should pay for medicine beyond amounts they said would be financially catastrophic for people. So instead of simply stopping coverage at a certain point, they ceased drug reimbursements at a midpoint and agreed to pick up spending again when people reach devastating amounts – amounts attained by a relatively small percentage of Medicare beneficiaries.

6/23/10

Obama Health Care Plan

PRESIDENT OBAMA marked the 90-day anniversary of signing the health care bill into law by saying that Americans across the country are already seeing the effect of the health care bill.

The insurance rules, all of which are set out in the new law, were put in the bill by the Obama administration and its Democratic allies to provide Americans with some early protections until the insurance market is completely overhauled in 2014.

The regulations, all of which were outlined in the original legislation, include:

• Barring insurance plans, with some exceptions, from denying coverage to children under 19 with preexisting medical conditions.
• Prohibiting insurers from rescinding coverage except in clear cases of fraud.
• Prohibiting insurance companies from imposing lifetime limits on what they will pay for care.
• Banning insurers from imposing annual limits of less than $750,000 on coverage of essential benefits including maternity care, emergency services and pharmaceuticals. (The minimum annual limit would rise to $2 million by 2014.)
• Prohibiting insurers from requiring that their customers get prior approval before getting emergency care outside the provider network.


With some exceptions, insurance plans starting after September will no longer be able to deny coverage to children under 19 with pre-existing medical conditions or to rescind coverage except in clear cases of fraud.

In all polls, independent voters are more disapproving of Obama and of the Democrats’ health legislation than not.
There have, though, been some instances where the influence of powerful corporate lobbies has been clear. They won obvious victories in defeating amendments on the floor or in committee on issues such as drug reimportation from abroad, bringing online generic drugs to market more quickly, and closing the so-called Medicare prescription drug “donut hole” (by which Medicare covers prescription costs up to $2,700 and over $6,154 but not in between).


What are the initial changes Americans will experience in the new Health Care bill?
Do you feel the changes in the health care payment system will be better for America?
Why do so many Americans seem to be against the new health care bill?
what does the new health care bill mean for middle class americans?



6/22/10

Symptoms of 'Male Menopause' Unzipped


Scientists have for the first time identified the symptoms associated with what has been termed late-onset hypogonadism or 'male menopause' caused by a reduction in testosterone production in aging men.


But the researchers say that unlike the female menopause, which affects all women, the male menopause is relatively rare, affecting only 2% of elderly men, and is often linked to poor general health and obesity.


The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, should provide new guidance to physicians prescribing male testosterone therapy, a practice that has increased by 400% in the United States, though not elsewhere, since 1999.

The University of Manchester researchers, working with colleagues at Imperial College London, UCL (University College London) and other European partners, measured the testosterone levels of 3,369 men between the ages of 40 and 79 years from eight European centres and asked details about their sexual health, physical and psychological health.

The team found that only nine of the 32 candidate symptoms were actually associated with low testosterone levels, the most important being the three sexual symptoms -- decreased frequency of morning erection, decreased frequency of sexual thoughts (sex drive), and erectile dysfunction.

The study concluded that the presence of all three sexual symptoms, together with low testosterone levels, was required to establish a diagnosis of late-onset hypogonadism, although other non-sexual symptoms may also be present.

These other symptoms included three physical symptoms -- an inability to engage in vigorous activity, such as running or lifting heavy objects, an inability to walk more than 1km, and an inability to bend, kneel or stoop -- and three psychological symptoms -- loss of energy, sadness, and fatigue. However, these non-sexual symptoms were only weakly related to low testosterone.

Additional symptoms often said to be associated with the male menopause but which the study was able to discount as not being testosterone related included changes in sleeping pattern, poor concentration, feeling worthless, nervousness or anxiety and difficulty getting up from a chair.

"The diagnosis of classical hypogonadism is corroborated by underlying diseases affecting the testes or pituitary gland, which controls testicular function, but this well-practiced diagnostic approach is frequently found wanting when dealing with the age-related decline of testosterone in elderly men who are prone to have a significant background of non-hormone-related complaints," said lead author Professor Fred Wu, from The University of Manchester's School of Biomedicine.

"Our findings have for the first time identified the key symptoms of late-onset hypogonadism and suggest that testosterone treatment may only be useful in a relatively small number of cases where androgen deficiency is suspected, since many candidate symptoms of classic hypogonadism were not associated with decreased testosterone levels in older men."

The research, part of the European Union-funded European Male Ageing Study, also identified the thresholds of testosterone below which certain symptoms become increasingly prevalent. Documentation of levels of testosterone below these thresholds is required to confirm the diagnosis of hypogonadism in symptomatic elderly men.

However, even with the nine rigorously selected symptoms, differences in testosterone levels between symptomatic and non-symptomatic men were marginal, highlighting the weak overall association between symptoms and testosterone levels.

Professor Wu added: "The long list of nonspecific symptoms that have a potential association with testosterone deficiency makes it difficult to establish a clear diagnosis of late-onset hypogonadism. This situation is further complicated when you consider that even the most specific sexual symptoms of androgen deficiency was relatively common among men with normal testosterone levels.

"It is therefore important to specify the presence of all three sexual symptoms of the nine testosterone-related symptoms we identified, together with low testosterone, in order to increase the probability of correctly diagnosing late-onset hypogonadism. The application of these new criteria should guard against the excessive diagnosis of hypogonadism and curb the unwise use of testosterone therapy in older men."

6/8/10

100 million women around the world start each day by swallowing it







If some imaginative person had made a birthday cake for it, she – it would have had to be a she – might have put 100 million candles on it. For that represents the number of women around the world who start each day by swallowing it.

Yasmin is a birth control pill – known generically as the Pill – and many celebrated its 50th birthday on May 9th with justifiable gratitude and fanfare.

May 9, 1960, is one of those days that will shine bright in American history: it is the day that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the sale of the tiny pill that gave women control over their fertility. The FDA's "blessing" attested to the safety of hormonal contraception, or "birth control," in the words of Margaret Sanger. The Pill changed the world.



When it was approved, 500,000 women in the U.S. were already taking it, according to the recent Time cover story. This number would continue to swell rapidly, leading The
A recently released National Survey of Family Growth study found that the Pill is "the most popular method [of contraception] in the United States, used by 10.7 million women between the ages of 15 and 44. The Economist's crystal ball seems to be working well.

The early years in the life of the Pill were relatively easy ones. Millions of women "embraced" it, whatever the public arguments were for or against its use. It was an effective and convenient way to avoid pregnancy.

Most saw its promise in offering a different life beyond child rearing. More women were able to imagine a life that included both children and job. The results soon became plain: more companies, no longer afraid that women would leave as soon as they conceived a baby, eagerly opened their doors. Congress passed Title IX in 1972, ending not only discrimination in college athletics for female undergraduates, but also throwing open the doors of law, medical, and business schools to women.

But in the 1990s, the recent cover story in Time reported, when the Pill was about 20 years old, a backlash developed. The impetus for the counter-revolution started, or was ramped up, by organized religions and conservative political advocacy groups. The Catholic hierarchy consistently opposed the Pill from its inception, even though in 1970, "two-thirds of Catholic women were using birth control and more than a quarter were on the Pill." Many Evangelical Christian denominations followed suit, framing their disapproval in the context of what "God intends in marriage." Church leaders proclaimed that "using contraception can weaken the marital bond by separating sex from procreation."

On the eve of its 50th birthday, Katherine Spillar, Ms. magazine's executive editor, summed up the precarious situation in which the Pill currently finds itself: "We're still fighting those battles in Congress [like allowing hospital workers and pharmacists who have moral qualms about contraception to refuse to fill prescriptions]. To think that in 2010, 50 years after the birth control Pill, we still have to fight for access and effective family planning – it's painful."

If women gaining access to the Pill is painful in the U.S., it is infinitely more painful for women in the developing world. Investigative journalist Michelle Goldberg writes of this dilemma in her book, The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World. In her concluding chapter, "Sex and Chaos," she paints a frightening picture of what will happen if we do not provide women in the developing world with the family-planning help many so desperately desire.

In developing countries overall, 15 percent of married women, and "seven percent of unmarried women have ... an unmet need for contraception," Goldberg writes. "This means they are sexually active, do not want to become pregnant, and yet are not using birth control." In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of unmarried women with an unmet need for online contraception is 24 percent and in many Latin American countries, "more than 40 percent of births were unwanted."

5/31/10

Global generic drug industry


Unlike other parts of the pharmaceutical industry, the generics industry has been favored on Wall Street since President Obama unveiled his healthcare plan.

The US represents one of the world’s largest economies. The country’s per capita income and spending are rated among the highest in the world. On the back of rapidly growing consumer spending on branded products, total healthcare spending of the US reached up to an estimated value of around US$ 2.5 Trillion in 2009, which appears very high when compared to the population. The government is now emphasizing to minimize the healthcare spending by using generics drugs and promoting other low cost healthcare. This has created huge opportunities in the country’s generics industry.

The US generics market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 8.8% during 2010-2013, says our recent research report “Booming US Generic Drug Market”. Currently, the market growth is largely fuelled by the emergence of new products as patents of branded drugs are getting expired, and the trend is likely to continue over the next 3-4 years also. Anticipating the future growth, big pharma players are making deals with some generics manufactures from the Asian countries, like India, to access their products and market them in the US. This trend will emerge more strongly during our forecast period, providing opportunities to the local players to widen their product portfolios.

All of the top five rated generic drug companies and over two-thirds of the 44 companies in the index are based outside of the United States; so a Global Generic Drug ETF would provide investors with access to this rapidly consolidating industry. Most of the companies in the index are small and mid caps with Teva Pharma (TEVA) as the industry leader in terms of market cap and sales, which is about to get even bigger with its pending acquisition of Barr Pharma (BRL).

Trends in favor of the global generic drug industry include the following: nearly $70B in brand name drug sales with looming generic competition through 2012, push to increase generic substitution rates from 65% of all prescriptions dispensed to over 70% to save money for the consumers and the government (through Medicare Part D spending), continued industry consolidation of small and mid-caps by industry leaders such as Teva and Mylan Labs (MYL), and the potential for legislation next year regarding generic versions of high-cost biological agents – with Momenta Pharma (MNTA) as a pure-play in this space with a pending ANDA for a generic version of the injectable blood thinner Lovenox, which had nearly $4B in sales last year for Sanofi-Aventis (SNY).

5/18/10

How do you live with manic depression?


Depression often results from combination of factors - personal experiences, financial problems, tension or trauma in personal life. Whatever be the cause, depression is not just a state of mind. It is related to physical changes in the brain too. Depression is associated with an imbalance of neurotransmitters (chemicals that carries signals in your brain and nerves) in the brain.

Manic depressive - What does it mean?
Manic depressive refers to mood swings from overly “high” (manic) to overly “low” (depressed). Another name for manic-depressive illness is bipolar disorder. This refers to a person’s mood alternating between “poles” of mania (highs) and depression (lows). Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual changes in the person’s mood, energy, and ability to function.

About 700,000 Britons suffer from some form of the illness. Not only does it have a desperate effect on their lives, but on their families, too.
During the manic period, patients lose their sense of judgment and sense of what is normal, explains Dr Tuhina Lloyd, the consultant psychiatrist at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS trust who is overseeing Andrew's treatment.

They often think that they are immune from the usual rules of law, from death or social restraints, and so take risks that they would not usually consider, which can make them a danger to themselves and others,' says Dr Lloyd.

The depressive cycle is characterized by sadness, sometimes suicidal tendencies, or simply an inability to face the world. It affects people from all walks of life, but many of them go undiagnosed.

Often they don't suffer the acute manic phase that puts them in hospital and gets them diagnosed.
In many people, the mania is not so obvious and may take the form of irritability or anger or agitation - and people can easily go through life being thought of simply as very difficult to live with.
Often, when a diagnosis is made, it can be a relief for family members, and although it doesn't make living with the illness easier, it helps them to rationalise what is happening to the person they love.'

Paciants usually feeling better when sticking to the drug regimen - which includes mood stabilisers lithium and sodium valporete, and antidepressants.

Before you buy antidepressants online do not forget to consult your doctor for your individual depression treatment.

5/5/10

Abortion is NOT Birth Control



The teen pregnancy rate in the USA rose 3% in 2006, the first increase in more than a decade, according to data out today. The data also show higher rates of births and abortions among girls 15-19.
The numbers, calculated by the Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit group that studies reproductive and sexual health, show a clear reversal from the downward trend that began in the 1990s.
About 7% of teen girls got pregnant in 2006, a rate of 71.5 pregnancies per 1,000 teens. That's up slightly from 69.5 in 2005, Guttmacher says. In 1990, when rates peaked, about 12% got pregnant.

A new survey from the Guttmacher Institute reveals that poor women are obtaining abortions in greater numbers than women from other income brackets.

The survey occurred during an economic recession, which may account for some of the substantial increase in poverty among abortion patients between 2000 and 2008…. More indirectly, recent studies have found that because of financial constraints, women want to delay childbearing or limit the number of children they have, but these same constraints have made it harder for them to access contraceptives and to use them consistently. In these situations, poor women may have found it more difficult than better-off women to buy contraceptives online and prevent unintended pregnancies. Additionally, when confronted with an unintended pregnancy during the recession, poor women who might have felt equipped to support a child (or another child) in financially stable times may have decided that they simply were not equipped to do so now.

Help to Prevent Abortion.
The world of contraceptions nowadays is much more variable than several decades ago. Among all of them a woman should find what is the most suitable for her. This may take time in order to try different variants and finally chose the best. The main factors a woman should pay her attention to are: effectiveness of the drug, safety, comfortability, price and quality of the medication. Before starting a treatment, gather facts about your general health, lifestyle and types of personal relations you have. It is advisable to consult your doctor about all possible kinds of contraceptives.

You can find detailed information about contrateptives and buy contraceptives online at any online pharmacy store. Keep in mind that the most popular contraceptive online is Yasmin

Suicidal Risks Among Antidepressants

Antidepressants have risen to the top spot as the most commonly prescribed class of medications in the U.S., according to a report published last year in the Archives of General Psychiatry. While there are a multitude of options when it comes to prescription antidepressants online, they all have one thing in common: a similar risk of suicide.

While antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and must carry a "black box" warning stating that they can increase a person's likelihood of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, there is very little difference between the many drug choices. The benefit is that doctors do not have to factor in this issue when prescribing an antidepressant, but rather base their choice on the needs of the patient and what they think will work best for them.

A recent study reviewed data on 287,543 adults living in Canada who had been prescribed antidepressants between the years 1997 and 2005. Of that group, 751 had attempted suicide and 104 completed the act. Evaluating the medications of those 854 individuals found that there was no discernable difference in risk between the more common SSRI meds (Prozac, Zoloft, Lexipro, Paxil, etc.) and tricyclic antidepressants (Elevil, Equilibrin, Noveril, among others).

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are very often used to treat depression. Research published last December showed that patients who took this kind of antidepressant experienced more positive emotions, were much more outgoing and more emotionally stable in the long run. They showed substantial improvements in their depression when compared to those that were taking a placebo, and saw a significant decrease in neuroticism and an increase in extroversion when compared to those that were taking the placebo.

According to Columbia University researchers, there were around 27 million Americans the age of six and older by 2005 taking antidepressant medications. Also of note is the fact that antidepressant drug usage has increased, and the use of psychotherapy has decreased. In the past, medications in conjunction to psychological treatments were prescribed for treating depression, but prescription therapy is the more common approach these days.

With the growing concerns of Americans on the economy, increasing unemployment rates, foreclosures, and bankruptcy filings, the number of people developing depression symptoms is set to continue its climb upwards. Depression is a serious condition and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Seek medical attention if you or a loved one shows signs of depression.

5/3/10

What You Need to know About Depression Medication


If you’re suffering from major depression, antidepressant treatment may relieve some of your symptoms. Antidepressants aren’t a silver bullet for depression, and they come with their own side effects and dangers. Plus, recent studies have raised questions about their effectiveness.

Learning the facts about antidepressants and weighing the benefits against the risks can help you make an informed and personal decision about whether medication is right for you.

Experts agree that depression involves much more than just “bad” brain chemistry. Serotonin is just one of many factors that may play a role in the disorder. New research points to other biological contributors to depression, including inflammation, elevated stress hormones, immune system suppression, abnormal activity in certain parts of the brain, nutritional deficiencies, and shrinking brain cells. And these are just the biological causes of depression. Social and psychological factors – such as loneliness, lack of exercise, poor diet, and low self-esteem – also play an enormous role in depression.

Researchers agree that when depression is severe, medication can be helpful – even life saving. However,research shows that antidepressants fall short for many people. A major government study released in 2006 showed that less than 50 percent of people become symptom-free on antidepressants, even after trying two different medications. Furthermore, many who do respond to medication slip back into major depression within a short while, despite sticking with drug treatment.

Other studies show that the benefits of depression medication have been exaggerated – with some researchers concluding that, when it comes to mild to moderate depression, antidepressants are only slightly more effective than placebos.

If you have severe depression that’s interfering with your ability to function, medication may be right for you. However, many people buy antidepressants Zoloft online when therapy, exercise, or self-help strategies would work just as well or better – minus the side effects. Therapy can also help you get to the bottom of your underlying issues and develop the tools to beat depression for good.

Questions to ask yourself and a mental health professional

  • Is my depression severe enough to justify drug treatment?
  • Is medication the best option for treating my depression?
  • Am I willing to tolerate unwanted side effects?
  • What non-drug treatments might help my depression?
  • Do I have the time and motivation to pursue other treatments such as therapy and exercise?
  • What self-help strategies might reduce my depression?
  • If I decide to take medication, should I pursue therapy as well?

Questions to ask your doctor

  • Are there any medical conditions that could be causing my depression?
  • What are the side effects and risks of the antidepressant you are recommending?
  • Are there any foods or other substances I will need to avoid?
  • How will this drug interact with other prescriptions I’m taking?
  • How long will I have to take this medication?
  • Will withdrawing from the drug be difficult?
  • Will my depression return when I stop taking medication?

4/30/10

What you should know about Antibiotics.




Thanks to medical and drug research, there are thousands of drugs that help people. Antibiotics and vaccines have revolutionized the treatment of infections. Medicines can lower blood pressure, treat diabetes, and reduce the body's rejection of new organs. Medicines can cure, slow, or prevent disease, helping us to lead healthier and happier lives. But there are also lots of illegal, harmful drugs that people take to help them feel good or have a good time.

Antibiotics are one of the most revolutionary discoveries of the 20th century. Since their introduction in 1941, they have relieved and prevented incalculable suffering. In the right setting, antibiotics are a powerful, lifesaving tool.

Antibiotics are used to treat infections caused by bacteria. The very first antibiotic discovered was penicillin, and it's still widely used to treat many common infections. In the UK, antibiotics are only available on prescription from a doctor, a nurse prescriber or a dentist.

Antibiotics (antibacterials) are drugs derived wholly or partially from bacteria or molds and are used to treat bacterial infections.
Antibiotics either kill microorganisms or stop them from reproducing, allowing the body's natural defenses to eliminate them.

Each antibiotic is effective only against certain bacteria. In selecting an antibiotic to treat a person with an infection, doctors estimate which bacteria are likely to be the cause. You can always find antibiotics and buy antibiatics online.

Types of Antibiotics:

Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics.

* Penicillins such as penicillin and amoxicillin
* Cephalosporins such as cephalexin (Keflex)
* Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), and azithromycin (Zithromax)
* Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and ofloxacin (Floxin)
* Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim)
* Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) and doxycycline (Vibramycin)
* Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex)

Most antibiotics have 2 names, the trade or brand name, created by the drug company that manufactures the drug, and a generic name, based on the antibiotic's chemical structure or chemical class. Trade names such as Keflex and Zithromax are capitalized. Generics such as cephalexin and azithromycin are not capitalized.

Combinations of antibiotics are sometimes needed to treat the following:

* Severe infections, particularly during the first days when the bacteria's susceptibility to antibiotics is not known
* Certain infections caused by bacteria that rapidly develop resistance to a single antibiotic
* Infections caused by more than one type of bacteria if each type is susceptible to a different antibiotic

More about Amoxicillin
Amoxicillin is an antibiotic in the penicillin group of drugs. It fights bacteria in your body. Amoxicillin is used to treat many different types of infections caused by bacteria, such as ear infections, bladder infections, pneumonia, gonorrhea, and E. coli or salmonella infection. Amoxicillin is also sometimes used together with another antibiotic called clarithromycin (Biaxin) to treat stomach ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori infection. This combination is sometimes used with a stomach acid reducer called lansoprazole (Prevacid).