The Food and Drug Administration is changing dispensing requirements for the drug clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, and to treat suicidal behavior in individuals with the disorders.
Sixteen cases of a drug-resistant strain of “super-gonorrhea” have been reported in England, which the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV says used to be quite rare.
The authors of a new study are warning that long-term use of antipsychotic drugs, used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric illnesses, may negatively impact brain structure.
A new report by the Centers for Disease Control explains, at least partly, why the numbers of children being diagnosed with ADHD have skyrocketed in recent years: many of these youngsters (1 in 5, actually) have been improperly diagnosed.
The number of children diagnosed with ADHD jumped 42% from 2004 to 2011. As of 2011, an astonishing 6.4 million tykes were diagnosed with the disorder and placed in therapy, fed powerful mind-altering drugs, or both.
Antipsychotic drugs are being prescribed to an ever-increasing number of adolescents and young adults, and many of them are being prescribed for off-label purposes. But these over-prescriptions are putting youngsters at risk, though we’re slow as a society to change our med-heavy ways.
These powerful medications are being prescribed to young people with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition the drugs are not approved to treat.
A recently published study in the journal Pediatrics adds more credence to experts’ warnings that the overuse of antibiotics is making people sick, including the littlest of patients. Researchers now say that antibiotics increase children’s risk of developing juvenile arthritis, a painful and chronic disease. [1]
This week, a pharmaceutical company called Sprout Pharmaceuticals may win approval for the first ‘female Viagra’ drug to boost women’s sexual desire. [1]
On Thursday, the FDA approved the powerful painkiller OxyContin for use in children ages 11 to 16 who have severe, long-term pain.
The extended-release opioid has been used for years to treat constant pain in adults, but it is one of the few prescription painkillers approved for children. The only other known opioid drug approved for use in children is Duragesic, or the fentanyl patch. [1]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved a drug created by a 3D printer, in what is believed to be a first for the agency. The drug, Spritam, is made by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals and treats seizures. The medication is expected to reach the market in the first quarter of 2016. [1]
NPR reports:
Patients who take antidepressants with painkillers could be setting themselves up for deadly adverse events, new research suggests.
