Common Drugs (common + drug)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Clinical Pharmacology of Oxymorphone

PAIN MEDICINE, Issue 2009
Howard S. Smith MD
ABSTRACT Oxymorphone (14-hydroxydihydromorphinone) is primarily a potent ,-opioid receptor agonist with oral immediate-release (IR) and extended-release (ER) formulations approved in the United States in 2006. The oral oxymorphone formulations are roughly three times more potent than oral morphine. It is more lipophilic than morphine and, thus, may more easily cross the blood-brain barrier because it differs from morphine having a ketone-group substituent at the C-6 position. Oxymorphone IR is indicated for the relief of moderate,to severe pain, while oxymorphone ER is indicated for persistent pain. Initial doses (opioid-naïve) are 10,20 mg every 4,6 hours (IR) and 5 mg every 12 hours (ER). Oxymorphone was found not to have any clinically significant cytochrome (CYP)3A4, CPY2C9, or CYP2D6 interactions, thus limiting its potential for causing some of the more common drug,drug interactions via the CYP450 system. The common adverse effects of oxymorphone are consistent with those commonly seen with other opioid, including nausea/vomiting, constipation, pruritis, pyrexia, somnolence, and sedation. [source]


Bretylium in the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome: uncommon side-effect of a common drug

ANAESTHESIA, Issue 2 2003
Article first published online: 23 SEP 200
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Herb,drug interactions: Review and assessment of report reliability

BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 5 2001
Adriane Fugh-Berman
Aims, The aim of this systematic review was to assess the published clinical evidence on interactions between herbal and conventional drugs. Methods, Four electronic databases were searched for case reports, case series or clinical trials of such interactions. The data were extracted and validated using a scoring system for interaction probability. Results, One hundred and eight cases of suspected interactions were found. 68.5% were classified as ,unable to be evaluated', 13% as ,well-documented' and 18.5% as ,possible' interactions. Warfarin was the most common drug (18 cases) and St John's wort the most common herb (54 cases) involved. Conclusion, Herb,drug interactions undoubtedly do occur and may put individuals at risk. However our present knowledge is incomplete and more research is urgently needed. [source]


Drug-induced methaemoglobinaemia presenting with angina following the use of dapsone

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2003
A. Salamat
Summary Anaemia may result in tissue hypoxia which may induce or exacerbate symptoms of ischaemia. Tissue hypoxia may however also result from the presence of haemoglobin with altered oxygen-binding characteristics. Drug-induced methaemoglobinaemia in which oxygen is irreversibly bound to haemoglobin may complicate the use of some common drugs. This condition may result in severe tissue hypoxia, which is rapidly and cheaply reversed by methylene blue. [source]


The new Swedish Prescribed Drug Register,Opportunities for pharmacoepidemiological research and experience from the first six months,

PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 7 2007
Björn Wettermark M.Sc.Pharm
Abstract Purpose To describe the content and potentials of the new Swedish national register on prescribed and dispensed medicines. Methods The Swedish Prescribed Drug Register contains information about age, sex and unique identifier of the patient as well as the prescriber's profession and practice. Information regarding drug utilization and expenditures for prescribed drugs in the entire Swedish population was extracted from the first six months July,December 2005 and compared with total drug sales in the country including OTC and hospital use. Results The total quantity of drugs sold in Sweden was 2666 million DDDs, corresponding to 1608 DDD/1000 inhabitants daily. The total expenditures were 1.6 billion Euro. The prescribed drugs, included in the register, accounted for 84% of the total utilization and 77% of the total expenditures. About half of all men and two-thirds of all women in the country purchased drugs. The proportion increased by age. The most common drugs for chronic treatment were diuretics among women (8.8% of the population) and antithrombotic agents among men (7.6%). Psychotropic drugs, corticosteroids and analgesics were more common among women, while men used antithrombotic agents, antidiabetic drugs, lipid lowering agents and ACE inhibitors to a greater extent. Conclusions The new register provides valuable data on exposure to drugs and is useful to study patterns of drug utilization. The possibilities for record linkage to other health registers gives from an international perspective good opportunities to explore drug and disease associations and the risks, benefits, effectiveness and health economical effects of drug use. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The influence of polymorphisms of VKORC1 and CYP2C9 on major gastrointestinal bleeding risk in anticoagulated patients

BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2008
Ramón Montes
Summary The VKORC1 c.,1639G>A and CYP2C9 c.430C>T and c.1075A>C polymorphisms have been associated with increased sensitivity to oral anticoagulants. However, their role in gastrointestinal bleeding is unknown. We studied the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding associated with these polymorphisms, and how this risk was influenced by the anticoagulant dose and the use of common drugs. Eighty-nine patients with gastrointestinal bleeding during acenocoumarol therapy and 177 patients free of bleeding during acenocoumarol therapy were studied. None of the three polymorphisms constituted a serious gastrointestinal bleeding risk factor. However, patients bearing at least one of these polymorphisms were at high risk, when they simultaneously met one of the following conditions: a weekly dose of acenocoumarol higher than 15 mg [adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI) = 4·19 (1·59,11·04)]; amiodarone use [adjusted OR (95% CI) = 9·97 (1·75,56·89)]; or aspirin use [adjusted OR (95% CI) = 8·97 (1·66,48·34)]. The consumption of statins was associated with a lower risk of gastrointestinal bleeding [adjusted OR = 0·50 (0·26,0·99)]. The risk of gastrointestinal bleeding during acenocoumarol therapy in carriers of any of the studied polymorphisms is severely increased with exposure to weekly doses of acenocoumarol higher than 15 mg or the use of amiodarone or aspirin. [source]


Clinical presentation, pathological features and natural course of metastatic uveal melanoma (MUM) as an orphan and commonly fatal disease

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2009
R VAN GINDERDEUREN
Purpose Uveal melanoma (UM) is a rare disease characterized by an unpredictable course and variable outcome ranging from cure by local treatment to the occurrence of untreatable metastasis. The current project is focused on the characteristics of the metastatic phenotype of the disease Methods We performed data collection from 76 pts with MUM treated in Leuven between 1957-2008. Statistical analysis involved nonparametric technics, Kaplan Meyer and log rank test Results The median age at diagnosis of UM was 58 yrs (range 30-94). Common initial treatments were surgery (71%), brachytherapy (20%) and external beam RT (7%). Synchronous metastasis was found in only 9% of cases, all others had metachronous disease after a median interval of 40 mo (range, 7-420). Metastasis in >1 organ, was seen in 47% of cases. The most frequent metastatic site was the liver (96%), followed by lung, subcutaneous, bone and brain lesions. The median OS from diagnosis of UM was 46 months (range, 2-182), and only 4,5 months in pts with MUM (range, 1-128). 65% of MUM pts qualified for further treatment, The most common drugs given were DTIC, cisplatin, tamoxifen or phase I agents. Patient benefit (PR+SD) was seen in 16/45 pts (36%), including 2 PR Conclusion In this orphan disease with female predominance metastasis occurs late, is mainly found to the liver, and is associated with high morbidity, as >1/3 of pts do not qualify for further therapy. Advances in MUM can only be achieved by networking of sites interested in this tumour type with systematic collection of data and tissue to improve our understanding of the molecular biology of the disease [source]


Effect of oral naloxone hydrochloride on gastrointestinal transit in premature infants treated with morphine

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 3 2009
Ranaa Akkawi
Abstract Background: Opioids are common drugs for pain treatment in preterm newborn infants, in spite of several adverse effects. Constipation is a frequent problem when opioids are used in both adults and neonates. Although several studies indicate that the oral administration of naloxone hydrochloride (NH) improves intestinal motility during opioid therapy, there is still a lack of evidence in newborns. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of NH against reduced intestinal motility during opioid treatment. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed. We analysed the medical records of fifteen infants (Group 1) treated with continuous morphine (MO) infusion and fourteen infants (Group 2) treated with both oral NH (3 ,g/kg 4 times daily) and MO. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the total MO dose. Infants treated both with NH and MO had a tendency to improve their mean stool frequency/day. A statistically significant improvement was observed in the mean total food intake (mL/kg/day) of the infants treated with NH (p = 0.014). No difference in the mean food retention between the two groups was observed. Conclusion: Orally administrated NH seems to improve intestinal motility resulting in increased food intake/day and improved stool frequency/day in premature newborn infants treated with MO. Further studies are needed to corroborate these findings. [source]


The rhinological side-effects of systemic drugs

CLINICAL OTOLARYNGOLOGY, Issue 5 2003
N.D. Bateman
Patients often present to otolaryngologists with nasal symptoms where no cause is apparent. A number of patients seen in outpatient departments are taking medication for other conditions and the adverse affects of these drugs may potentially be the source of these symptoms. In this short review, we present an overview of the more common drugs that may be responsible and outline the possible mechanisms where these are known. [source]