Health Insight HeartHeart disease is the nation's biggest killer. Read our coverage of the latest news about risks and treatments from the annual meeting of the nation's largest group of heart doctors.
Health Insight
Heart And Circulatory->Features
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Are All NSAIDs Dangerous? - Source:Harvard Medical School CommentaryWith the withdrawal from the market of Vioxx and Bextra, suddenly all the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, are being tainted; that is, all of them except aspirin. However, most experts believe that the older NSAIDs do not pose much, if any, risk to the heart.
Harvard Commentaries->Healthy Heart
Health News->News Archives->Expert Q&As News Archives
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News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Many Don't Get Drugs To Prevent Bleeding - Source:A Perspective From The Harvard Medical SchoolMany patients who face a high risk of bleeding while taking certain pain medicines don't get a second medicine to prevent bleeding, the New York Times News Service reported October 6. The study is in the current issue of Gastroenterology 2005. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) increase the risk of stomach or intestinal bleeding. Among 300,000 Department of Veterans Affairs patients who took NSAIDS in 2002, only 27% of those with one extra risk for bleeding received drugs to counteract this risk, the Times news service said. About 40% of those with two extra risks got these drugs. NSAIDS include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib (Celebrex) and the recently withdrawn Vioxx and Bextra.
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Arthritis Research - Source:InteliHealth Medical ContentThere are some very exciting and promising therapies that appear to be able to target arthritis pain and inflammation with a low risk of side effects.
Arthritis->Basics
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News Review From Harvard Medical School -- FDA Rejects New Arthritis Drug - Source:A Perspective From The Harvard Medical SchoolThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has refused to approve a new arthritis drug. The Associated Press reported on the decision April 27. Arcoxia was developed by Merck & Co. to replace the drug Vioxx. Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market in 2004 because it doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Arcoxia works in a similar way, but Merck said its research showed the drug was safe. The FDA so far has not been satisfied with the research, however.
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News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Reducing Pain and Upset Stomach - Source:A Perspective From The Harvard Medical SchoolCombining an anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as naproxen and an acid-reducing proton pump inhibitor such as lansoprazole (Prevacid) may prevent stomach upset better than a COX-2 inhibitor pain reliever such as celecoxib (Celebrex), researchers say. Stomach upset can be a side effect of certain pain medicines. An analysis of previous research involving arthritis patients found that adding a proton pump inhibitor to an NSAID reduced stomach upset by 66%. Using a COX-2 inhibitor instead of the NSAID caused only a 12% reduction. The research was published in the May issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
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Treating Pain With Medications - Source:InteliHealth/Harvard Medical ContentA host of new pain medications give people with chronic pain more options than ever.
Chronic Pain->Take Action Now
Drug Resource Center->Condition-Specific Drug Issues->Pain
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Devil's Claw - Source:Natural StandardThe decision to use products containing or claiming to contain devil's claw should be carefully considered.
Complementary & Alternative Medicine->Herbal Medicines And Supplements->Index Of Herbal Medicines And Supplements
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Understanding Why Your Doctor Might Say No - Source:Harvard Medical School CommentaryDid you ever go to a doctor?s office with a request and leave without getting what you expected? Here are some of the reasons why you may leave your doctor?s office without the test, the referral or the prescription that you asked for.
Healthy Lifestyle->Basics->Your Doctor And You->What Your Doctor Is Saying
Harvard Commentaries->What Your Doctor Is Saying
Health News->News Archives->Expert Q&As News Archives
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News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Drug Studies Lag After Approval - Source:A Perspective From The Harvard Medical SchoolMost drug companies that pledged to continue studying the effects of recently approved drugs are slow in getting started on the studies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports. The annual report, released March 3, found that as of September 30, about 65% of the promised "post-marketing" studies were still not under way, the Associated Press reported.
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News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Clear Labeling Sought Amid Drug Warnings - Source:A Perspective From The Harvard Medical SchoolThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 18 announced changes to drug labels designed to help doctors quickly find the information they need to prescribe a drug safely, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The decision came one day before the FDA said it will require "black box" warnings of a potential cancer risk on the eczema drugs Elidel and Protopic, AP reported. In addition, the journal Annals of Internal Medicine reported online January 20 about three cases of serious liver problems, including one death, in patients who had taken the antibiotic telithromycin (Ketek).
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News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Heart Warning for 2 Diabetes Drugs - Source:A Perspective From The Harvard Medical SchoolThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require a "black box" warning on the label of the diabetes drug Avandia. The order was revealed June 6 during a hearing before Congress. The label will warn that the drug can increase rates of heart failure. A similar drug, Actos, also must carry this label. The hearing was held to discuss a recent study that found Avandia could increase the risk of heart attack 40%. Another study, released June 5 by the New England Journal of Medicine, found only a slight increase in heart attacks with Avandia. The Associated Press reported on these events June 5 and 7.
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News Review From Harvard Medical School -- More Heart Attacks With Diabetes Drug - Source:A Perspective From The Harvard Medical SchoolThe diabetes drug rosiglitazone may increase the risk of heart attack, a study has concluded. The drug is sold under the name Avandia. Researchers pooled the results of 42 earlier studies. They found that people who took Avandia had a 43% higher risk of heart attack than people who took other diabetes drugs. The Associated Press reported on the study May 21. It was published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Arthritis Medications - Source:InteliHealth Medical ContentUntil recently, conventional medical treatment for arthritic conditions relied on two categories of medications: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and disease-modifying drugs.
Arthritis->Take Action->Medications
Drug Resource Center->Condition-Specific Drug Issues->Arthritis And Arthritic Disorders
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Juvenile Arthritis - Source:InteliHealth Medical ContentArthritis involves inflammation of the joints that causes pain and swelling. When arthritis occurs in children younger than age 16, it is called juvenile arthritis.
Diseases and Conditions->A->Arthritic diseases->juvenile
Diseases and Conditions->J->Juvenile arthritis
Arthritis->Basics->Forms Of Arthritis->Less Common Forms Of Arthritis
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Are there any NSAIDs safe to take if I am allergic to aspirin and sulfa drugs? - Source:Harold J. DeMonaco, M.S.The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) include aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin and others), naproxen (Aleve and others), celecoxib (Celebrex), rofecoxib (Vioxx) and others.
Ask the Doc->Medications
Ask the Doc->Allergy
Allergy->Allergy
Drug Resource Center->Q&A
Chronic Pain->Pain
Low Back Pain->Pain
Ask the Doc->Pain
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News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Warnings Endorsed for ADHD Drugs - Source:A Perspective From The Harvard Medical SchoolA science advisory panel has recommended that a "black box" warning be added to the labels of stimulant drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the Associated Press reported February 9. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) often, but not always, follows the recommendations of its advisers. The recommendation came after release of an FDA report that found 25 people, 19 of them children, died between 1999 and 2003 while taking ADHD drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin.
