All posts tagged: Medication

Have you experienced a shortage in your NHS medication? We would like to hear from you | Pharmaceuticals industry

Have you experienced a shortage in your NHS medication? We would like to hear from you | Pharmaceuticals industry

Published by Sam Flores

Health leaders have warned Britons are facing some of the “most severe” shortages of NHS medicines on record, including common painkillers, epilepsy drugs and HRT. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned that medicine shortages pose a “serious risk to patient safety”. While the Middle East conflict has made supply chains more volatile, it is not the only factor driving shortages, the NPA said. Lack of ingredients, manufacturing disruption, the UK’s smaller medicines budget compared with other EU countries, and, in the case of HRT, changing prescribing habits have all played a part. We would like to hear whether you have experienced any shortages of your NHS medication. What has happened? How are you coping? Share your experience You can share your thoughts in the form below or by messaging us. We will get back to you before we publish any of your submission. Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. We will only use the data you provide us …

Popular over-the-counter gas medication sold in US recalled for possible contamination

Popular over-the-counter gas medication sold in US recalled for possible contamination

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more An over-the-counter medication for relieving gas and bloating has been recalled due to potential chemical contamination. According to a Thursday notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, manufacturing company Haleon has voluntarily recalled four lots of Gas-X Extra Strength Softgels, which were distributed to different retailers nationwide. “The lots are being recalled due to potential contamination with a diluted propylene glycol-based coolant from a machine leakage during the packaging process,” the company said in an announcement shared by the FDA. “There is a potential that ingestion of the Softgels contaminated with the diluted propylene glycol-based coolant may result in adverse events such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.” Affected Gas-X Extra Strength Softgels — made to quickly break up gas bubbles in …

When a Medication Side Effect Mimics Mental Illness

When a Medication Side Effect Mimics Mental Illness

Published by Jenni Sidey

Many adolescents are curious about medications and may be tempted to experiment with drugs they find at home. Unfortunately, even a single pill can sometimes produce unexpected and distressing consequences. A Lesson Michael Will Never Forget Michael was a 17-year-old honor student with no history of mental illness. One afternoon, while looking through his parents’ medicine cabinet, he noticed a prescription bottle labeled: “Take one tablet as needed for severe anxiety and agitation.” Curious about its effects, he swallowed one pill. Within an hour, Michael felt unusually calm and sleepy. He decided to take a nap. But when he woke up several hours later, something was terribly wrong. He felt an overwhelming inner restlessness unlike anything he had ever experienced. Sitting still became almost impossible. He paced around the house, shifted constantly from foot to foot, and found it painful to remain seated for more than a few moments. As the evening progressed, his anxiety intensified. He became increasingly irritable and unusually argumentative with his parents. That night, he slept very little. By the following …

Scientists discover how some people control HIV without daily medication

Scientists discover how some people control HIV without daily medication

Published by Jenni Sidey

For decades, HIV treatment has depended on one hard truth: once medication stops, the virus usually comes roaring back. Modern antiretroviral drugs can suppress HIV so effectively that many people live long, healthy lives. They can work, raise families and prevent transmission. Yet the virus never fully disappears. It hides deep inside immune cells, waiting for another chance to spread. Now, researchers from Aarhus University Hospital and international collaborators have uncovered new clues about how a small group of people managed to keep HIV under control for years without daily medication. Their findings suggest the immune system may be capable of doing what medicine alone has struggled to achieve. The key appears to lie in a powerful partnership between antibodies and T cells. Summary of assays performed. (CREDIT: Nature Immunology) “We can see that two branches of the immune system work together to control the virus. One targets one aspect of the virus, the other targets another. Together, they are effective enough to prevent the virus from escaping,” said Professor Ole Schmeltz Søgaard of Aarhus …

Parental mental health — not medication — drives autism correlation, study finds

Parental mental health — not medication — drives autism correlation, study finds

Published by Sam Flores

A sweeping new review of prenatal antidepressant use underscores a finding that has surfaced repeatedly throughout the last decade: While parental depression is strongly linked to child neurodevelopmental disorders, taking antidepressants during pregnancy does not appear to significantly increase a child’s risk of autism. In an analysis of 37 separate studies covering more than 25 million pregnancies, a research team from the University of Hong Kong found that children born to women who took antidepressants while pregnant were indeed more likely to later be diagnosed with autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But when the researchers took into account confounding factors such as a family history of neurodevelopmental disorders or mothers’ preexisting mental health conditions, the correlation disappeared. The data showed that children born to women with a history of depression were more likely to be diagnosed with autism or ADHD, regardless of whether their mother took psychiatric medication. Children were also more likely to be diagnosed with autism and ADHD if their fathers took antidepressants during their gestation, even if their mothers did not — …

I Was Just 7 Years Old When A Prescription Medication Made Me Try To End My Life

I Was Just 7 Years Old When A Prescription Medication Made Me Try To End My Life

Published by Jenni Sidey

My parents went through a nasty divorce when I was a kid, and I was depressed. I didn’t know what depression was, even when the court-assigned therapist expressed her concerns to my mother about it. I was only 6 years old when they diagnosed me and prescribed antidepressants. The truth is, I was a weird kid, largely in part due to the nasty divorce, but there were other, less horrible reasons, too. I preferred books to people. I liked making up games and stories to entertain myself more than watching TV or participating in group activities. I had few friends because my favorite things were reading and drawing, and I didn’t talk much because I was bullied by other kids and sometimes even teachers at school. I was just 7 years old when a prescription medication made me try to end my life Image courtesy of the author Even before my parents’ divorce, I had long-standing issues with sadness I discovered my penchant for moments of intense, seemingly incomprehensible despair when I was just about three years old. …

RFK Jr. wants to treat addiction on wellness farms, without medication : NPR

RFK Jr. wants to treat addiction on wellness farms, without medication : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The vineyard at San Patrignano outside Coriano, Italy. The community is home to 850 people all working to recover from alcohol and drug addiction. Elisabetta Zavoli/Getty hide caption toggle caption Elisabetta Zavoli/Getty During a combative Senate hearing last week, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat from Maryland, leaned forward and asked U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy about his vision for a national system of “wellness farms.” “You said every black kid can be reparented on a wellness farm, can you admit that you said that?” Alsobrooks said, describing the concept as “dangerous” and “irresponsible.” Alsobrooks was referring to one of Kennedy’s signature ideas to remake U.S. health and addiction care, by sending people to farm or work camps. Kennedy appeared startled by Alsobrooks’ question and quickly pushed back. “I would have to see, hear the recording because I have no memory of saying anything like that,” he testified, later adding, “If I said it, I apologize.” YouTube In fact, while running for the White House in 2024, Kennedy did speak at length about “reparenting” American children …

Can a common parasite medication calm the brain’s stress circuitry during alcohol withdrawal?

Can a common parasite medication calm the brain’s stress circuitry during alcohol withdrawal?

Published by José Betancourt

Alcohol use disorder affects tens of millions of people globally, resulting in massive economic costs and severe public health consequences. The chronic condition is defined by an inability to control drinking habits and the emergence of severe negative emotional states when the substance is removed. While several medications are approved to treat the disorder, they only work for a fraction of patients. In a recent study, researchers found that genetic markers related to a specific brain receptor predict the severity of alcohol dependence in rodents, and that administrating the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin reduces withdrawal-driven drinking. The study was published in the journal Neuropharmacology. Current pharmaceutical treatments for alcohol use disorder often fail to provide lasting relief because patients possess wide biological and genetic diversity. A chemical intervention that successfully curbs drinking in one person might produce side effects or show no measurable effect in another. For psychiatric treatments to improve, the medical field must adopt a precision medicine model that accounts for these deeply ingrained individual differences. A collaborative team of scientists, led by Paola …

Startup Approved to Let AI System Prescribe Psychiatric Medication

Startup Approved to Let AI System Prescribe Psychiatric Medication

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech You’ve probably heard of AI psychosis. Well, now get ready for AI psychiatrists — with prescription pads. A San Francisco startup called Legion Health has been approved to let its AI app prescribe psychiatric medications to patients in Utah As The Verge reports, there are efforts to keep the idea from becoming the disaster that it sounds like. The chatbot can only renew prescriptions for a specific set of medications, including fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and other substances used to treat anxiety and depression. It can only prescribe drugs that were previously prescribed by a human psychiatrist, and patients will also need to be stable and not have been hospitalized for a psychiatric condition in the last year. Despite those considerable carve-outs, experts are warning the system may do little to improve access to those who need care the most — while cracking the door to an ominous era for medicine. University of Utah School of Medicine psychiatrist …

Mississippi Lawmakers Send Bill That Criminalizes Abortion-Inducing Medication to Governor

Mississippi Lawmakers Send Bill That Criminalizes Abortion-Inducing Medication to Governor

Published by Sam Flores

People who distribute, or intend to distribute, abortion-inducing medication in Mississippi could face a criminal charge and up to 10 years in prison if convicted, under a bill lawmakers are sending to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves. Experts say criminalization could lock up desperate Mississippians and scare doctors away from prescribing these medications in clinical settings for non-abortion purposes, such as stopping postpartum hemorrhaging and easing symptoms of miscarriages. Lawmakers added restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs to a drug trafficking bill that passed the House 76-38 and the Senate 37-15 on Tuesday. Republicans control both chambers. “I think we’re going to end up trapping a lot of people into the criminal justice system simply because they want to have autonomy over their own bodies,” said Rep. Zakiya Summers, a Democrat from Jackson, who voted against the bill. Rep. Celeste Hurst, a Republican from Sandhill, said she introduced this amendment to keep abortion medication, such as mifepristone and misoprostol, from entering Mississippi. “The intent is to keep doctors from out of state from circumventing our current law,” Hurst …