MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'depressants'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:08:40 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097136&cid=t_102623_158_f&fid=38949&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAgingWithGraceCareconnection%2F%7E3%2F7piwh569rg8%2Fnew-anti-depressants-linked-to-falls.html The following is an interesting article that appeared in McKnight's Daily Update on August 4. Elderly patients being treated for depression may have better luck and fewer side effects with older tricyclic antidepressants rather than newer, more popular antidepressants such as Effexor and Prozac, a new study reports. Researchers say that while newer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are generally considered safe and effective, there have been fewer studies testing their safety and efficacy in senior citizens. SSRIs, which include Celexa, Paxil and Zoloft, recently have been linked to an increase in falls in the elderly. However, British researchers say tricyclics could be safer in people over 65, especially those at risk for falls. The University of Nottingham analyzed pres... Aging with Grace CareConnection blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097136 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:46:00 +0100 5097136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036528&cid=t_102623_140_f&fid=34844&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheicarusproject.net%2Falternative-treatments%2Fharm-reduction-guide-to-coming-off-meds-greek-translation The Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs, published by The Icarus Project and Freedom Center, is now available in Greek - thanks to the dedicated volunteer translation work of Marianna Kefallinou.You can download the Greek version here.Οδηγός Μείωσης της Βλάβης για τη Διακοπή των Ψυχιατρικών Φαρμάκων (Source: The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness) The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036528 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:25:03 +0100 5036528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984500&cid=t_102623_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F29%2Fan-epidemic-of-bad-infographics-depression%2F In an effort to keep trying to get people’s attention in an increasingly attention-deficit world, we get a lot of inquiries for links to websites promoting education programs and other affiliate websites. The latest effort is focused around “infographics,” those graphics made popular by the USA Today newspaper that combines an interesting graphical element with hard data. A well done infographic ostensibly makes data more engaging. A fantastic infographic puts data into proper perspective and gives it valuable context. What these marketing firms send me, however, are not fantastic or even well-done. So in the interests of demonstrating that any infographic can be worse than no infographic, I’m going to critique one of the latest ones to have come across my desk. It&... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984500 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:34:42 +0100 4984500 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4959999&cid=t_102623_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F22%2Fquality-in-primary-care-2011-vol-19-no-2%2F This article aims to assess the continuity of antidepressant therapy in the primary care setting and whether this therapy is conducted with appropriate review. (Print subscription held at Fade Library) Filed under: Current Awareness, Journals Tagged: Anti Depressants, Patient Monitoring, Primary Care (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4959999 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:51:07 +0100 4959999 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4389181&cid=t_102623_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Flexapro-for-treatment-of-hot-flashes%2F2011.01.23 In a well done placebo-controlled study published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), use of escitalopram (Lexapro) reduced hot flashes in menopausal women. Investigators enrolled 205 women, randomizing them to either Lexapro 10 mg or placebo, with instructions to increase to two pills a day if needed after four weeks. Lexapro users experienced about a 60 percent reduction in hot flash frequency over the eight-week study. About half ended up on the larger 20 mg daily dose by study’s end. The drug’s effect was apparent at about one week of use, and it was well tolerated. As in almost studies of menopausal treatments, the placebo group also experienced a significant reduction in symptoms — about 40 percent — but the difference between place... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4389181 Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:00:21 +0100 4389181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4186928&cid=t_102623_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F20%2Fpatent-medicine-redux-drug-ads-vs-psychotherapy%2F My father got his M.D. in 1930; I got mine in 1958. Insulin and penicillin came into being during his early years of practice. In my first years as a psychiatrist, tranquilizers and antidepressants changed the landscape of mental health. As doctors, Dad and I both welcomed Medicare in 1965; later on as patients we became grateful beneficiaries. I remember him explaining “ethical pharmaceuticals” — a term that distinguished companies like Merck from hucksters of “patent medicines.” The scandal at Merck about the arthritis drug Vioxx came after his time — he would have been appalled. Recently the line between ethical drug companies and hucksters was blurred by GlaxoSmithKline, which paid a record fine for its bad acts. Until this Glaxo case, drug firms took fines and som... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4186928 Sat, 20 Nov 2010 12:30:04 +0100 4186928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3889050&cid=t_102623_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2F196225%2F Very Special K: A new form of the anesthetic ketamine, also known as the recreational drug “Special K,” could be used as an anti-depressant that takes effect immediately. (via Medical News Today) Post from: BlissTree (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3889050 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:58:27 +0100 3889050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3468061&cid=t_102623_167_f&fid=38576&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drbriffa.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2F14%2Fzinc-supplementation-found-to-improve-mood-in-women%2F What we eat and drink can have a profound influence on our health. Not just of the body, but of the brain too. For example, certain foodstuffs (e.g. the artificial sweetener aspartame) can have toxic effects on the brain. Other foodstuffs appear to ‘feed the brain’ and help optimise its function. For example, so-called omega-3 [...] (Source: Dr John Biffa's Blog) Dr John Biffa's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3468061 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:39:49 +0100 3468061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3453859&cid=t_102623_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2F173880%2F Sleep Deprivation to Cure Postpartum Depression: The New York Times reports that researchers find insomnia can lead to faster recovery from certain types of depression. Post from: BlissTree (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3453859 Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:00:20 +0100 3453859 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405138&cid=t_102623_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fprozac-generation-its-all-gps-fault.html When I started in general practice I, like most new GPs of my generation, started climbing the mountain of weaning my patients off benzodiazepines. I did not audit the numbers (wish I had done now) but I must have inherited a hundred or more people on mail-order prescriptions for these drugs. The "big three" were diazepam, nitrazepam and chlordiazepoxide. (Valium, Mogadon and Librium). There were plenty of others. They are all listed here. Lorazepam was always difficult but the one I learnt to dread most was oxazepam.I started by taking all these drugs off repeat prescription. I issued a polite letter saying that I wanted to see all patients who took these drugs regularly. A handful of patients were outraged. One or two took their business elsewhere. The majority were, I think, grateful fo... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405138 Mon, 11 May 2009 16:51:00 +0100 2405138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260377&cid=t_102623_135_f&fid=35274&url=http%3A%2F%2Facidrefluxweb.com%2F%3Fp%3D3158 I keep all my pills in nice and organized in a seven day am and pm box. One side has as fuchsia-ish colour, and the other a blue-y violet colour. The darker colour is opposite to the darker side of my old pill box, meaning it has switched from am to pm, or vice versa. I can’t remember at this moment, and that’s probably what the problem is. When my brain went on autopilot this morning I grabbed the pill box and took the evening pills. Not a big deal as all the HIV meds are almost the same, but the happy pills are another story. This afternoon I found myself getting really irritated about small things. Not to mention feeling really tired. That was probably the accidental am dose of the Lithium, and missed the Ciprolex. When dealing with booking some travel I found my patience level beco... acidrefluxweb.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260377 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:27:07 +0100 2260377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1791760&cid=t_102623_136_f&fid=36162&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyelomablog.com%2F2008%2F09%2F14%2Funtapped-potential-of-antidepressants-for-cancer%2F ScienceDaily (Sep. 13, 2008) — A comprehensive review of current scientific literature, published in the peer-reviewed journal ecancer, has suggested that antidepressants can help the human body fight cancer by boosting its own immune response, amongst other mechanisms. Not only this but they can help with side effects from chemotherapy such as aiding sleep, stimulating appetite, combating pain and avoiding depression. Antidepressants work by affecting levels of chemicals known as prostaglandins. These are ephemeral, infinitesimal signallers self-regulating every cell in the body, including those serving mood and immunity. When first discovered they were perceived as a master switch, but are now believed to regulate every component of cellular microanatomy and physiology, including those... beth's myeloma blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1791760 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:25:44 +0100 1791760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1262089&cid=t_102623_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F242320041%2F This article was co-written by Simon Evans and Paul Burghardt. Drs. Evans and Burghardt currently collaborate in the University of Michigan’s Department of Psychiatry, and the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute to study the effects of nutrition and exercise on brain function. They host the Brain Fit for Life blog and are collaborating on an upcoming book on the subject. Alzheimer’s disease, anti depressants, behavior modification, brain, brain exercise, Brain games, brain wellness, diabetes, exercise and brain, healthcare, increase productivity, insurance companies, neuroscience, Nutrition, overweight, Paul Burghardt, Physical Exercise, Preventive Medicine, psychiatry, retirement, self enrichment, Simon Evans, sleep, stress management, University of Michigan (Source: Shar... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1262089 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:07:27 +0100 1262089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1225729&cid=t_102623_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fzimney%2Fheath-ledger-celebrity-overdoses-and-the-danger-of-combining-prescriptions%2F What do Heath Ledger, Elvis Presley, Anna Nicole Smith, Judy Garland, and Marilyn Monroe have in common? They all died of accidental prescription drug overdoses. And those are just a few of the most famous cases. There are lots more cases involving lesser known stars and of course most tragic are the thousands of “average” people who die each year due to accidental prescription drug overdoses. Exact numbers are hard to come by because of the difficulty in separating out prescription drug overdoses from those involving street drug overdoses (e.g., heroin, cocaine, etc), but one study found that deaths involving prescription opioid analgesics increased from roughly 2900 in 1999 to 7500 in 2004, a 160% increase. That study was done by Dr. Leonard Paulozzi of the Centers for Disease Contr... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1225729 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:03:19 +0100 1225729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1146649&cid=t_102623_134_f&fid=36049&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FDiabetesNotes%2F%7E3%2F215733329%2F Depression… Obesity… Type 2 Diabetes. It sounds like almost one third of every patient I have ever seen. Now the kicker… mostly women. Middle aged women are more at risk for all 3 before mentioned ailments. We need to do something now and stop this cyclical pattern! Go get yourself some anti depressants you say? Now although I do agree with and absolutely stand behind the use of such medications, they are not always the answer. Certain SSRI’s and many other anti depressants, not to mention atypical antipsychotic medications (AAP), have side effects such as weight gain, glucose intolerance and metabolic changes. Ugh!!! It really comes down to lifestyle changes.I strongly believe you need to modify your life in conjunction with medications if needed. Also, one anti de... Diabetes Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1146649 Sun, 13 Jan 2008 01:29:53 +0100 1146649