medication

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FDA: Get Off Smell-Killing Zicam Nasal Spray, Now

Agency received over 130 reports of loss of smell sense

(Newser) - The Food and Drug Administration is calling on consumers to stop using Zicam nasal treatments because they can permanently kill the sense of smell, the Wall Street Journal reports. Zicam is an over-the-counter cold and allergy medication sold in several forms; customers should reject internasal products that contain zinc. The...

Castration Drug Claims Rile Autism Community

Experts blast flimsy science, lack of testing

(Newser) - A drug used to chemically castrate sex offenders is being touted as a "miracle" autism treatment, but many leading doctors say the use of the chemical is medically indefensible, the Chicago Tribune reports. Lupron blocks testosterone, and users embrace the unsupported theory that autism emerges from a link between...

Pot, Not Dangerous Drugs, Best for My Autistic Son

(Newser) - Marie Myung-Ok Lee gives marijuana to her 9-year-old autistic son and has no intention of stopping, she writes for doubleX, a new Slate spinoff for women. It’s working to calm him and curb his aggressive behaviors, writes Lee, who had her own misgivings initially. “I was already the...

'Mad Pride' Calls for Rethink of Insanity

(Newser) - A growing grassroots movement called Mad Pride is urging Americans to reconsider mental illness as a "dangerous gift" rather than a disease, Newsweek reports. Spearheaded by the 8,000-member-strong Icarus Project, based in Manhattan, Mad Priders are "pro-choice" about meds—take them if you want—and...

Polo Horses' Owner Also Mysterious

(Newser) - Exactly what killed 21 polo horses in Florida is not known, but details of their enigmatic owner are emerging in spades. Victor Vargas has succeeded at the tricky proposition of banking in Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, and tried the US market—with less-than-stellar results. In 1993, he had to settle...

Seven Medications With Second Careers

Cosmetic and medicinal treatments overlap

(Newser) - Medications are commonly advertised for a single use, but they often gain popularity for others. Here are a few examples from ABC:
  1. Viagra: Famous for its ability to increase blood flow to a specific part of the body, Viagra also has been used to increase blood flow in patients with
...

Tanning Drug Approved for Trials

Long available online, injection gets nod from regulators

(Newser) - A self-tanning drug long available in various incarnations over the Internet has been approved for human trials in the US, Wired reports. “It's a bioabsorbable implant that you just inject into the skin,” says a pharma rep of afamelanotide. “It stimulates melanin production.” The drug made...

Travoltas Faced Tough Calls in Jett's Treatment

Seizure meds are painful, often ineffective

(Newser) - An autopsy later today may answer the questions surrounding Jett Travolta's untimely death, but the seizures he suffered remain largely shrouded in mystery. Epilepsy is a catch-all diagnosis for those who suffer seizures—which can be caused by infections, autism, head trauma, even medications, a neurologist tells USA Today. Treatment...

Travolta Son Was Off His Meds: Lawyers

But had been removed from longtime drug to protect his health

(Newser) - Jett Travolta was no longer on anti-seizure medication when he died, but not because Scientology opposed the drug, TMZ reports. John Travolta's lawyers say Jett had taken Depakote for years until it gradually lost its effectiveness. When Jett's seizure rate increased again, his father and Kelly Preston consulted neurosurgeons and...

New Yorkers Fight Crisis With Pills

Prescriptions shoot up in Sept., Oct.

(Newser) - At least there's one market that's booming in New York—the market for pills for your sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression, Crain’s New York Business reports. The meltdown in the financial industry has caused a surge in prescriptions: In September, as Lehman Brothers was collapsing, and AIG and Merrill Lynch...

Pinched Patients Skimping on Vital Medication

Docs warn trend could cause health care time bomb

(Newser) - Cash-strapped consumers nationwide are risking their health by cutting back on prescription drugs, the New York Times reports. Some try to stretch out their supply by splitting their pills in half or taking them every other day. Others choose for themselves which medications to stop taking, increasing the chances of...

Popular Surgery 'Useless' For Knee Arthritis

Arthroscopy no more effective than meds, physical therapy: study

(Newser) - Arthroscopic surgery, performed on almost a million Americans every year, is a useless treatment for arthritis of the knee, a new study reports. Researchers found that 178 arthritic patients who had surgery, physical therapy, and medication fared no better than patients who had medication and therapy alone. The procedure, which...

Om My! Meditation Lowers Blood Pressure

Study shows daily time-out may reduce medication needs

(Newser) - An Om a day might just keep the blood pressure medication away, reports NPR. Daily meditation helped lower the blood pressure in two-thirds of patients in a recent study who were striking out on the medication front. Participants used the “relaxation response” technique, of sitting quietly for 15 minutes...

Drugs Shrinking Psychiatrists' Talk Time: Study

Cost-conscious managed care also seen behind decline

(Newser) - Psychiatry is increasingly focused on prescribing drugs and less on psychotherapy, a study published in the Archives of General Psychology finds. A reluctance by insurance firms to pay for therapy is one factor, HealthDay reports, along with the wide variety of drugs now available to treat various conditions.

Winehouse Leaves Hospital (Again)

Discharged after spending a night under observation for reaction to medication

(Newser) - After spending a “comfortable night” under observation for a reaction to medication, Amy Winehouse was discharged from a London hospital this morning, a spokesman confirmed to the Daily Telegraph. When asked about his 24-year-old daughter’s condition last night, her father Mitch held up a bag of Kentucky Fried...

More Kids Take Grown-up Drugs in Obesity Fight

Critics say it's a poor substitute for good diet and exercise

(Newser) - Doctors are prescribing drugs to more and more children to treat conditions related to obesity, the New York Times reports. Data released by pharmacy plans show that medication for Type 2 diabetes has seen the biggest increase—151% from 2001 to last year. And this month, a pediatricians group recommended...

Quit-Smoking Drug Linked to Heart Trouble, Dizziness

FAA bans pilots and air controllers from using Chantix after report

(Newser) - Pfizer smoking-cessation drug Chantix has been linked to nearly a thousand serious incidents in the last quarter of 2007, the Wall Street Journal reports. A report from a drug safety group found that some users of the drug—already linked to depression and suicide—suffered heart trouble, diabetes, or accidents...

Drugs Found in US Water Supply
Drugs Found in US Water Supply
Mar 10, 2008 7:50 AM CDT

Drugs Found in US Water Supply

Water drunk by 41M people contaminated

(Newser) - Small amounts of a wide range of prescription and over-the-counter drugs have been found in drinking water used daily by 41 million Americans in 24 major cities. A major AP investigation found pain killers, anti-seizure drugs, angina and cholesterol medications, mood-altering drugs, and other pharmaceuticals in tap water, the water...

Websites Help Boomers Tend to Mom and Dad

Americans go online for doctors, medical data‚ even automated calls

(Newser) - Americans who juggle caregiving duties are increasingly turning to the Internet for help, the Boston Globe reports. Care.com, lotsahelpinghands.com, and parentcarecall.com are among sites that offer services like meal calenders and automated phone calls. The online data is "helping families navigate the increasingly complicated healthcare system,...

New Drug Stirs Debate Over Disease's Existence

Widely advertised Lyrica treats fibromyalgia, but some docs raise red flags

(Newser) - The first drug approved by the FDA to treat fibromyalgia is raising questions, but not the typical ones about whether the medication works. They're questions about whether the disease even exists. Lyrica sales are up and climbing, but critics say giving a name to the chronic pain that characterizes fibromyalgia...

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