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Medications news

Medications

Pills that communicate from the stomach could improve medication adherence

In an advance that could help ensure people are taking their medication on schedule, MIT engineers have designed a pill that can report when it has been swallowed.

Medications

Longer treatment with medications for opioid use disorder associated with greater probability of survival

A new study of over 32,000 US veterans has found that the longer people stay on medications for opioid use disorder (buprenorphine, methadone, or extended-release naltrexone), the greater the probability of short- and medium-term ...

Medications

Email reminders boost use of database for safe prescribing

A new randomized clinical trial finds that simple reminder emails substantially increase clinicians' use of a database that supports safe prescribing of opioids and other drugs, even though opioid prescribing patterns themselves ...

Medications

New study suggests best way to stop taking antidepressants

The best way for people with depression to stop taking antidepressants once their condition improves is to slowly taper off the medication while also receiving psychological support, new research suggested Thursday.

Medications

Worried about statins? Here's what the evidence shows

Few medicines have sparked as much debate as statins. Cardiologists often describe them as life-saving, while some patients remain wary of side effects or uneasy about taking a daily pill.

Medications

Pain med side effects may be masquerading as heart failure

Clinicians may fail to recognize common side effects of drugs like gabapentin—which are frequently prescribed for nerve pain—leading them to prescribe unnecessary medications that cause yet more side effects. This phenomenon, ...

Medications

How anti-epilepsy drugs alter a key brain protein structure

A multi-institute team led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center investigators established for the first time how certain drugs used to treat epilepsy affect their target.

Medications

Study finds people on colchicine need less joint replacement

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, with a worldwide prevalence of approximately 4%. The accumulation of monosodium urate crystals in gout leads to the clinical manifestations of the disease and, if left ...

Medications

Illicit diazepam tablets show wide strength variation

A study from King's, in collaboration with TICTAC Communications and Nanalysis, tested seized tablets containing the sedative diazepam and found considerable variation in strength and content, highlighting the dangers of ...

Medications

WHO recommends Ozempic-style weight loss drugs for obesity

Obesity affects more than 1 billion people worldwide and is recognized by the World Health Organization as a chronic, relapsing disease associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and economic burden.

Medical research

How statins harm muscles—and how to stop it

Statins have transformed heart health, saving millions of lives by lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But for many patients, these drugs come with a troubling downside: muscle pain, weakness ...

Medications

Calcium-sensitive switch boosts the efficacy of cancer drugs

Cancer-fighting antibody drugs are designed to penetrate tumor cells and release a lethal payload deep within, but too often they don't make it that far. A new study shows how this Trojan Horse strategy works better by exploiting ...