Articles Index
DEA and Pain Docs Release Collaborative FAQ
In the wake of news stories about prescription drug use and abuse and great concern among patients in pain, dozens of pain experts in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), recently released a FAQ document intended to provide answers to questions about treating pain while recognizing and addressing problems associated with diversion and abuse of prescription drugs.
Topamax Increases Propensity for Kidney Stones
Topiramate (Topamax) is a neuronal stabilizing agent (aka anticonvulsant medication) that is FDA-approved for and prescribed for headache and Migraine prevention. Research now shows that long-taerm use of topirmate increase incidence of kidney stones.
Talk About Prescriptions Month 2006 - Preventing Medication Errors
Four of five American adults use prescriptions or OTC medications weekly. Nearly one-third of adults take five or more different medications. It is estimated that there are at least 1.5 adverse drug events each year. During Talk About Prescriptions month, let's look at how we can avoid such errors.
Treating Pain Disorders With Intradermal Botox
Research into the most effective ways to use Botox for headache and Migraine treatment continues and is promising. Here, we'll take a look at research performed by John Claude Krusz, Ph.D., M.D., and William R. Knoderer, M.D., D.D.S., in Dallas.
Rx Meds Package Inserts Redesigned, New Site Launched
Something we stress on this site is educating ourselves. One of our Tips for Safe Medications Use includes keeping the package inserts from medications for future reference. Anyone who has read any of those package inserts knows that reading and understanding them has not been exactly easy. Good news: The FDA has made a major revision to the format for Rx meds package inserts.
Medications for Headache and Migraine Prevention
For those of us with frequent headaches or Migraine attacks, preventive medications are often a good option. There are over 100 medications that can be used and nearly endless combinations of them. The list is ever-evolving, and will this one will be updated regularly.
Fraudulent Sites Closed, Owner Indicted on Multiple Counts
Sites such as migrainecure.com and cancercure.org, which had been selling fraudulent "cures," have finally been shut down. The owner of the sites, Arthur Vanmoor, has been indicted on multiple counts.
New Dosage Imitrex® STATdose Now Available
The Imitrex® STATdose was first approved in 1992 in 6mg dosage. Now, the FDA has approved a new Imitrex® STATdose in a 4mg dosage. This is the same STATdose injection system patients have been using; only the dosage has changed. The efficacy of the 4mg dose of Imitrex Injection was established in three double-blind studies of adult patients with acute migraine, with or without aura.
IV Therapy in the Headache Clinic for Refractory Migraine
Intractable and refractory Migraines need aggressive treatment. With the exception of headache and Migraine specialists, doctors simply have too many conditions to treat to be expected to have the expertise to treat such cases. Dr. John Claude Krusz and his colleagues have been using aggressive outpatient IV treatment for refractory Migraines in Dr. Krusz's Dallas clinic.
Preventing Chronic TTH and Migraine With Namenda
Another medication can now be added to the growing list of medications shown to be effective for prevention of headaches and Migraine. Namenda (memantine), approved for the treatment of moderate to severe dementia of the alzheimer's type has been shown effective in a small, open-label trial.
Talk About Prescriptions Month, The 3 Rs for Safe Medicine Use
The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) has declared October Talk About Prescriptions Month. This year's theme is The 3Rs for Safe Medicine Use, focusing on the safe medicine use messages for consumers and healthcare providers. The 3 Rx are Risk, Respect, and Responsibility.
Pregnancy and Migraine Disease
Nearly 33 million Americans suffer from migraine, and the majority of those are women. It stands to reason that many women in their childbearing years will suffer from migraine disease. What does a pregnant mother-to-be do to treat her disease?
AMPP Study: Migraine Preventives Underused
Results from the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) Study indicate that 40 percent of Migraine sufferers – or nearly 12 million people – could benefit from preventive therapies. Of Migraine sufferers in the study, only one in five Americans currently uses preventive therapies, however, millions could benefit from these treatments.
A Mother's Plea:
A 17-year-old girl from Oklahoma turned to Tylenol for Migraine relief, accidentally took too much, and paid for that accident with her life. Since then, her mother has been working diligently to educate people that over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol can be every bit as dangerous as prescription medications. She also wants to encourage people to become organ donors.
Safety of Celebrex and Naproxen Questioned
On December 17, 2004, an ongoing clinical trial investigating a new use of the Cox-2 inhibitor Celebrex (celecoxib) to prevent colon polyps, which was being conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Pfizer, Inc., was discontinued because of an increased risk of cardiovascular events in patients taking Celebrex versus those taking a placebo.
Medications are Medications
Medications Are Medications: Consumers need to remember that OTC medications are still medications, with the same risks and concerns as prescription medications.
Is a Needle-Free Imitrex Injection Coming?
Many triptan users are already familiar with the Imitrex (sumatriptan) StatDose delivery system. It's an auto-injector system that utilizes a short, subcutaneous needle. These injections work more quickly than other forms of triptans, but many triptan users shy away from them because they don't like needles. Last week, Aradigm Corporation announced positive results from a pilot program using their needle-free Intraject® system to deliver subcutaneous sumatriptan injections.
Vioxx Pulled from Market by Merck
Merck is withdrawing Vioxx from the market after the data safety monitoring board overseeing a long-term study of the drug recommended that the study be halted because of an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, among study patients taking Vioxx compared to patients receiving placebo. The study was being done in patients at risk of developing recurrent colon polyps.
Topamax (topiramate) Approved for Migraine Prevention
Doctors have been prescribing Topamax (topiramate) off-label for Migraine prevention for several years. Now, following clinical trials, the FDA has approved Topamax for this use. Topamax is a neuronal stabilizing agent, also known as an antiseizure medication.
Saving On and With Over-the-Counter Medications
We all know the cost of prescription medications adds up quickly, but have you ever added up the cost of any over-the-counter meds you're using? They add up, too, but there are ways to keep those costs down. By shopping smarter for OTC's and checking to see if any of our prescription medications can be replaced by less expensive OTC meds, we may be able to lower our costs.