The poor safety profile of the smoking-cessation drug varenicline (Chantix™) makes it unsuitable for first-line use, according to a study published in the Nov. 2 edition of the journal PLoS One, an online publication of the Public Library of Science. Varenicline, which already carries a “black box warning” from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), showed a substantially increased risk of reported de ...

A study by researchers at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) shows that rats given a popularly prescribed antidepressant during development exhibit brain abnormalities and behaviors characteristic of autism spectrum disorders. The findings suggest that taking a certain class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhib ...

Prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive therapy, and delayed prolonged exposure therapy, appear to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in patients who have experienced a recent traumatic event, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The study was conducted by Arieh Y. Shalev, M.D., and colleagues from Hadassah University Hos ...

Medication in the form of psychostimulants is a standard treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD, marked by extreme inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, is diagnosed in almost eight percent of U.S. children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2005). Although medical practitioners often prescribe psychostimulants, parents’ attitudes will largel ...

A review of previous studies suggests that even though atypical antipsychotic medications are commonly used for off-label conditions such as behavioral symptoms of dementia, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, these medications are effective for only a few off-label conditions, and that the benefits and harms of these medications for these uses vary, according to an article in the September 28 issue ...

Children and teens with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who were receiving some benefit from treatment with medication had a significantly greater reduction in OCD symptoms with the addition of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), according to a study in the September 21 issue of JAMA. The study was carried out by Martin E. Franklin, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia ...

Chronic use of stimulant medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children does not appear to increase risk for high blood pressure over the long term, but it may have modest effects on heart rate, according to follow-up data from the NIMH-funded Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA). The study was published online ahead of print Sept 2, 2011, in the American J ...

Intranasal insulin therapy appears to provide some benefit for cognitive function in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease, according to a report published Online First today by Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. According to background information in the article, insulin plays a role in a number of functions of the central nervous system. ...

Among patients who have had an ischemic stroke, use of cholesterol-lowering statin medications is not associated with subsequent intracerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain), according to a report published Online First by Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ...

Many U.S. adults believe that only extremely effective drugs without serious adverse effects are approved, but providing explanations to patients highlighting uncertainties about drug benefits may affect their choices, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The article is part of the journal’s Less Is More series. Approval from the U ...