Sedative News and Research

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A sedative is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement.

Simple EHR nudges cut use of high-risk medications

This study demonstrates that simple EHR prompts can enhance medication safety for older adults by increasing deprescribing of sedatives and anticholinergics.

4 Feb 2026

Bradycardia emerges as key clinical sign of xylazine-opioid overdose

Researchers have identified bradycardia-an abnormally low heart rate–as a symptom of xylazine-opioid overdose.

14 Jan 2026

Acupuncture may help ICU patients recover faster

Acupuncture's multi-pathway effects in ICU patients may reduce complications, support rehabilitation, and improve recovery while minimizing medication use.

6 Jan 2026

Etomidate proves safer than ketamine for emergency intubations

Doctors treating seriously ill patients in an emergency setting may want to give the sedative etomidate, rather than ketamine, while placing a breathing tube, according to a randomized trial published Dec. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

12 Dec 2025

Maxillary nerve block may reduce perioperative opioid consumption in pediatric primary clefts

For infants undergoing cleft palate surgery, local anesthetic injection targeting the maxillary nerve of the face may reduce or eliminate the need for opioid medications to control postoperative pain, reports a study in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.

12 Dec 2025

Landmark RSI trial reshapes sedative selection for emergency airway management

9 Dec 2025

Why early- and late-onset depression are fundamentally different

Genetic differences in early- and late-onset depression highlight distinct risk profiles, informing targeted strategies for improved clinical outcomes.

17 Nov 2025

Study links poor sleep to adverse health outcomes in seniors

Sleep problems affect more than one in five residents in long-term care facilities, with pain, daytime napping and certain medications emerging as key contributors.

28 Oct 2025

Caraway seeds inspire new seizure-fighting medicines

A UNLV-led team of researchers has co-opted a common kitchen spice to create a new class of cannabidiol (CBD)-like medicines that show powerful seizure-reducing effects - offering a safer, more affordable, and more effective treatment for childhood seizure disorders than existing frontline therapies.

15 Oct 2025

Trial examines slow-tempo music as a strategy to reduce delirium in critically ill older adults

A multi-center randomized controlled trial with critically ill adults aged 50 years and older admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) found that twice-daily slow-tempo music (60 to 80 beats per minute) did not shorten the duration of delirium or coma, or reduce delirium severity, pain or anxiety compared with a silence-track control.

13 Oct 2025

Infant neurodevelopment not affected by brief inhaled anesthesia during surgery

Preliminary findings from a new clinical trial show no adverse neurodevelopmental effects after brief inhaled anesthesia and surgery in infants and young children, reports the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

10 Sep 2025

Sleep medications linked to reduced deep sleep and disrupted memory

Long-term benzodiazepine use in older adults disrupts sleep patterns, leading to lighter sleep and potential cognitive decline due to altered brain activity.

8 Sep 2025

Evidence review questions ketamine’s role in chronic pain treatment

A Cochrane review assessed ketamine and other NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic non-cancer pain. The evidence was low to very low certainty, showing no clear pain relief and potential adverse effects with intravenous ketamine.

21 Aug 2025

Deadly opioid contaminants uncovered in Adelaide street drug supply

A synthetic opioid 1000 times more potent than morphine is infiltrating the street drug trade in Adelaide, Australia, sparking fears of a wave of overdoses that could be lethal.

1 Aug 2025

Study finds benefits of personalized ventilation in ICU care

A seven-year international, multi-centre clinical trial led by London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI) and St. Michael's Hospital, a site of Unity Health Toronto, has found that a new ventilation mode called proportional assist ventilation (PAV+™) could improve outcomes for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) who require help breathing.

24 Jul 2025

Low-dose olanzapine reduces chemo-induced nausea with fewer side effects

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are among the most distressing side effects of anti-cancer treatment, particularly for those receiving highly emetogenic regimens such as anthracycline plus cyclophosphamide combinations.

24 Jul 2025

Substance use disorders increase risk of unplanned hospital readmissions

People with any type of substance use disorder (SUD) stand a 24% higher risk of having an unplanned hospital readmission within 30 days of a previous discharge compared with those without the disorder, new UCLA-led research finds.

23 Jul 2025

Novel polysaccharide from Albizzia julibrissin shows promise against pancreatic cancer

Albizzia julibrissin is a widely distributed plant in China. Its dried stem bark has been used in traditional oriental medicine to treat insomnia, diuresis, sthenia, ascaricide, and confusion.

21 Jul 2025

Slower speech response linked to sleepiness in older adults

A new study led by UCLA investigators shows that Verbal Reaction Time (VRT), the amount of time it takes a person to respond verbally, can be a marker of sleepiness in older adults.

9 Jul 2025

Synthetic opioids and designer benzodiazepines linked to driving impairment

No-one could claim to be unaware of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs (DUID): drugs can increase the time needed to react, impair coordination, alertness, and cognition, and lower inhibitions, thus encouraging reckless and aggressive driving.

25 Jun 2025