Sedative News and Research

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

Prescription sleep aids may stimulate suicidal thoughts or actions

Prescription sleep aids appear to carry a rare risk of suicide, most typically when they cause the unexpected response of stimulating rather than quietening patients, researchers say.

4 Oct 2016

ED consumption with or without alcohol contributes to risk for drunk driving

Highly caffeinated energy drinks (EDs) have been of concern to the public-health community for almost a decade.

27 Sep 2016

Chemists find efficient way to convert organic molecules into new medicines

Opening a broad vista in the search for effective pharmaceuticals, a collaboration of Chinese and U.S. chemists has laid out a highly efficient new method to convert abundant organic molecules into new medicines.

2 Sep 2016

iPad use before surgery requiring anaesthesia effective in reducing child anxiety

New research presented at this year's World Congress of Anaesthesiologists in Hong Kong (Aug. 28 - Sept. 2) shows that allowing children to use iPads to distract them before surgery requiring general anaesthesia is as effective at lowering their anxiety as conventional sedatives.

29 Aug 2016

Study explores relationship between moderate-vigorous exercise and psychotic symptoms

Physical activity can help reduce cardiovascular disease and premature mortality in people with psychological problems.

26 Aug 2016

RACP releases new Choosing Wisely Australia recommendations on appropriate use of medicines for older adults

The latest lists developed by specialties from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians as part of the Choosing Wisely Australia initiative deliver a strong message on appropriate use of medicines for older Australians.

12 Aug 2016

European Union may be catching up to the United States in nonmedical prescription drug abuse

There is a high rate of prescription pain reliever abuse in Europe, largely accounted by opioids, according to the first comparative study of prescription drug abuse in the European Union, which was conducted by researchers at RTI International and published in BMC Psychiatry.

5 Aug 2016

Majority of American adults use prescription drugs inappropriately and dangerously

The majority of American adults taking opioids and other commonly prescribed medications use them in ways that put their health at risk, including potentially dangerous combinations with other drugs, according to a new study from Quest Diagnostics, the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services.

From Quest Diagnostics 29 Jul 2016

Study assesses prevalence of delirium among survivors of cardiac arrest treated with hypothermia

A study in the American Journal of Critical Care found a remarkably high prevalence of delirium in a small cohort of critically ill patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest.

1 Jul 2016

Study finds dramatic increase in nonmedical use of prescription opioids in the U.S.

Nonmedical use of prescription opioids more than doubled among adults in the United States from 2001-2002 to 2012-2013, based on a study from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health. Nearly 10 million Americans, or 4.1 percent of the adult population, used opioid medications in 2012-2013 a class of drugs that includes OxyContin and Vicodin, without a prescription or not as prescribed (in greater amounts, more often, or longer than prescribed) in the past year.

23 Jun 2016

Women need more propofol to stay sedated during oral surgery

Anesthesia Progress – The stress that oral surgery patients experience during a procedure can cause elevated heart rates and blood pressure during operations.

22 Jun 2016

Single, short duration exposure of general anesthesia appears to cause no cognitive harm in healthy, young children

A recent study concluded that very young, healthy children undergoing short surgical procedures requiring a single exposure to general anesthesia did not exhibit any effect on the cognitive outcomes tested, according to SmartTots, a public-private partnership of the International Anesthesia Research Society and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

21 Jun 2016

TUM researchers uncover molecular mechanism of thalidomide

In the 1950s, thalidomide (Contergan) was prescribed as a sedative drug to pregnant women, resulting in a great number of infants with serious malformations. Up to now, the reasons for these disastrous birth defects have remained unclear.

20 Jun 2016

Study ignores possibility that drugs, chemicals affect sexes differently

Many of the medicines we take were only ever tested on men during clinical studies. This poses a distinct danger that females are receiving suboptimal care—and that treatments specifically benefiting women are going undiscovered.

15 Jun 2016

Scientists find ketamine as effective sedative for treating highly-agitated patients prior to hospitalisation

Scientists have shown that ketamine is far more effective than the more commonly used haloperidol for treating highly-agitated patients prior to hospitalisation.

23 May 2016

Drinking tea flavored with herbs may improve mood and memory

The herbs peppermint, chamomile, rosemary and lavender have been proven to have an impact on mood and memory, with significant benefits displayed for older people, according to new research from Northumbria University.

30 Apr 2016

Opioids could be dangerous, deadly at high doses

Most people know that heroin is a dangerous drug, but its cousins, the legal, pharmaceutical opioids, such as codeine or hydrocodone, must be safe, right?Not so fast.Opioids—which include the illegal drug heroin as well as prescription medications, including hydrocodone (such as Vicodin), oxycodone (such as OxyContin and Percocet), morphine and codeine—can be dangerous, even deadly, at high doses.

31 Mar 2016

Trimeprazine improves β cell function, slows progression of diabetes

β cells in pancreatic islets are responsible for producing insulin, which is essential to regulate blood glucose homeostasis. In type 1 diabetes, pancreatic β cells are destroyed due to an autoimmune attack, whereas in type 2 diabetes, pancreatic β cells may have deficiencies in secreting insulin or insulin-responding tissues can become insulin resistant.

21 Mar 2016

1 in 10 veterans and civilian patients experiences new ICU-related PTSD up to one year after discharge

One in ten patients is at risk of having new post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to their ICU experience up to a year post-discharge. This was the finding from a multicenter, prospective cohort research study of veterans and civilians.

11 Jan 2016

UC San Diego Health offers safe weight loss option for patients

Patients seeking rapid but safe weight loss have a new option at the Bariatric Metabolic Institute at UC San Diego Health. During an outpatient procedure, surgeons place an adjustable saline balloon in the stomach. The volume and shape of the balloon take up space in the stomach, which encourages food portion control. The device, called Orbera, has been shown to reduce total body weight by 10 percent.

11 Dec 2015