Painkiller News and Research

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Painkiller warning for heart patients: Study

According to the latest study, taking some commonly prescribed painkillers for even a short while might increase the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke. The study also reports that when heart attack survivors took the drugs for as little as a week, it appeared to boost their risk of another heart attack, stroke or sudden death. The results, published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association, surprised even the researchers.

10 May 2011

Research finds 'no safe window' for painkiller use among heart attack survivors

Even short-term use of some painkillers could be dangerous for people who've had a heart attack, according to research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

10 May 2011

Prescriptions for narcotic-containing drugs often contain too much medication per dose

Parents who give young children prescription painkillers should take extra care to make sure they give just the right amount. What they may be surprised to learn, however, is that the dose given to them by the pharmacy could be too high, according to research to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

30 Apr 2011

Drug subsidy issues out of PBS’ hands - almost

According to Health Minister Nicola Roxon, expensive drugs have never been automatically listed for subsidy and they can't be now when the government controlling expenses. She added that federal Labor has to balance competing priorities in health and every other department.

29 Apr 2011

Common painkillers decrease effectiveness of antidepressants: Study

According to a latest study, antidepressants like Prozac and Aspirin do not mix. Researchers found that painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen appear to decrease the effectiveness of a popular class of antidepressants that includes Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro and Zoloft and Celexa.

26 Apr 2011

Swearing helps control pain: Study

Researchers have found that swearing when one is in pain can act as a powerful painkiller – at least, for those who don’t normally use expletives. For these people swearing in the face of genuine pain is up to four times more effective than it is for more regular swearers they said.

25 Apr 2011

Feds announce comprehensive plan to combat painkiller abuse

The new strategy will put increased pressure on the state of Florida, which has a reputation as being "the nation's pill mill."

21 Apr 2011

America’s best loved drugs: Report

According to the latest report from consulting firm IMS Health, Americans are consuming a lot of prescription drugs. And they seem especially fond of those to lower their cholesterol, relieve heartburn, aid in depressive disorders and lessen pain. Overall, however, their spending on such drugs is slowing.

20 Apr 2011

Stepped up measures to tack rising painkiller abuse

Prescription drug abuse is one of the largest problems in the country say experts and according to White House drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, the Congress must require special training for doctors and other health care workers before they are allowed to prescribe powerful drugs such as OxyContin.

20 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 20, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about new poll results showing that Americans oppose cuts to Medicare as a means to deal with the debt problem.

20 Apr 2011

Plans to combat painkiller abuse

This Tuesday, the Obama administration announced a plan to fight prescription drug abuse, warning that accidental fatal overdoses now exceed the combined deadly overdoses from the crack epidemic of the 1980s and black tar heroin in the 1970s.

19 Apr 2011

Meditation can conquer pain: Well almost!

Meditation can be used as a powerful painkiller says new research published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center showed as much reflected in perception of the participants as well as their brain scans.

7 Apr 2011

Patients prescribed high doses of pain medications at higher risk of overdose: Study

According to a study published in the April 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA, receiving higher prescribed doses of opioid prescriptions is associated with an increased risk of opioid overdose death, but receiving both as-needed and regularly scheduled doses is not associated with overdose risk.

5 Apr 2011

State Roundup: Budget cuts in Texas, Wash. State; Ariz. smoking, weight fees; Coping with Rx drug abuse

The Texas House voted 98-49 Sunday night to slash funding for public schools, nursing homes and college financial aid in a dramatic show by Republicans elected on a limited-government message in the face of a massive budget shortfall.

4 Apr 2011

Consumption of popular pain reliever during pregnancy may put children at increased risk for asthma

A new study published in the journal Clinical & Experimental Allergy reveals that children whose mothers used the popular pain reliever paracetamol during pregnancy were at an increased risk of wheezing when compared to non-users.

28 Mar 2011

Ibuprofen - painkiller toxicity warning

In a recent development, doctors have warned regarding the possibly toxicities of common pain killer Ibuprofen adding that it can lead to a potentially fatal condition which can be triggered, in rare cases, by even a standard dose. The condition in question is called renal tubular acidosis (RTA). The research is published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

21 Mar 2011

'Cross-talk' between two major biological pathways may hold a clue for chronic pain treatment

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered a "cross-talk" between two major biological pathways that involve pain-research that may pave the way to new approaches to understanding and controlling chronic pain.

9 Mar 2011

New concerns over prescription narcotics use

Over fifty Australian general practitioners have come under the scanner as part of a national crackdown on inappropriate prescribing of narcotics. The three-month campaign is being carried out by the Medicare following high levels of prescriptions for drugs such as OxyContin and OxyNorm. One GP has been found to be writing over 90 per cent of their prescriptions for narcotics. There are further concerns that the painkillers are being resold on the black market.

7 Mar 2011

QRxPharma granted FDA pre-NDA meeting, further phase II data released

QRxPharma Limited (ASX: QRX and OTCQX: QRXPY) announced today the granting of a pre-New Drug Application (NDA) meeting with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and successful completion of its third pivotal Phase 3 registration trial (study 009) for immediate-release MoxDuo.

20 Feb 2011

2007 financial crisis linked to increase in patients seeking treatment for prescription drug and painkiller addiction

The 2007 onset of the financial crisis that upended the U.S. economy and impacted global markets correlated closely with unprecedented numbers of patients seeking treatment for prescription drug addiction and painkiller abuse, according to leading rehabilitation center Cliffside Malibu. The Cliffside Index, the percentage of patients admitted for treatment related to those medications, rose over 60 percent between 2007 and 2008, and has continued to increase each year.

15 Feb 2011