Sedative News and Research

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

FDA approves Lusedra (fospropofol disodium) injection for monitored anesthesia care sedation

Eisai Corporation of North America today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lusedra (fospropofol disodium) Injection, an intravenous sedative-hypnotic agent for monitored anesthesia care (MAC) sedation in adult patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.

14 Dec 2008

Numbing drugs can have profound and long-term negative effects

A large proteomics study on the brains of newborn mice provides more evidence that numbing drugs often used in obstetric or pediatric medicine can have profound and long-term negative effects, even after minimal exposure.

12 Dec 2008

Controlling the building blocks of life

A simple and reliable method for converting one of the simplest chemical entities into one of the most difficult-to-make molecular building blocks of life, with complete control over its shape, is reported by scientists at the University of Bristol in this week's Nature.

10 Dec 2008

New sleeping pill could be the answer to jet lag

An experimental drug developed by Australian scientists could offer a new cure for jet lag and be a welcome alternative to addictive sedatives such as benzodiazepines.

3 Dec 2008

FDA approves tapentadol immediate-release tablets for pain in adults

Millions of Americans with moderate to severe acute pain and their health-care providers will soon have a new treatment option.

21 Nov 2008

Sedative propofol could be fatal

Patients treated for their prolonged seizures with the sedative propofol may be at high risk for complications and even death. New research presented at CHEST 2008, the 74th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that the use of propofol as an antiepileptic agent in patients with refractory status epilepticus (RSE), prolonged seizures that do not respond to initial treatment, was associated with significant mortality and morbidity.

28 Oct 2008

New kinds of optical sensors make MRI scans safer

Magnetic resonance scans will be safer for children and other patients needing anaesthesia, thanks to new kinds of optical sensors developed by a team of European researchers.

21 Sep 2008

Watson Pharmaceuticals launches generic version of dronabinol

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that, under a supply agreement with Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Watson has launched the authorized generic version of dronabinol in the 2.5, 5 and 10 mg once daily dosage strengths.

30 Jun 2008

Drinking patterns in adolescents may be set after only a few exposures to alcohol

Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have shown a connection between early drinking patterns and a tendency to be a heavy drinker in adulthood, in a study of adolescent rats.

5 May 2008

Children's experiences in a pediatric intensive care unit

Nearly one in three children admitted to pediatric intensive care will experience delusions or hallucinations, which put them at higher risk for post-traumatic stress symptoms, according to a new study of children's experiences in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

1 May 2008

Competency in colonoscopy requires experience with 150 cases or more

Researchers from Korea have found that technically efficient screening and diagnostic colonoscopy generally requires experience with 150 cases or more.

23 Apr 2008

Aripiprazole has potential for treating alcohol dependence

Aripiprazole is currently approved to treat bipolar disorder as well as schizophrenia. A new study has found that it significantly and dose-dependently increases the sedative effects of alcohol and, to a lesser degree, decreases the euphoric effects of alcohol. Future research will need to examine the beneficial versus the side effects of aripiprazole for treatment of alcohol dependence.

4 Apr 2008

Psychological intervention reduces postembolization pain

Psychological intervention has been shown to reduce the postembolization pain during hepatic arterial chemoembolizatiom therapy.

14 Mar 2008

A road map to safer pain control, cost savings during colonoscopies

At a time when several U.S. health insurers have discontinued payment for use of the sedative propofol during most screening colonoscopies, physicians at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that an alternative way to administer the drug could both save millions of health care dollars and provide a safer way to deliver optimal pain relief.

12 Mar 2008

Tamoxifen may help treat mania in patients with bipolar disorder

A small, three-week trial of tamoxifen, a drug typically used to treat breast cancer, indicates that it also may decrease symptoms of mania in patients with bipolar disorder, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Mar 2008

Abuse of prescription medications linked to drug abuse among college students

College students who take frequently abused medications without a prescription appear to have a higher risk for drug abuse than those who use such therapies for medical reasons, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Mar 2008