ADHD stimulants may increase risk of heart damage in young adults, study finds
Young adults who were prescribed stimulant medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were significantly more likely to develop cardiomyopathy (weakened heart muscle) compared with those who were not prescribed stimulants, in a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session. The study found that people prescribed stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin were […]
England’s NHS Clinics No Longer Offering Puberty Blockers to Trans Youth
England’s National Health Service (NHS) will no longer offer puberty-blocking medications to youths under 18 in its clinics, unless they are enrolled in clinical trials planned for the end of the year. “Puberty suppressing hormones (PSH) are not available as a routine commissioning treatment option for treatment of children and young people who have gender […]
Heart Injuries Suggest Reconsideration of Holding BP Meds for Surgery
The practice of taking some patients briefly off their antihypertensive medications before non-cardiac surgery did not work as intended, and in fact led to excess acute hypertension in the SPACE trial. Myocardial injury rates were no worse, even numerically better, for people randomized to stay on their renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors (41.3%) compared with peers […]
NPs No More Likely Than Physicians to Prescribe Inappropriately to Older Adults
Nurse practitioners were no more likely than physicians to inappropriately prescribe medications to older patients, researchers found. In an analysis of Medicare Part D claims, the mean rates of inappropriate prescribing by NPs and primary care doctors were “virtually identical” at adjusted rates of 1.66 and 1.68 per 100 prescriptions, David Studdert, LLB, ScD, of […]
Opinion | Are Obesity Drugs for Adolescents Cost-Effective?
Hur is a professor of medicine and epidemiology, and a healthcare innovations researcher. Lim is a research analyst. Anti-obesity medications have been making major headlines in the news. From nationwide shortages to publicized usage by celebrities, there is constant buzz about how these medications can lead to weight reduction in a relatively short time frame. […]
Neurodevelopment After Prenatal Exposure to Newer Epilepsy Drugs Tracked for 3 Years
Children with fetal exposure to newer antiseizure medications showed no difference in neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 3 compared with unexposed children, data from the ongoing MONEAD study showed. In the prospective observational study, mean verbal index scores at age 3 did not differ for children of women with epilepsy (102.7) versus those born to mothers […]
Protocol Optimizing Meds for T2D and CVD Pushed Beyond Cardiology Alone
SAN DIEGO — Cardiovascular medications were better optimized for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) following a multifaceted intervention involving clinician and patient education, the cluster-randomized COORDINATE-Diabetes trial found. At cardiology clinics following the intervention protocol, prescriptions increased several-fold compared with usual care (37.9% vs 14.5%; adjusted OR 4.28, 95% […]
Breast Cancer Drugs May Weaken Effects of Weight-Loss Drugs
CHICAGO — Anti-obesity medications may not work quite as well in women taking certain breast cancer drugs, a researcher reported here. Among 99 breast cancer survivors, those taking aromatase inhibitors (AI) lost 42% less weight after a year of taking an anti-obesity medication than women not on AIs, said Sima Fansa, MD, of the Mayo […]
GLP-1 Agonists Come Out on Top in Cardiovascular Comparison of Newer Diabetes Meds
Diabetes patients adding a newcomer drug to their medications may derive cardiovascular benefits to varying degrees depending on their choice between GLP-1 agonists and SGLT-2 inhibitors, a large observational dataset suggested. Among U.S. veterans already on metformin, sulfonylurea, or insulin treatment and without cardiovascular disease (CVD), the addition of a GLP-1 agonist, instead of a […]
Erectile Dysfunction Drugs May Have Major Cardiovascular Benefits
CHICAGO — The two most popular medications for erectile dysfunction (ED) may confer substantial cardiovascular benefits for men with ED and concurrent heart disease, according to an analysis of a health research database. Both sildenafil and tadalafil significantly reduced the likelihood of progression to heart failure, myocardial infarction (MI), and death after 5 years as […]