This Ketamine-Like Drug Has Been Approved to Treat Depression
(WASHINGTON) — A mind-altering medication related to the club drug Special K won U.S. approval Tuesday for patients with hard-to-treat depression, the first in a series of long-overlooked substances being reconsidered for severe forms of mental illness.
The nasal spray from Johnson & Johnson is a chemical cousin of ketamine, which has been used for decades as a powerful anesthetic to prepare patients for surgery. In the 1990s, the medication was adopted as a party drug by the underground rave culture due to its ability to produce psychedelic, out-of-body experiences. More recently, some doctors have given ketamin...
Source: TIME: Health - March 6, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: MATTHEW PERRONE / AP Tags: Uncategorized Drugs onetime overnight Source Type: news
Fast-Acting Depression Drug, Newly Approved, Could Help Millions
A nasal spray version of the drug ketamine has shown promise as an antidepressant, even if its properties still aren ’ t well understood. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - March 6, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: BENEDICT CAREY Tags: your-feed-science Depression (Mental) Mental Health and Disorders Antidepressants Drugs (Pharmaceuticals) Anxiety and Stress Prozac (Drug) Suicides and Suicide Attempts Food and Drug Administration Source Type: news
A commonly-used antidepressant doesn't improve recovery after stroke
The antidepressant fluoxetine works no better than placebo to reduce disability after a stroke, lowering hopes that had been raised by other smaller studies. After a six month trial including more than 3,000 adult stroke patients recruited at 103 UK hospitals, researchers concluded that fluoxetine should not be used to promote recovery from stroke-related disability, or routinely prescribed to prevent depression after stroke. Several smaller studies and animal trials had found promising results from the use of fluoxetine after stroke. However, this trial of fluoxetine 20mg daily for six months found no improvement in funct...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - February 18, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Effects of Antidepressants Span Three Generations in Fish
Fluoxetine dampened stress responses in zebrafish embryos exposed to the drug--and their descendants. (Source: The Scientist)
Source: The Scientist - December 10, 2018 Category: Science Tags: News & Opinion Source Type: news
New Drug Option Fails for Rare Polio-Like Virus in Kids New Drug Option Fails for Rare Polio-Like Virus in Kids
Despite initial hope, fluoxetine failed to improve outcomes in children with acute flaccid myelitis and in some cases was linked to a worsening of the disorder, which can cause permanent paralysis in children.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines - November 14, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology & Neurosurgery News Source Type: news
No Efficacy Signal for Fluoxetine in EV-D68 Acute Flaccid Myelitis
TUESDAY, Nov. 13, 2018 -- The antiviral agent fluoxetine is well tolerated but is not effective for patients with proven or presumptive enterovirus D68-associated acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), according to a study published online Nov. 9 in... (Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News)
Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News - November 13, 2018 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
Prozac No Help In Polio-Like Illness
Researchers have been searching for possible treatments for acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. Lab tests showed that fluoxetine had antiviral effects against a virus associated with the disorder, so some experts had suggested that the antidepressant might be a possible treatment for the disorder. (Source: WebMD Health)
Source: WebMD Health - November 9, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Some Researchers Thought This Drug Could Treat the Polio-Like Illness Sickening Children. A New Study Says It Probably Doesn ’t
Health officials are scrambling for answers — and cures — as a rare, polio-like illness called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) spreads across the country.
Some researchers thought the antidepressant fluoxetine, which is often sold under the brand name Prozac and has some antiviral properties, could work against AFM, a mysterious illness that strikes some children and can cause muscle weakness, breathing issues, paralysis and even death. A new study published Friday in Neurology, however, provides disappointing results: In a small, non-randomized retrospective study, fluoxetine did not seem to restore patients̵...
Source: TIME: Health - November 9, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized Drugs healthytime onetime Source Type: news
Fluoxetine for Acute Flaccid Myelitis? (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) -- Anti-enteroviral activity in vitro, but did not improve neurological outcomes in children (Source: MedPage Today Public Health)
Source: MedPage Today Public Health - November 9, 2018 Category: American Health Source Type: news
Dead End for Treatment of Polio-Like Disorder Striking Kids
FRIDAY, Nov. 9, 2018 -- The antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) is ineffective in treating a rare, polio-like disorder that can cause muscle weakness and paralysis in children, researchers are reporting.
In the United States, there have been 219... (Source: Drugs.com - Daily MedNews)
Source: Drugs.com - Daily MedNews - November 9, 2018 Category: General Medicine Source Type: news
How my £10,000 therapy inspired a new TV comedy
An ex-Observer journalist on her battle with depression, and the creation of a celebration of women with complicated livesNot long after my 30th birthday – which I spent cry-dancing in a random club with baffled strangers – I went to my GP and was diagnosed with depression. In some ways it was a relief. The feelings of hopelessness, inadequacy, unworthiness and loneliness with which I’d struggled since my teenage years finally had an explanatio n. It was caused by dodgy brain chemistry, serotonin deficiencies. Even better, there was a treatment and it was simple and easy to swallow.For the next five years I took Proz...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - November 3, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Lorna Martin Tags: Mental health Psychology Psychiatry Depression Television Sharon Horgan Source Type: news
Strep Throat Could Trigger Debilitating Mental Illness In Kids
HOLLISTON (CBS) – Just about every kid comes down with strep throat at one time or another, but what many parents don’t realize is that common ailment could trigger a debilitating mental illness.
That’s what happened to 18-year-old Patrick Dillon of Holliston. When he was in elementary school he suddenly developed severe obsessive-compulsive disorder and became paranoid.
Patrick Dillon. (WBZ-TV)
“He couldn’t be in the same room with his sisters,” his mother, Heather recalled.
“My sister Susie especially. I wouldn’t go near her. I thought she was like, toxic,” Patrick told WBZ-TV.
Patrick’s behavior ...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - November 3, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Health – CBS Boston Tags: Boston News Health Healthwatch Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Dr. Mallika Marshall IVIG OCD PANDAS Source Type: news
Fluoxetine, Riluzole or Amiloride No Benefit in Progressive MS Fluoxetine, Riluzole or Amiloride No Benefit in Progressive MS
A new trial with an innovative multiarm design testing three drugs at the same time has shown no therapeutic benefit for any of them in secondary progressive MS.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines - October 23, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology & Neurosurgery News Source Type: news
Why depression pills could be fuelling the rise of superbugs
Research suggests that an ingredient in the commonly prescribed antidepressant fluoxetine — or Prozac — causes a mutation in some bacteria, making them resistant to antibiotics. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - September 24, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Book Review: Understanding Antidepressants
One in five Americans will have a major depressive episode in their lives and many will seek help from a mental health provider, which may include treatment with medication. As with all medication, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment plan when it comes to antidepressants. The terminology alone is confusing. There are SSRIs, tricyclics, and other drugs that have off-label uses.
For those who take antidepressants, it is a challenge to find the right one. Some work better than others for individuals, and family members may not understand why it is difficult to find something that “works.” In Understanding Antidepressa...
Source: Psych Central - September 23, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tina Arnoldi Tags: Antidepressants Book Reviews Depression Disorders General Medications Psychology Treatment book on antidepressants understanding antidepressants Source Type: news
