Study highlights intracranial bleeding risk when antidepressants are taken with NSAIDs Concomitant use of antidepressants and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is associated with an increased risk of intracranial haemorrhage, confirms new research.…
Illicit drug users are on the rise, finds UN report Worldwide an estimated 246 million people used an illicit drug in 2013, a rise of three million over the previous year, says a report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.…
Heroin abuse: breaking the cycle With rates of heroin addiction stubbornly high, there is still debate about how best to treat those hooked on the drug.…
NSAID use may prevent fertile women from ovulating Women who hope to become pregnant should steer clear of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers because they could prevent ovulation, according to the findings of a small study.…
How to help OTC drug abusersThe two articles in the most recent issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal about prescription drug abuse (2015;294:624 and 2015;294:627) missed an opportunity to provide pharmacists with practical tips in tackling prescription drug abuse. Community pharmacists face the prescription and over-the-counter…
Tackling prescription drug abuse There are signs that strategies to address prescription drug abuse are starting to work but will an increase in illegal drug use be the payoff?…
The prescription opioid addiction and abuse epidemic: how it happened and what we can do about it Opioid painkillers are supposed to provide pain relief, but there is now a plethora of injuries and deaths because they have been heavily marketed and inappropriately prescribed.…
Liver transplant for paracetamol overdose is more common in Ireland and the UK than several other European countries Ireland and the UK have higher rates of paracetamol overdose that results in acute liver failure leading to registration for transplantation compared with several other European countries.…
Painkiller use is more closely linked to homicide than antipsychotics or antidepressants There is a closer association between use of painkillers and homicide than there is between the use of antipsychotics or antidepressants and killing someone, research shows.…
GPs call for legislation to end patent protection for specific drugs While patent protection is important for stimulating drug development, a second medical use patent for pregabalin has caused “considerable” work for pharmacies.…