Combining naproxen with other analgesics does not improve low back pain A ten-day course of naproxen and placebo was just as effective at relieving low back pain as naproxen combined with other pain medications.…
Use of sedatives and analgesics in infants vary widely across Europe A study of neonatal intensive care units in Europe revealed a lack of consistency in the use of sedatives and analgesics, which are potentialy neurotoxic in newborns.…
Migraine management Management of migraines is individualised for each patient and there are several evidence and practiced-based treatments available.…
Case study: Differential indicators for migraine and medication-overuse headache Exploring questions to be considered when managing a patient with regular headaches.…
Opioid drugs produced from engineered strain of yeast Researchers have successfully introduced the enzymes needed to synthesise opioids into a strain of engineered yeast, which could be used as an alternative opioid source to the poppy.…
FDA approves opioid Oxycontin for adolescents The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the opioid OxyContin (oxycodone) for children aged 11–16 years whose pain is severe enough to require daily around-the-clock long-term treatment for which alternative options are inadequate.…
Suicide: an unspoken public health problemPharmacist Hayley Gorton specialises in suicide research. Here, she outlines some statistics and factors that may indicate whether someone is at risk.…
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.…
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…