http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—A powerful anti-anxiety drug has been involved in a rising number of heroin-related deaths (HRDs) in Victoria in recent years, according to new research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-alprazolam-heroin-deaths.html Addiction Mon, 04 Mar 2013 08:00:05 EST news281604482 Annual deaths related to heroin and morphine are continuing to drop significantly, falling from 41 per cent of total drug-related deaths in the UK in 2010 to 32 per cent in 2011. Meanwhile, deaths from 'legal highs' – some of which have now been banned – remained steady following a large increase in the previous year. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-annual-uk-deaths-heroin-morphine.html Addiction Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:30:01 EST news281261864 (HealthDay)—Opioid analgesics are involved in the majority of pharmaceutical-related overdose deaths, frequently involving drugs prescribed for mental health conditions, according to a research letter published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-opioids-involved-medical-overdose-deaths.html Medications Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:10:01 EST news280674055 (Medical Xpress)—A Viewpoint article published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that the clinical practice of prescribing amphetamines, opioids, and benzodiazepines to treat chronic pain may be contributing to the increase in fatal drug overdoses and the likelihood that those drugs will be diverted to the illegal market. "Rethinking Opioid Prescribing to Protect Patient Safety and Public Health" was authored by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers G. Caleb Alexander, MD, MS, and Daniel Webster, ScD, MPH, and Stefan P. Kruszewski, MD, of MD & Associates. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-overprescribing-opioids-impacts-patient-safety.html Medications Tue, 04 Dec 2012 06:37:42 EST news273825448 Common medication to treat insomnia, anxiety, itching or allergies can have a negative impact on memory or concentration in the elderly, according to Dr. Cara Tannenbaum, Research Chair at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (IUGM, Montreal Geriatric University Institute) and Associate Professor of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Montreal (UdeM). Up to ninety percent of people over the age of 65 take at least one prescription medication. Eighteen percent of people in this age group complain of memory problems and are found to have mild cognitive deficits. Research suggests there may be a link between the two. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-memory-medicine-cabinet.html Medications Tue, 06 Nov 2012 03:15:33 EST news271394113 Drugs prescribed to treat anxiety, depression and insomnia may increase patients' risk of being involved in motor vehicle accidents, according to a recent study, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Based on the findings, the researchers suggested doctors should consider advising patients not to drive while taking these drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-antidepressants-pills-anxiety-drugs.html Medications Wed, 12 Sep 2012 19:00:01 EST news266688694 Spouses of people who suffer a sudden heart attack (an acute myocardial infarction) have an increased risk of depression, anxiety, or suicide after the event, even if their partner survives, according to new research published online today in the European Heart Journal. They suffer more than spouses of people who die from, or survive, other conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-spouses-people-heart-depression-suicide.html Cardiology Tue, 21 Aug 2012 19:00:01 EST news264783160 Opioids -- a class of medicines commonly given for pain -- were associated with a higher risk of pneumonia in a study of 3,061 adults, aged 65 to 94, e-published in advance of publication in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study from researchers at Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington (UW) also found that benzodiazepines, which are drugs generally given for insomnia and anxiety, did not affect pneumonia risk. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-opioids-linked-higher-pneumonia-older.html Medications Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:30:38 EST news235927705