Posts tagged with 'adverse effects'
Recent research: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on weight, sugared drinks, vitamin D, vegetarianism & climate change
4th June 2009
I like the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN). It comes out monthly and nearly always has an article or two that I find interesting and helpful. The AJCN May edition produced a bumper crop. Interesting articles included a report by Chen and colleagues (see below for all abstracts) on …
Recent research: three depression papers that get me thinking
16th April 2009
Looking back over relevant research papers that caught my attention last month, some stand out for me more than the others. Here are three on depression that stood out and got me thinking. The Fergusson et al paper looks at links between alcohol abuse and major depression. There has been …
“Antidepressants are not all created equal”
8th March 2009
Cipriani and colleagues published a major multiple-treatments meta-analysis of new generation antidepressants last week - see abstract below. As Parikh wrote in his linked editorial (see below) "Andrea Cipriani and colleagues provide the field with a major answer. Free of any potential funding bias (and including an analysis of studies …
Draft SIGN non-pharmacological depression treatments guideline, 3rd post: herbs & supplements
14th September 2008
This is the third in a series of blog posts on last Wednesday's SIGN draft guideline seminar on "Non-pharmacological management of mild to moderate depression." The first session of the day was on "Lifestyle and Alternative/Complementary Therapies 1". Yesterday's blog discussed the first presenter, Ian Ross's talk on the value …
Organization of teratology information specialists (OTIS)
29th August 2008
Teratology is the study of the effects that drugs, medications, chemicals and other exposures may have on the unborn child during pregnancy. Particulary when a mother is taking a medication that is helping her stay well, it can be a difficult decision whether or not to stop taking the medication …
Recent research: five studies on depression – including side-effects, young people, heart attacks, and bipolar disorder
28th August 2008
Here are the abstracts of five recent research studies on depression and antidepressants. The first confirms earlier work showing an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding with SSRI's (particularly if also taking NSAID's). The second highlights the potential physical survival value of screening for and treating depression in people who have …
Recent research: CBT, insomnia & depression, GP visits & health anxiety, desensitization & medication, agoraphobia & panic
31st July 2008
Manber, R., J. D. Edinger, et al. (2008). "Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia enhances depression outcome in patients with comorbid major depressive disorder and insomnia." Sleep 31(4): 489-95. [PubMed] STUDY OBJECTIVE: Insomnia impacts the course of major depressive disorder (MDD), hinders response to treatment, and increases risk for depressive relapse. …
Recent research: adolescent depression, overweight, antidepressants in pregnancy, and recovery from stroke
2nd July 2008
Norquist, G., T. G. McGuire, et al. (2008). "Cost-Effectiveness of Depression Treatment for Adolescents." Am J Psychiatry 165(5): 549-552. [Free Full Text] Thoughtful (and freely accessible full text) editorial discussing the cost-effectiveness of pharmacological and psychological treatments for adolescents suffering from depression. Unfortunately different research studies suggest different conclusions, and …
Healthy and unhealthy behaviours can be 'infectious'
15th June 2008
There was an interesting study of over 12,000 people published in the New England Journal of Medicine recently (Christakis and Fowler, 2008) looking at the way that stopping smoking seems to help those around us stop smoking as well. So if I stop, the chances of my spouse smoking decrease …
Folic acid – should we take supplements?
19th April 2008
A GP friend recently asked me about taking folic acid supplements. He said that in a discussion about supplements with a knowledgeable medical colleague, he'd been told that "there is good evidence to show that we should all be taking ... folic acid." The friend apparently takes 800mcg/day. This is …