Are the side effects of cancer treatment worse than the cancer itself? My immediate response to that question is Yes. But for me, the reality is that I have stage 4 cancer, so I have no choice but to suck it up. As awful as this chemo is, I have to try, try, try to focus on the fact that it is working. I just hate the way it makes me feel. When I was admitted into this phase one clinical trial , I was elated even more so when I was told this drug had no side effects. This is fantastic! I thought. It seemed almost too good to be true. And of course, it was. I am exhausted. My white count, red count and platelet levels are dangerously low. The neuropathy in my feet is getting worse, and I now have jaw necrosis which basically involves having your gums disappear, leaving jaw bone exposed. Talk about pain! Alright, enough complaining. No one wants to read bad news, so I apologize. I am just so tired of all of it. But, I need to focus on the fact that this drug seems to be working, and the cancer in … Continue reading →

May 30, 2013 GLYX-13, a molecular cousin to ketamine, induces similar antidepressant results without the street drug side effects, reported a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that was published last month in Neuropsychopharmacology. Major depression affects about 10 percent of the adult population and is the second leading cause of disability in U.S. adults, according to the World Health Organization. Despite the availability of several different classes of antidepressant drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), 30 to 40 percent of adults are unresponsive to these medications. Moreover, SSRIs typically take weeks to work, which increases the risk for suicide. Enter NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor modulators. In the 1970s, researchers linked the receptors to learning and memory. Biotech and pharmaceutical companies in the 1980s attempted to apply chemical blockers to these receptors as a means to prevent stroke. But blocking these receptors led to the opposite effect -- --the rise of cardiovascular disease. Research in the field dampened until a glutamate receptor antagonist already approved for anesthesia, and known on the streets as "Special K," ketamine, made headlines in the early 2000s. Human clinical studies demonstrated that ketamine can ward off major and bipolar depressive … Continue reading →

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) May 31, 2013 RxISK stories Narratives shared by patients with their permission and without personal identifiers, will now be available. According to Dr. Dee Mangin, RxISK.orgs Chief Medical Officer, the best way to understand the impact of drug side effects is to read personal stories. Stories have the details that matter to people, that they can relate to. People notifying their drug side effects have given permission to share, in the hope that this will be helpful to others. She adds, a description of somebody elses experience on a drug is more helpful to both patients and doctors than just reading numbers and statistics it provides meaning. This will help people understand whether what they are experiencing is the same as others, what to expect and what may be helpful. Established side effects RxISK will now indicate which drug side effects have an officially acknowledged causal link. RxISKs CEO, Dr. David Healy, says: our new content comes from a database of established side effects created by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and updated to 30 June 2012. It has been compiled by EMA and partners from the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for medicines authorized in the … Continue reading →

Washington, May 31 (ANI): GLYX-13, a molecular cousin to ketamine, induces similar antidepressant results without the street drug side effects, according to a study. Major depression affects about 10 percent of the adult population and is the second leading cause of disability in U.S. adults, according to the World Health Organization. Despite the availability of several different classes of antidepressant drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), 30 to 40 percent of adults are unresponsive to these medications. Moreover, SSRIs typically take weeks to work, which increases the risk for suicide. Enter NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor modulators. In the 1970s, researchers linked the receptors to learning and memory. Biotech and pharmaceutical companies in the 1980s attempted to apply chemical blockers to these receptors as a means to prevent stroke. But blocking these receptors led to the opposite effect---the rise of cardiovascular disease. Research in the field dampened until a glutamate receptor antagonist already approved for anesthesia, and known on the streets as "Special K", ketamine, made headlines in the early 2000s. Human clinical studies demonstrated that ketamine can ward off major and bipolar depressive symptoms within 2 hours of administration and last for several days. Ketamine is fraught with serious … Continue reading →