By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Angiotensin receptor blockers, drugs commonly taken to control high blood pressure, appear to reduce the amount of plaque in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and others, a new study shows. These results were found when patients with high blood pressure on drugs such as losartan (Cozaar) died and underwent an autopsy. These brain plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Whether, however, these drug also improve mental function isn't known, the researchers added. "[It] would have to be proven in a clinical trial whether these effects seen in an autopsy study manifest themselves in a clinical setting," said lead researcher Dr. Ihab Hajjar, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. "But since we don't have any treatment for Alzheimer's, it's worth pursuing." Candesartan (Atacand), irbesartan (Avapro), olmesartan (Benicar), valsartan (Diovan), telmisartan (Micardis) and eprosartan (Teveten) are other angiotensin receptor blockers approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Although this study can't determine whether angiotensin receptor blockers improve mental function in Alzheimer's patients, Hajjar pointed out there is a connection between blood pressure and brain health, and the choice of blood-pressure lowering drugs … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Sep. 10, 2012) 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. Psychotropic drugs affect the way the brain functions and can impair a driver's ability to control their vehicle. Research on the links between psychotropic medication and driving accidents has focused on benzodiazepines, which have been used to treat anxiety and insomnia. Perhaps the best known of these drugs is diazepam. Newer Z-drugs, used to treat insomnia, have received less attention, as have antidepressants and antipsychotics. To understand the effects of a wider spectrum of psychotropic drugs on driving accidents, the authors compared drug use in two groups of people identified using medical records from the Taiwanese national health insurance programme. The first group included 5,183 people involved in motor vehicle accidents. The second group included 31,093 people, matched for age, gender and the year of vehicle accidents, who had no record of being involved in motor vehicle accidents. In general, those involved in accidents were … Continue reading →

By Jenifer Goodwin HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- When prescription drugs become available over-the-counter, advertisements for the medications are far less likely to tell consumers about the potential harms and side effects, new research finds. The reason for it, experts say, likely has to do with which federal agency regulates the marketing materials for each type of drug. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates ads for prescription drugs, while ads for over-the-counter drugs are regulated by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC has much less stringent standards than the FDA for what manufacturers have to reveal about products in their marketing materials, the researchers noted. The FDA requires prescription drug advertising to provide consumers with a "fair balance" of risks and benefits -- for drug ads, that often means rattling off a lengthy list of potential side effects. The FTC, on the other hand, holds drug advertisements to the same standards as other consumer products, requiring a "reasonable" standard of truthfulness. The looser requirements mean that information about potential side effects and harm aren't included in most over-the-counter drug ads, said study author Dr. Jeremy Greene, an associate professor in the history of … Continue reading →