(CBS/AP) Medicines generally have side effects, but once in awhile the side effects may treat other conditions. Viagra after all, was originally a blood pressure medicine. Amantadine, an old flu medicine approved in the 1960s, was found a few years later to improve symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Now a new study shows the drug may also speed recovery from severe brain injuries. The study, published Mar. 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved 184 patients who had severe brain injuries caused by falls and car crashes. About a third were in a vegetative state (unconscious but with periods of wakefulness) and the rest were minimally conscious. The patients were randomly assigned to receive amantadine or a placebo daily for four weeks. They were treated within one to four months after getting injuried - a period when a lot of patients get better on their own, according to study author Joseph Giacino, a neurologist at Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. The researchers found both groups made small but significant improvements, but the rate of recovery was faster in the group getting amantadine. Changes included the ability to give yes-and-no answers, follow commands or use a spoon or hairbrush. Of the … Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Arestatindrugs leading to more problems than just diabetes and memory loss as the FDA says? Following on the heels of the FDA announcing changes to the safety information on statin labels (e.g. Pfizer Inc's Lipitor, AstraZeneca's Crestor and Merck & Co's Zocor) concerning blood sugar and memory problems, a collection of consumer health groups, such as Natural Society, are raising public awareness about thehundreds of additionaladverse health effectsassociated with their use as indicated by the published research from the National Library of Medicine. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120202/PH46512LOGO) A growing body of clinical research now indicates that this cholesterol-lowering class of drugs is associated with an alarming number of serious medical conditions-- research boldly flying in the face of national health policy, medical insurance premium guidelines, statin drug manufacturer advertising claims, and the general sentiment of the public, with approximately 1 in every 4 adult Americans over 45 currently using these drugs to "prevent heart disease." Fundamentally, the research indicates that statin drugs damage the muscles and nerves in the body. There arewellover 100 studiesdemonstrating the myotoxic, or muscle-harming effects of these drugs, andover 80demonstrating the nerve-damaging effects. Since the heart is such a vital muscle innervated … Continue reading →

MICHELLE COOKE New Zealand doctors may soon have to warn hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders that their cholesterol-lowering medication increases the risk of diabetes and dementia. More than 400,000 people - one in every 10 New Zealanders - are prescribed either Lipitor or Lipex to lower their cholesterol levels. New research shows that statins have been found to lead to memory loss and increase a person's chance of developing diabetes by nine per cent, sparking the United States to issue a mandatory label on the medicine, warning of its side effects. The announcement by the United States Food and Drug Association (FDA) on Tuesday sparked New Zealand's health regulator Medsafe to conduct a review. A New Zealand study in 2007 made links between memory loss and statins, and information about the side effects are available in datasheets for such medicines, Medsafe's protection and regulation manager Chris James says. But the link between statins and diabetes is not included. The review will decide whether the side effect should be included in datasheets, which doctors use as a reference when alerting patients to potential adverse effects. More than 200,000 Kiwis already have diabetes, which is considered an epidemic in New Zealand. … Continue reading →