Recent strides in allergy treatment aim to get severe allergy sufferers up and moving with new pill and liquid (oral drop) treatments. If approved, these allergy drugs could work more effectively than and eventually replace traditional allergy shots.

Allergies and hay fever can cause allergy sufferers serious discomfort. In addition to a runny nose and nasal congestion, hay fever can cause sinus pressure, itchy eyes and dark circles under the eyes called allergic shiners. Severe hay fever also can cause sleep issues and sinus infections (sinusitis), and may worsen asthma problems.

Some allergy sufferers rely on injections to address these severe symptoms, especially in the spring and fall when allergies and hay fever peak. Shots are given frequently—as often as twice weekly to twice monthly—for several years to build a tolerance to allergens. This therapy is now available orally in pill or drop form, known as sublingual immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy can cut symptoms by 20-30 percent, slightly higher than the use of nasal sprays (17 percent) and daily antihistamines (12-15 percent). Although immunotherapy drops and tablets have not yet made their way to the United States, they are already being used in Europe. Researchers are still investigating the long-term effectiveness of sublingual immunotherapy. One such investigation appears in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

In the meantime, you can learn more about allergy shots and how to manage allergies and hay fever from the Mayo Clinic website.

Magnets may be a treatment option for people with depression who don't respond to antidepressants. In a small study by the Medical University of South Carolina, 14 percent of individuals who underwent magnetic therapy reported no symptoms of depression.

Dr. Mark George and colleagues from the Medical University of South Carolina recruited 190 adults to participate in the study. Participants had been depressed anywhere from 3 months to 5 years, and all had been unresponsive to treatment with antidepressants.

Half of the participants received a simulated placebo treatment, while the other half were treated using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a form of magnetic therapy in which electric pulses are used to stimulate the brain. TMS is currently being used treat depression, as well as chronic pain, migraines and Parkinson’s disease.

After three weeks, 13 of the 92 patients (14 percent) who underwent TMS treatment reported no depressive symptoms, compared to 5 percent of people in the simulation.

"This study should help settle the debate about whether rTMS works for depression," said George, who led the research team. "We can now follow up clues suggesting ways to improve its effectiveness, and hopefully further develop a potential new class of stimulation treatments for other brain disorders."

Remission more than doubled in another similar study in which all participants underwent TMS. Although these results may seem meager, this could spell relief for many of the 17.5 million Americans who suffer from depression. Further studies will provide more concrete information on the long-term effects of TMS.

“We have settled a fundamental question about (TMS) therapy, which is: ‘Does it work?’” George told Health Day. “The answer,” he said, “ is ‘yes’.”

Learn more about the results of this study from the National Institute of Health, or visit the Archives of General Psychiatry to view the study’s abstract.

Two contraceptives—Yaz and Yasmin—will be adding information to their labels informing users about the risk of blood clots.

In two long-term studies of 120,000 U.S. and U.K. women, researchers found that Yaz and Yasmin, two of Bayer’s top-sellers, can cause blood clots in some women. These two contraceptives were released in 2000, so little was known about their long-term effects. This risk is comparative to that of other oral contraceptives, but Bayer Health Care, the company that produces the drugs, plans to provide more thorough information to its consumers.

Higher levels of certain hormones in the blood stream from use of birth control pills can cause blood clots. Drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol, the active ingredients in Yaz and Yasmin, don’t necessarily guarantee clotting problems, but they can promote clotting.

When clots do occur, they bring serious medical risks. One such risk, known as deep venous thrombosis (DVT), occurs when blood clots form in larger veins, usually those in the legs. If this clot breaks off into the blood stream (called an embolism), it can become lodged in vital organs and cause serious damage, stroke, or even death.

The risk of clotting is increased when birth control users smoke, have a history of clots, are overweight, have high blood pressure and/or cholesterol, or are over age 35.

Some contraceptives have, however, been shown to regulate periods, prevent ectopic pregnancy and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and has a lower incidence of ovarian cancer and cysts. Yaz in particular can be used to treat  premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Talking with your doctor can help you find the solution that best fits your needs.

We are convinced of the fact that Yasmin is a good choice for women who wish to have a simple and reliable method of prevention, if the product is used in accordance with (the health guidelines),” Dr. Kemal Malik said in a press release. Malik is the chief medical officer of Bavarian Schering Pharmaceuticals, and worked on the studies.

The risk of blood clots from contraceptives is relatively low—according to Epigee, only about 3 of every 10,000 women using the pill experience clotting. Choosing the right contraceptive can further reduce those risks.

Visit the Yaz/Yasmin site to get the full scoop on these products.

A new approach for controlling type 1 diabetes may be on the horizon.  Researchers found that some cells can transform into and regenerate beta cells, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

University of Geneva Medical School researchers induced type 1 diabetes in mice by destroying their beta cells, treating the mice with insulin injections to regulate blood glucose levels. The research team, led by professor Pedro Herrera, then monitored alpha cells for changes.

Alpha cells actually changed into active beta cells, and according to Herrera, this transformation can occur even when alpha cells are absent. Eventually the injections were no longer necessary.

Andrew Rakeman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation says this research could provide insight into treating type 1diabetes.

“Anytime you’re thinking about any type of cure or really good treatments for type 1 diabetes, you have to consider both the beta cells and the immune side,” Rakeman told Health Day.

“Reprogramming is something that can happen naturally. If one can delineate what’s causing it to happen in mice, it might be possible to find interventions to induce that to happen in humans.”

Beta cells are destroyed in individuals with diabetes because the body’s immune system recognizes the cells as foreign substances. White blood cells, responsible for defending the body against viruses, attack the beta cells, and the body can no longer produce insulin. The body may also destroy transplanted cells, leaving the individual independent on insulin therapy.

“At this point it’s unclear whether reprogrammed alpha cells would be vulnerable,” Rakeman says. “Alpha cells are not normally destroyed by the immune system...(due to cellular changes) it’s likely that they’ll appear to the immune system as beta cells.”

Research is in its early stages, and current results, though hopeful, are merely suggestive. More information is needed to determine what happens to alpha cells during transformation. The study appears in the journal Nature.

A new study challenges the success of antidepressants in treating depression. The study, which appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), suggests that placebos may be just as effective in cases of mild to moderate depression.

Information for the study was gathered from six different placebo-controlled studies taking place across a 29-year span. It included data from 718 adult outpatients being treated for minor or major depressive disorder.

“The magnitude of benefit of antidepressant medication compared with placebo increases with severity of depression symptoms,” authors of the study explain, “and may be minimal or nonexistent, on average, in patients with mild or moderate symptoms.”

According to the New York Times, the success rate of placebos in some studies such as this can be as high as 50 percent for individuals with mild to moderate depression. People who continue to use antidepressants do appear to have a lower relapse rate, though—just one-third to one-half that of those taking placebos.

The study has its limitations, however. First of all, its conclusions are based on studies including just two different antidepressants. Another drawback is that, for the purpose of discovering which drugs are most effective, many studies of antidepressant medications exclude people who get better using placebos.

Finally, results may be limited because of the difficulty of finding studies that include people with mild to moderate depression, rather than just those with severe depression. A study with a much larger pool of participants would provide greater insight into the effectiveness of placebos versus antidepressants.

The study is merely suggestive, and neither proves nor disproves the claim that antidepressants are no more effective than placebos. In no way does it mean that someone should stop taking medication prescribed for depression. Rather, it provides something for antidepressant users to consider and discuss with their doctors.

“For patients with very severe depression, the benefit of medications over placebo is substantial,” authors concluded.

Visit Healia's Depression Community.

When it comes to dosages of cold medicine, your kitchen spoons may not be measuring up. Using spoons to measure medicine may be causing you to under or overdose, according to new research in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

“Spoon dosing has been identified as 1 of the 3 major causes of dosing errors and pediatric poisonings,” authors of the study wrote. “Most persons still use spoons when pouring medicine for themselves and their families.”

Nearly 200 university students were asked to measure what they perceived to be equal amounts of cold medicine into three different spoons—a standard teaspoon, a medium-sized spoon, and a larger spoon.

“We first gave them a full bottle of cold medicine and a teaspoon and asked them to pour exactly 1 teaspoon (5 mL),” authors of the study explain. “Next, we asked participants to pour the same 5-mL dose into each of the remaining 2 spoons in a randomized order.”

Standard dosage for most cold medicines is usually between 2 teaspoons and 2 tablespoons. Although most participants were confident that they’d measured accurately, they measured 8.4 percent (.42 mL) too little when using the medium-sized spoon, and 11.6 percent (.58 mL) too much when using the large spoon.

Although that may not seem like much for per dose, a little change in medicine can make a lot of difference. According to study leader Dr. Brian Wansink of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, this can add up to the point of ineffectiveness or even danger.

They also point out that this could reach farther than the kitchen at home. Even the most practiced nurse or Dr. Mom could be measuring incorrectly when using spoons because the size of the spoon makes the same amount appear differently.

“Simply put, we cannot always trust our ability to estimate amounts," co–author, Dr. Koert van Ittersum, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Georgia Tech, said in a press release. "In some cases it may not be important, but when it comes to the health of you or your child, it is vital to make an accurate measurement."

Prescription drug sharing among teens is becoming a great concern in the United States, where 1 in 3 self-reportedly loan or borrow medication.
According to a survey funded by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), 20.6% of teens reported loaning drugs, most commonly pain relievers and allergy medications, and 19.4% reported borrowing them. Girls were almost twice as likely to give away prescription medications than boys (27.5% of girls, compared to 17.4% for boys).

Information for the study was gathered in malls, parks and public streets, in eleven urban and suburban locations in the United States. Researchers obtained data from 594 teens—289 male and 305 female—ages 12-17.

“Prior to our study, no one had asked adolescents how often they shared prescription medications,” said lead author Richard Goldworthy, Ph.D., director for research and development at Academic Edge, Inc.

Researchers first asked participants whether or not they had ever loaned or borrowed prescription medications. Those who responded positively were then asked what type(s) of drugs were borrowed, whether they gave or received written or verbal instructions, and whether or not they had shared to avoid a doctor’s visit—74% of borrowers said yes.

Of the 86 teens trying to steer clear of the doctor’s office, 32.4% ended up going anyway when the problem persisted. Herein lies the danger: 43 of them reported experiencing an allergic reaction or other side effect, but less than half of borrowers (about 40%) reported telling their doctors they had used the medication.

Drug sharing has a number of negative consequences. Conditions often worsen when not taken care of in a timely manner, and using medications improperly only increases the danger. Sharing antibiotics, for example, unnecessarily increases bacterial resistance to treatment.

“Other researchers have studied people selling prescription drugs,” said co-author Chris Mayhorn, an associate professor in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Psychology Program at North Carolina State University. “ but we looked at people with good intentions, trying, for instance, to help a friend who lacked money or transportation.”

Taking a friend’s acne medication may seem innocent to a teen, however, drugs such as Accutane increase risk of depression and can cause serious birth defects in he event of an unplanned pregnancy.

The study has provided a greater incentive to boost educational programs, pushing efforts to reduce the growing drug sharing problem by training both patients and providers about proper drug use.

Melissa Haddow, executive director of the Community Partnership of the Ozarks, says, "This work highlights the diversity of medications being abused this way, which had not been recognized (before)."

More about child health.

A recent study conducted by the Indiana University School of Medicine and Medco Health Solutions Inc. suggests that taking heartburn medications while using anticlotting drugs called clopidogrel can increase patients’ likelihood of heart attack by 50 percent. The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention recommends patients taking anticlotting drugs discontinue the use of heartburn medications called proton-pump inhibitors.

Patients who have experienced a heart attack or stroke, or who have a heart stent to treat blocked arteries often take anticlotting drugs. Doctors commonly prescribe the proton-pump inhibitors when patients experience side effects like acid reflux and stomach bleeding while taking clopidogrel. No risk has been identified in taking heartburn medications alone.

The society suggests patients use alternative treatments for bothersome gastro-intestinal side effects. Effective medications include over-the-counter antacids and prescription heartburn medications.

Challenge your heart disease knowledge using the Healia Heart Diseases Quiz. If you need more information on heart diseases and treatments, check out the Healia Heart Disease Health Guide. Share your personal experiences with heart disease medications at the Healia Heart Diseases Online Health Community and Support Group.


_{Photo: Publik15, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The following is a list of the bestselling prescription medications worldwide in the year 2006 ranked by global sales. Brand names appear in bold, followed by generic names in parentheses and approximate global sales in billions of 2006 U.S. Dollars.

The top 10 bestselling prescription medicines are:

1. Lipitor (atorvastatin) - $14.4 billion in sales
   Cholesterol-lowering statin drug has been the world’s bestselling drug for seven years in a row. (Approved in December 1996)


2. Advair (fluticasone/salmeterol) - $6.1 billion
   Long-acting asthma control medication combines a medicine that treats inflammation with one that helps open up the airways. (August 2000)


3. Plavix (clopidogrel) - $6.1 billion
   Anti-clotting drug helps treat cardiovascular diseases caused by narrowing of the arteries in the heart, extremities, and brain. (November 1997)


4. Nexium (esomeprazole) - $5.2 billion
   Bestseller in the class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) that reduce stomach acidity for people with ulcers or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). (March 2000)


5. Norvasc (amlodipine) - $4.9 billion
   Calcium channel blocker treats high blood pressure by reducing smooth muscle tension in the arteries; can also relieve the pain of angina. (July 1992)


6. Remicade (infliximab) - $4.4 billion
   Helps reduce inflammation caused by autoimmune disorders, especially rheumatoid arthritis. (August 1998)


7. Enbrel(etanercept) - $4.4 billion
   Similar to Remicade, Enbrel treats autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis by preventing inflammation. (November 1998)


8. Zyprexa (olanzapine) - $4.4 billion
   Newer-generation antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. (September 1996)


9. Diovan (valsartan) - $4.4 billion
   Angiotensin receptor blocker treats high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. (December 1996)


10. Risperdal (risperidone) - $3.9 billion
    Similar to Zyprexa, this antipsychotic drug is used to treat schizophrenia. (December 1993)

_{Source: MedAdNews 200 - World's Best-Selling Medicines, MedAdNews, July 2007 http://www.medadnews.com/}

_{Photo: Brooks Elliott, Flickr, Creative Commons}