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Blog (43)

Certain Steroids May Raise Risk of Dangerous Blood Clots

Posted 1 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, April 1 – People who use drugs called glucocorticoids – a class of steroids – are at increased risk for blood clots in their veins, according to a new study. Glucocorticoids are anti-inflammatory drugs widely used to treat conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Researchers looked at data from nearly 39,000 people in Denmark who were diagnosed with blood clots between January 2005 and December 2011. The patients were classified as current, recent and former users of glucocorticoids. Current users were divided into new and continuing users. The study by Sigrun Johannesdottir, of Aarhus University Hospital, the Netherlands, and colleagues was published online April 1 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. The use of glucocorticoids was associated with increased risk of blood clots in current, new, continuing and recent users of the drugs, but not former users, ... Read more

Steroid Shots Disappoint in Back Pain Study

Posted 7 Mar 2013 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, March 7 – Older adults who get steroid injections for degeneration in their lower spine may fare worse than people who skip the treatment, a small study suggests. The research, published recently in the journal Spine, followed 276 older adults with spinal stenosis in the lower back. In spinal stenosis, the open spaces in the spinal column gradually narrow, which can put pressure on nerves. The main symptoms are pain or cramping in the legs or buttocks, especially when you walk or stand for a long period. The treatments range from "conservative" options like anti-inflammatory painkillers and physical therapy to surgery. People often try steroid injections before resorting to surgery. Steroids calm inflammation, and injecting them into the space around constricted nerves may ease pain – at least temporarily. In the new study, researchers found that patients who got steroid ... Read more

Combo Inhaler May Give Better Relief for Some With Asthma

Posted 4 Mar 2013 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 4 – Asthma patients typically use two inhaled drugs – one a fast-acting "rescue inhaler" to stem attacks and another long-lasting one to prevent them. However, combining both in one inhaler may be best for some patients, two new studies suggest. Patients with moderate to severe asthma who used a combination inhaler had fewer attacks than those on two separate inhalers, researchers report. Both studies tested the so-called SMART (single maintenance and reliever therapy) protocol. "The SMART regime was more effective as a treatment for asthma than the conventional treatment, where you just use a inhaler at a fixed maintenance dose and a short-acting inhaler for the relief of symptoms," said Dr. Richard Beasley, director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand in Wellington and lead researcher of one of the studies. These drugs are a combination of a corticosteroid ... Read more

Steroid Shots for Tennis Elbow Miss the Mark: Study

Posted 5 Feb 2013 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 5 – A corticosteroid shot is a common treatment for "tennis elbow," but a new study finds it might do more harm than good. For people with tennis elbow – a painful condition related to overuse of the tendon in the elbow – more bad news emerged from the study: Combining physical therapy with a steroid shot was of no benefit over the long-term either. "Patients having steroid injections should be warned of the potential for recurrence three to 12 months after the injection, even after feeling any benefit in the short term," said senior study author Bill Vicenzino, chairman of sports physiotherapy at the University of Queensland in St. Lucia, Australia. Recurrences are usually put down to the fact that patients feel better after the injection and then do too much too soon, Vicenzino said. To avoid this, physical therapy may be recommended post-injection to moderate the ... Read more

Armstrong Confession Validates His Use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Posted 18 Jan 2013 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 17 – For over a decade, world-renowned cyclist Lance Armstrong has strongly denied use of performance-enhancing techniques to improve his athletic performance. Armstrong has now admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs while conquering a record seven Tour de France championships. He said it was “not possible” to win without doping. Armstrong admitted to getting lost in the momentum of a perfect life – beating cancer, having a wonderful family and winning the Tours. He said would do anything at all costs to win. And then, Armstrong apologized. The confession, in a “no conditions” interview conducted by Winfrey appears to be the first step in Armstrong’s hope to lessen his lifetime ban, regain his ability to compete, and soften the blows of a damaged reputation. Prior to taping the episode on Monday, Armstrong also made an emo ... Read more

Steroid Injections for Back Pain May Lower Bone Mass

Posted 2 Dec 2012 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, Dec. 1 – Older women who get steroid injections in the spine to treat lower back pain may be at risk for bone loss in their hips, a small study suggests. It is well known that the anti-inflammatory steroid medications used to treat diseases such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis may decrease a person's bone mass over time. But it hasn't been clear whether steroid shots – one treatment option for lower back pain – are connected to bone loss. "It's been thought that [the steroids] might stay in the epidural space of the spine," explained study author Dr. Shlomo Mandel, an orthopedic physician at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, in Michigan. Safety questions about steroid injections also have been raised in recent months, as U.S. health officials investigate a deadly outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to steroid shots produced by a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy ... Read more

Steroid Shots for Sciatica: Benefits Only Brief, Analysis Finds

Posted 12 Nov 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 12 – Spinal steroid injections – the type involved in the current fungal meningitis outbreak in the United States – provide only short-term relief for sciatica-related leg and back pain, according to a new analysis. Sciatica, a common type of low back pain, is characterized by intense pain shooting down one leg, along with tingling and numbness, as a result of injury or pressure on the sciatic nerve. Epidural steroid treatments – injections into the joint spaces of the spine – have been used to treat back pain for a half-century, but consistent guidelines for their use are nonexistent, according to the new study, which was published Nov. 13 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. In the new analysis, researchers analyzed 23 clinical trials involving more than 3,100 patients; the trials compared steroid injections to other treatments. Researchers had followed ... Read more

Guidelines Issued to Resolve Temporary Facial Paralysis

Posted 7 Nov 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 7 – New guidelines recommend steroid pills to treat initial symptoms of a condition called Bell's palsy that temporarily paralyzes facial muscles. Steroid pills, sometimes in conjunction with medications that target viruses, are already a common treatment for the condition, said ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Jay Rubinstein, professor of otolaryngology at University of Washington, Seattle, commenting on the guidelines. Bell's palsy is challenging to treat because 85 percent of patients will recover on their own, but it will persist in the other 15 percent, he said. "We give steroids to try to get a better result on those 15 percent and to speed up the whole process," he said. "We think that facial paralysis recovers faster with steroids than not, but we have precious little proof of that." Patients with Bell's palsy suddenly develop paralysis on one side of their ... Read more

After Tonsillectomy, Steroids May Not Increase Bleeding

Posted 25 Sep 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 25 – A class of drugs commonly given to children undergoing tonsillectomy is not likely to increase the risk of serious bleeding after surgery, according to a new U.S. study. Corticosteroids, which are similar to a natural hormone produced by the adrenal glands, have been used for many years to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting and to decrease airway swelling, according to background information included in the study. The practice was approved in guidelines for pediatric tonsillectomy developed by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in 2011. But European research recently concluded that the drugs can trigger increased bleeding or hemorrhage. The research was halted before it was completed due to the increased risk of bleeding that scientists were seeing among study participants. "The European study, which was well constructed and ... Read more

For Mild Asthma, Daily Steroids May Not Be Needed, Study Says

Posted 11 Sep 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 11 – Millions of people with mild to moderate asthma are routinely prescribed daily inhaled steroid medications to control the disease, but a new study suggests that may not be necessary. The study, published Sept. 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found no difference in patient outcomes whether patients took the powerful drugs each day or only when symptoms appeared. "The discovery that these two courses of treatment do not differ significantly could eventually change the way doctors and patients manage asthma, providing an option that is easier to follow and possibly less expensive," lead author Dr. William Calhoun, professor and vice chair for research in internal medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, said in a university news release. "Our findings build on a considerable foundation of research in the field and come at ... Read more

Child's Use of Certain Asthma Drugs Could Shorten Adult Height

Posted 4 Sep 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Sept. 3 – Young adults who used inhaled steroid drugs to treat their asthma when they were children are slightly shorter – about half an inch – than those who didn't use the drugs, a new study finds. Researchers followed 943 children, ages 5 to 12, who were treated for mild to moderate asthma for more than four years. The children were divided into three groups. One group took the inhaled corticosteroid medication budesonide (brand names Pulmicort, Rhinocort) twice a day; the second group took the inhaled non-steroid medication nedocromil (brand name Tilade); and the third group took a placebo. All the children took albuterol, a fast-acting drug for relief of acute asthma symptoms, and oral corticosteroids as needed to treat asthma symptoms. The children were followed until they reached their full adult height – age 18 or older for females and age 20 or older for males. The ... Read more

Stopping Controversial Asthma Drugs Could Have Downside: Study

Posted 27 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Aug. 27 – It's okay for some patients with asthma to stick with a combination of medications instead of abandoning one because of concerns about complications, a new analysis of existing research suggests. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned that asthma patients who take both long-acting beta-agonist and inhaled corticosteroid medications should be cautious about using them together once their condition is under control. Long-acting beta-agonists – such as drugs known by the brand names Serevent, Foradil and Brovana – could cause side effects, the FDA cautioned, as could combination drugs. For that reason, the agency suggested that patients consider going with inhaled corticosteroids alone. However, the new analysis came to a different conclusion. "Adding a long-acting beta-agonist to an inhaled corticosteroid medication makes a lot of sense in a number of ... Read more

Steroids Won't Ease Most Sinusitis Attacks, Study Finds

Posted 7 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Aug. 7 – Despite their increasing popularity as a treatment for sinusitis, corticosteroids do not seem to ease the symptoms of this common infection, a new Dutch study suggests. "This condition can considerably impair daily functioning, and its unpleasant symptoms may have a negative influence on the quality of life," said study author Dr. Roderick Venekamp, a postdoctoral researcher and general practitioner trainee in the department of otorhinolaryngology at the University Medical Centre Utrecht. "As a consequence, patients' needs toward an effective therapy are often high. This might explain the high antibiotic prescribing rates in daily practice," Venekamp said. "However, previous studies revealed that the vast majority of patients with mild to moderate acute rhinosinusitis do not benefit from antibiotics." "Nowadays, intranasal corticosteroids – anti-inflammatory drugs – ... Read more

Inhaled Steroids Lead to Big Drop in Asthma Deaths at Texas Hospital: Study

Posted 15 May 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, May 15 – Patient education and medication compliance contributed to a 74 percent drop in the number of patients with life-threatening asthma admitted to the intensive care unit at University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, researchers report. Their review of 30 years of hospital data focused on patients with severe asthma who didn't respond to standard inhalers. They found that there were 227 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with 280 episodes of life-threatening asthma between 1980 and 2010. One patient died, but the death was from a different cause after the patient's asthma improved, according to the team at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. "The main reason for the decline in cases is that more of our patients are taking their controller medications, such as inhaled corticosteroids, which reduce the amount of inflammation in the ... Read more

Strides Made in Diagnosing, Treating Lupus

Posted 10 May 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, May 10 – Sometimes it takes years for people to get diagnosed with lupus. That wasn't the case for Marisa Zeppieri-Caruana, who had so many of the classic systemic lupus erythematosus symptoms – such as a butterfly-shaped rash on her face, a daily fever and achy joints – that her doctor knew right away that the 23-year-old had the illness. Since then, Zeppieri-Caruana, now 34, has been hospitalized 30 times and has had four mini-strokes along with numerous other problems related to her lupus. Most people who have lupus go through periods where they have active disease (flares) and periods where they don't have any symptoms (remission). Unfortunately, Zeppieri-Caruana said she's never had a time where she's been totally in remission. "An average day for me includes fatigue and fever. It's really hard to try to put weight on, and I usually don't feel like doing anything. I ... Read more