Help for Post Shingles Pain! Horizant delivers unexpected relief
July 30, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Help for Post Shingles Pain! Horizant delivers unexpected relief
Horizant (gabapentin enacarbil), a drug approved by the FDA in April of 2011 for the treatment of restless leg syndrome (RLS) has now been approved by the FDA for a new use: post-shingles pain.
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a common and excruciating painful complication of a bout with shingles, which is less commonly known as herpes zoster. PHN can lead to disability in some people.
Experts say that roughly one million people in the United States develop shingles annually. Of these people, approximately 10 percent will later develop the painful PHN condition.
Shingles involves an adulthood reactivation of a chickenpox infection from childhood. After a chickenpox attack, the virus lies dormant. However, it can reappear later in life. It’s more often seen in people with weakened immune systems.
A tingling or burning pain or itch is the first sign of shingles. The rash appears in rows and follows the path of some nerves. It’s generally seen on the scalp, face, neck, and trunk, but typically stops at the body’s midline.
In areas affected by the shingles, PHN causes pain, often in the area of the torso. The pain can last for months or years after the original infection.
Researchers aren’t certain on how Horizant works to thwart post-shingles pain, but studies have revealed that gabapentin can help reduce nerve-related pain. Horizant, which was developed by XenoPort Inc. and marketed by GlaxoSmithKline, is a slightly less active type of gabapentin, an antiepileptic drug.
Common side effects of Horizant include headaches, sleepiness, and dizziness.
Pharmacy Headquarters Blog (PharmacyHeadquarters.com) Editorial Staff Copyright 2012 – All rights reserved
Viagra for the Brain? The Debate about Provigil
July 25, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Viagra for the Brain? The Debate about Provigil
Nicknamed “Viagra for the brain”, users of Provigil say the drug keeps them highly-focused, super-productive, remarkably alert for long periods of time — and helps keep them successful. All this without jittery side effects or a caffeine or sugar-high crash.
Provigil (generic name modifinil ) is a wakefulness-promoting medication that is indicated to treat certain sleep disorders, such as narcolopsy. Its use was later expanded to treat some cases of sleep apnea and shift work sleep disorder.
From computer programmers to brain researchers to Internet executives, many people today are using it for an off-label cognitive enhancement. So much so, that ABC News reports that there’s been a 74 percent increase in prescription sales of the Provigil in the last four years. In 2011, the drugs’ sales reached over $1.4 million, according to IMS Health.
“It’s very tempting, but I think long-term it’s a bad idea,” said Dr. Martha Farah, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania “We actually know very little about the long-term effects.”
The National Institutes of Health also reports that the drug has side effects, including nausea, headaches, back pain, tingling or burning skin. More severe side effects include depression, hallucinations, anxiety, rashes, difficulty swallowing, hives, and difficulty breathing.
“Provigil should be used only under the supervision of a doctor for the treatment of excessive sleepiness caused by narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea or shift work disorder,” said The American Academy of Sleep Medicine in a statement on the off-label use of Provigil.
Physician still believe the healthiest way to achieve success is to engage in healthy behaviors like eating well, getting plenty of sleep, exercising, and reducing or eliminating major stressors in life.
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Pharmacy Headquarters Blog (PharmacyHeadquarters.com) Editorial Staff Copyright 2012 – All rights reserved
FDA Supports Truveda for HIV Prevention
May 9, 2012 § Leave a Comment
FDA Supports Truveda for HIV Prevention
The prescription drug Truvada, which has a long history of use for treating HIV, gains forward progress in becoming the first medication approved to help “prevent” people from becoming infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS.
The FDA indicates that Truvada appears to be effective and safe for HIV prevention. The agency concludes that taking Truvada daily could help patients from contracting the virus that can preclude “a serious and life-threatening illness that requires lifelong treatment.”
When combined with counseling and condoms, a three year study revealed that a daily dose of Truvada cut the risk of infection in bisexual and healthy gay men by 44 percent. Another study found that the medication cut the risk of infection in heterosexual couples where one partner was infected with HIV and the other was not by 75 percent.
Because Truvada is currently marketed to treat HIV, some physicians already prescribe its use as a preventative measure. Should the FDA approve the drug for preventative use, Truvada’s manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, could formally market the medication for its HIV preventative use.
The HIV virus attacks the body’s immune system. Unless its treated with antiviral drugs, it can develop into AIDS, a potentially life-threatening illness in which the body is unable to fight off foreign infection. According to the CDC, roughly 1.2 million Americans have HIV.
“If we’re going to reduce the more than 50,000 new HIV infections in this country each year, we need to increase the available options for people,” said Ronald Johnson, vice president of AIDS United. Additional studies are needed to determine Truvada effectiveness in other subgroups, including women, Johnson added.
The FDA held a meeting on May 10th, 2012 to determine whether Truvada should be approved for people who are at risk for contracting the HIV virus.
Update:
Truvada: FDA Approves First Pill To Help Prevent HIV
Pharmacy Headquarters Blog (PharmacyHeadquarters.com) Editorial Staff Copyright 2012 – All rights reserved
