MedNews — Addiction
Counseling Plus Medication May Help Teens Quit Smoking
A clinical trial of 312 teenagers aged 14 to 17 who smoked six or more cigarettes a day and had tried quitting at least twice, found that counseling and medication may help teens quit smoking, though in some cases (26-week time period), the placebo group had higher quit-rates than those taking the drug tested in the study, bupropion.
The subjects were divided into three groups and administered 150 milligrams (105 teens) or 300 milligrams (104 teens) of bupropion daily, or a placebo (103 teens). More »
Three Alcohol Drinks Per Day May Significantly Increase Breast Cancer Risk
It isn't the type of alcohol but the quantity which increases a woman's risk of contracting breast cancer.
In fact, the increased breast cancer risk from drinking three or more alcoholic drinks a day is similar to the increased breast cancer risk from smoking a pack of cigarettes or more a day, according to Kaiser Permanente researchers Yan Li, MD, PhD and Arthur Klatsky, MD. More »
Epilepsy Drug Topamax Helps Alcoholism Treatment
A drug called Topamax (topiramate) has been found to help alcoholics quit drinking excessively, according to a University of Virginia study. The drug is not FDA approved for treatment of alcoholism, but has been prescribed off-label by doctors to treat the condition.
Topiramate (brand name Topamax) is an anticonvulsant drug produced by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, a division of Johnson & Johnson. The drug is FDA-approved for treatment of epilepsy and for the prevention of migraines. More »
Smoking Hooks Kids Almost Immediately, New Study Shows
According to a study published in the July issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 10% of 217 studied children who inhaled cigarettes "lost autonomy over their tobacco" use within two days of their first cigarette. Another quarter became addicted within thirty days, and a full half were addicted after smoking only seven cigarettes per month.
The conclusions contradict "conventional wisdom" which believed that it took multiple cigarettes (at least five to six) per day to become addicted to nicotine. More »
Trading Prescription Medications Among Teens
With an increase in the number of psychotropic prescriptions for adolescents there are increased chances of these prescriptions ending up in the wrong hands.
Results of a survey of school students show that 1% of all prescriptions that caregivers write for teenagers are used for non-medical purposes. 6 out 10 students with legitimate psychotropic prescriptions are contacted to redirect their prescriptions. 1% of them agree to do it and some even sell them. As many as 25% have reported that they divert the prescriptions to family and friends. More »
Study Claiming Cannabis - Schizophrenia Link Fuels Debate
A controversy has been sparked by a Swiss study, which claims that a link has been established between smoking canabis and developing schizophrenia.
The study concludes that there was an increase in occurrences of schizophrenia during the 90s, which is considered to be a liberal period, and corresponds to higher canabis usage. The critics, however, have pointed out that the study is inconclusive as it is does not take into consideration the individual patients' drug usage. More »
Gambling Problems Among Elderly Women
More and more senior women in the United States are getting addicted to gambling and losing everything they own, gambling counselors claim.
A recent study reveals that in America 70% of senior citizens have participated in some kind of gambling activity in the past year.
While traditionally it is thought that it is men who are most commonly addicted to gambling, now women are also being drawn toward gambling more than ever before and some are even losing their life savings.
Most Pain Patients Don’t Obey Doctor's Orders
According to a recently-concluded study, out of 240,000 long-term patients suffering from chronic pain, 77 percent did not follow the instructions of their physician.
The study, by Texas-based Ameritox, revealed that 75 percent of the patients were either taking excessive medication, inadequate medication, no medication or some other medications that were not originally prescribed to them. These extra medicines were illegal or were not recommended by the doctor. More »
Party Drugs Likely Help Spread HIV Infections
A recent survey in the US has revealed that the increasing use of party drugs such as the stimulant "ice" (a methamphetamine) may be the cause behind escalating HIV-infections among gay men. More »
AMA Stops Short of Classifying Excessive Video Gaming as "Addiction"
An AMA report prepared for the American Medical Association's annual policy meeting had proposed including video game addiction in a manual of psychiatric illnesses.
The report was prepared by the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health.
After some debate, the organization declared that more study is needed before classifying excessive video gaming as an addiction. More »
