Quick Hits: Older people using certain antidepressants are at an increased risk of developing bronchiectasis, a condition where the airways in the lungs become damaged, making it difficult to clear mucus. Researchers involved in the Canadian study analyzed 296 elderly people and reviewed patient records to identify those receiving SSRI and SNRI antidepressants. The team pinpointed 12 patients with a lung disease who received antidepressants. Ten out of the 12 patients with a lung disease had received antidepressants at some point, which signified a strong association between antidepressant use and bronchiectasis development, researchers reported in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging. Posted November 21, 2017. Via Clinical Interventions in Aging.
Quick Hits: Children with suspected extremity fractures experience minor side effects such as bad taste in the mouth and dizziness more often while taking intranasal ketamine than with intranasal fentanyl. The side effects were found to be 2.2 times higher in patients taking ketamine, according to a study published in the journal “Academic Emergency Medicine.” There were no serious adverse events associated with either drug, nor did the patients taking either drug require intervention. Fentanyl is considered a powerful opioid pain medication, while ketamine is a non-opioid analgesic. Posted November 3, 2017. Via Academic Emergency Medicine.
Quick Hits: The FDA approved a 2-drug treatment for some people battling HIV. Juluca, which is a combination pill consisting of dolutegravir and rilpivirine, will replace the standard 3-drug regimen for certain patients with HIV. Patients whose virus has been suppressed on a stable standard regimen for at least 6 months — and have no history of treatment failure and no known substitutions associated with resistance to either dolutegravir or rilpivirine — are eligible to use this medication. Serious side effects associated with Juluca include allergic reactions, liver problems and depression or mood changes. Posted November 21, 2017. Via FDA.
