Noctiva (desmopressin acetate), a prescription nasal spray for adults who urinate frequently throughout night, was approved by FDA. The drug is the first FDA-approved treatment for the condition known as nocturnal polyuria, which is overproduction of urine during the night. Patients who plan to take this Noctiva should take precautions since the drug has a boxed warning. Noctiva can cause hyponatremia, which is low sodium levels in the blood. If it is not promptly diagnosed and treated, hyponatremia can be fatal — leading to seizures, coma, respiratory arrest or death. Doctors should ensure that a patient’s sodium level is normal before prescribing Noctiva, and should check sodium levels within 1 week and approximately 1 month after starting treatment and periodically thereafter. Posted March 3, 2017. Via FDA.
People with milder cognitive impairment should be given a genetic test before using Aricept (donepezil) to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at the UCLA School of Nursing found Aricept could speed mental decline in someone with mild cognitive impairment who has a specific genetic variation, they reported in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Patients with the K-variant of the butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) gene who took Aricept deteriorated faster than those who took a placebo. Posted March 7, 2017. Via Medline Plus.
Patients who have psychiatric ailments are more likely to reject treatment if only medication is involved. Researchers analyzed 186 studies of patients who sought help for mental health conditions. The results, published in the journal Psychotherapy, found that the treatment refusal rate was more than 8% on average. Patients were almost twice as likely to refuse drug treatment alone compared to those offered talk therapy alone. Patients with depression were more than 2 times more likely to refuse drug therapy alone and patients with panic disorders were nearly 3 times more likely to refuse drug therapy alone. Researchers explained that patients usually prefer talking with a caring individual who could talk them through their emotional distress. Posted March 6, 2017. Via Medline Plus.
