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The pharmacological and hormonal therapy of hot flushes in breast cancer survivors.
Wiśniewska, I, Jochymek, B, Lenart-Lipińska, M, Chabowski, M
Breast cancer (Tokyo, Japan). 2016;(2):178-82
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Abstract
The side effects of oncological treatment, which appear during or after therapy, are sometimes very annoying for patients and are not adequately treated by physicians. Among the symptoms experienced by breast cancer patients are hot flushes, which result from a natural or cancer therapy-induced menopause. The intensity of hot flushes in breast cancer patients may be more severe than those experienced by women undergoing a natural menopause. Taking into account the incidence of breast cancer and long-lasting hormone-suppression therapies, the problem of hot flushes will affect many women. Hormonal replacement therapy, the most effective therapeutic means for alleviating hot flushes, is usually contraindicated for breast cancer patients. For intense and severe hot flushes, pharmacological treatment using agents from a group of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors such as venlafaxine or citalopram may be introduced. Other agents from different pharmacological groups, such as clonidine, gabapentin, or pregabalin, have also proved to be effective in treating hot flushes. The efficacy of phytoestrogens has not been proven in randomized clinical trials. The importance of the placebo effect in decreasing vasomotor symptoms has also been reported in many research papers. Educating breast cancer patients in lifestyle changes which decrease the frequency and intensity of vasomotor symptoms can offer significant help too. This paper reviews the current state of research in order to assess the options for the treatment of hot flushes in breast cancer survivors.
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Drugs that may harm bone: Mitigating the risk.
Hant, FN, Bolster, MB
Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine. 2016;(4):281-8
Abstract
Glucocorticoids, proton pump inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), certain antiepileptic drugs, and aromatase inhibitors have significant adverse effects on bone. Healthcare providers should monitor the bone health of patients on these agents, supplement their intake of calcium and vitamin D, encourage weight-bearing exercise, and initiate osteoporosis-prevention treatment as indicated.
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Drugs to Enhance Motor Recovery After Stroke.
Cramer, SC
Stroke. 2015;(10):2998-3005
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Abstract
Among the therapeutic strategies under study to improve long-term outcome after stroke are drugs targeting events that underlie recovery. Drugs that enhance recovery are separate from those that promote neuroprotection or reperfusion in patients with stroke. Recovery-based drugs have distinct therapeutic targets that are related to plasticity and growth following stroke, and in general, improvements in behavioral outcome are not accompanied by a reduction in infarct volume. Interventions targeting recovery have a time window measured in days or sometimes weeks-months, suggesting potential utility for a large percentage of patients with stroke. Currently, among drugs that enhance motor recovery after stroke in humans, the strongest evidence exists for serotonergic and dopaminergic agents. Restorative therapies generally target the brain directly, in contrast to approved stroke therapeutics that target arteries, clots, platelets, glucose, or cholesterol. Targeting the brain has wide-ranging implications, for example, in relation to drug delivery. In addition, because restorative drugs aim to change brain structure and function, their effects are influenced by concomitant behavioral experience, a finding that informs selection of entry criteria, outcome measures, and biomarkers in a clinical trial setting. These points underscore the importance of a neural systems approach in studying stroke recovery.
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Treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Rapkin, AJ, Lewis, EI
Women's health (London, England). 2013;(6):537-56
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Abstract
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is comprised of a cluster of affective, behavioral and somatic symptoms recurring monthly during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The disorder affects 3-8% of menstruating women and represents the more severe and disabling end of the spectrum of premenstrual disorders, which includes premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual aggravation of underlying affective disorder. Rigorous and specific diagnostic criteria for PMDD were specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (1994) and reaffirmed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (2013) and, consequently, there has been a marked increase in well-designed, placebo-controlled studies evaluating treatment modalities. Although the exact pathogenesis of PMDD is still elusive, treatment of PMDD and severe premenstrual syndrome has centered on neuromodulation via serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants, and ovulation suppression utilizing various contraceptive and hormonal preparations. Unlike the approach to the treatment of depression, serotonergic antidepressants need not be given daily, but can be effective when used cyclically, only in the luteal phase or even limited to the duration of the monthly symptoms. Less, well-substantiated alternative treatments, such as calcium supplementation, agnus castus (chasteberry), Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort) and cognitive/behavioral/relaxation therapies, may be useful adjuncts in the treatment of PMDD. This review provides an overview of current information on the treatment of PMDD.
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Translating the evidence on atypical depression into clinical practice.
Rapaport, MH, Thase, ME
The Journal of clinical psychiatry. 2007;(4):e11
Abstract
Subtypes of depression need to be recognized and diagnosed in order to properly treat patients who have depression but present with different symptoms from one another. Different pharmacotherapuetic strategies may work better for different subtypes. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) have been studied for the treatment of atypical depression. To date, MAOIs have been shown to be the most efficacious agents in treating atypical depression; however, many MAOIs nonselectively and irreversibly inhibit both MAO substrates, require tyramine-restricted diets, and may produce weight gain, cardiovascular side effects, or sexual dysfunction. A newer MAOI, the transdermal formulation of selegiline, may provide all of the efficacy of the older MAOIs in treating atypical depression without causing as great of adverse events and no diet restrictions.