Benzodiazepines and hypnosedatives may increase the risk of pneumonia

A recent review suggests that people currently or recently treated with benzodiazepines may have an increased risk of developing pneumonia. The research categorised usage into current exposure (within 30 days), recent use (within 31-90 days), and past use (beyond 90...

For which medical purposes do Americans use cannabis?

Researchers have recently analysed state registry data to provide nationwide estimates to elucidate the qualifying conditions for which patients are licensed to use cannabis medically. The research also compared the prevalence of medical cannabis qualifying conditions...

Don’t rub it in – compounded pain creams fail to deliver

The use of individually compounded creams as a topical treatment for chronic pain has increased in popularity, perhaps in part because of a lack of effective options for pain management and also the toxicity profile of drugs prescribed by the oral route for this...

Pregabalin loading up Australian ambulances

There is increasing concern about the dramatic rise in the prescribing of pregabalin in Australia and around the world. New research published in the Medical Journal of Australia has underlined this trend: The study examined pregabalin misuse‐related ambulance...

Big study finds that β-blockers don’t increase the risk of COPD

A study recently published in The Lancet has explored the possible influence of β-blockers upon the risk of COPD. In this huge study, researchers compared 301,542 new users of β-blockers to 1,000,633 new users of any other antihypertensive drugs (aged 30–90 years...