The much-maligned drug may ease the anxieties of the terminally ill. People dying of incurable diseases are often crippled by depression, fear and anxiety. But the drugs that offer relief for those problems can be overly sedating, making patients mentally foggy. A long-outlawed treatment may be the answer. Within the next few months, a group of late-stage cancer patients will be given an illicit party drug to see if it can help them come to terms with their situation. That chemical is MDMA, better known as Ecstasy. "There are so few palliative care options for the terminally ill," says Dr. John H. Halpern, a psychiatrist who will be conducting this research at Harvard University's McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. "And there is anecdotal evidence that MDMA can help them resolve the anxieties they experience without doping them up on tranquilizers." [continues 519 words]
Marijuana users call them "the munchies," those intense food cravings sparked by inhaling the illicit weed's smoke. Normally blamed for weight gain, these urges to wolf down everything in sight now have led to the development of a drug that may help millions slim down. Called Rimonabant, the experimental pill appears to stop the flow of "feed me " signals to the brain. "This drug makes people feel satiated so they eat less," says Dr. Louis J. Aronne, an obesity specialist at the Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York who has tested Rimonabant. "If it proves effective, it may become a potent weapon in our fight against obesity, which is difficult to treat." [continues 563 words]
The Overdoses Linked To OxyContin May Have To Do With Combinations. The prescription painkiller OxyContin may not be the sole culprit behind the hundreds of drug overdoses for which it's been blamed. Researchers have found that most of the drug-abuse deaths associated with oxycodone -- a morphine-like painkiller that is the active ingredient in OxyContin, Percocet and other medications -- are the result of mixing several drugs. The overdoses have prompted increased regulatory scrutiny of prescriptions nationwide, making some doctors reluctant to prescribe the drug, even for patients in severe pain. [continues 182 words]
A doctor takes a scientific look at the illegal drug's effects on HIV patients with painful symptoms. In March, in a hospital room tucked in a quiet corner of San Francisco General Hospital, a 39-year-old AIDS patient made history of sorts when he lighted a marijuana cigarette -- legally. He is the first of 16 volunteers participating in a study of whether the illicit herb can relieve the pain in the hands and feet that afflicts people with HIV. [continues 521 words]
Health: Animal Tests Show The Party Drug Can Lead To Severe Brain Damage And Disease Symptoms Such As Loss Of Motor Skills. Even one typical night's use of the club drug Ecstasy may damage nerve cells in the brain responsible for movement, increasing the risk of Parkinson's disease and similar disorders, researchers report today. The findings were based on animal studies in which monkeys and baboons were given the kinds of doses that users might consume at all-night dance parties. The animals suffered profound neurological damage, according to results published in the journal Science, and lost 60% to 80% of the brain cells that transmit dopamine, a brain chemical that regulates movement. [continues 452 words]
Tattoos and body piercings have become so common they seem almost innocuous - -- even pop star Britney Spears, an idol to millions of preteens, has a navel ring. But by shrugging off such adornments, parents might be doing their kids a disservice, experts say. Young people who sport tattoos or have their noses, tongues, eyebrows or bellybuttons pierced are more likely to have sex, smoke cigarettes or marijuana, use drugs, binge drink, skip school, get into fights and get poor grades, according to a study in the June issue of Pediatrics. [continues 309 words]
Despite reports linking it to dozens of deaths and thousands of overdoses, the illegal supplement GHB just won't disappear. First banned in the United States more than a decade ago by federal regulators, the substance -- best known as a party drug used on the rave scene -- remains popular with fitness buffs, insomniacs and the depressed, who buy it on the Internet and from underground sources. Now medical experts report another problem: GHB is highly addictive and can be more difficult to kick than heroin. But unlike opiate addiction, most doctors are unaware of the stranglehold that GHB has on users. Consequently, medical treatment is often ineffective. [continues 1380 words]
The Illegal Supplement Is Popular With Fitness Buffs, Insomniacs And Partyers--And Is Highly Addictive. Many Doctors Are Grappling With How To Treat People Who Are Hooked. Despite reports linking it to dozens of deaths and thousands of overdoses, the illegal supplement GHB just won't disappear. First banned in this country more than a decade ago by federal regulators, the substance--best known as a party drug used on the rave scene--remains popular with fitness buffs, insomniacs and the depressed, who buy it on the Internet and from underground sources. [continues 2013 words]
Misuse Of Powerful, Widely Prescribed Vicodin Linked To Rapid Hearing Loss, Even Deafness LOS ANGELES: A powerful and potentially addictive painkiller used by millions of Americans is causing rapid hearing loss, even deafness, in some patients who are misusing the drug, according to hearing researchers in Los Angeles and elsewhere. So far, at least 48 patients have been identified by doctors at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles and several other medical centers who have treated patients with sudden hearing loss. The hearing problems appear to be limited to people who abuse Vicodin and other chemically comparable prescription drugs by taking exceptionally high dosages for several months or more, doctors said. [continues 1044 words]
Riddled with pain from rheumatoid arthritis and a degenerative bone disease for years, Diana Rose rarely left the house. Then in November, a doctor prescribed the painkiller OxyContin, dramatically changing her quality of life. "I can actually go shopping at the mall, play with my grandchildren and even swim in our pool," said Rose, a 57-year-old Kentucky woman. "This drug has enabled me to do things without being in pain." OxyContin, a powerful drug that is a chemical cousin to opiates such as morphine and heroin, has enabled thousands of people, such as Rose, to resume the normal activities of life. But now some doctors fear that a backlash triggered by rampant street use of the drug dubbed "hillbilly heroin" will derail significant advances in the field of pain management. They worry that U.S. drug officials may respond to rising illicit use of OxyContin by yanking it from the market, place stricter limits on the use of all opiates, commonly used to treat cancer patients, severe back pain and other chronic pain conditions. [continues 838 words]
After a three-year battle with leukemia, Dennis Shearer was so weak he couldn't stand. The 52-year-old landscaper's lungs filled with fluid, his breathing grew labored, his liver began to fail and severe intense pain kept him awake at night. He died in agony in 1999. Although his illness was terminal, his physicians insisted on heroic measures to keep him alive. "I begged his doctors to put him on a continuous morphine drip," recalls his widow, Paula Getty-Shearer of Chatsworth. "But up until the last hour of his life, they kept doing tests and procedures, in a futile attempt to extend his life. No one should have to endure the pain he went through." [continues 1660 words]
Riddled with pain from rheumatoid arthritis and a degenerative bone disease for years, Diana Rose rarely left the house. Then in November, a doctor prescribed the painkiller OxyContin, dramatically changing her quality of life. "I can actually go shopping at the mall, play with my grandchildren and even swim in our pool," said Rose, a 57-year-old Kentucky woman. "This drug has enabled me to do things without being in pain." OxyContin, a powerful drug that is a chemical cousin to opiates such as morphine and heroin, has enabled thousands of people, such as Rose, to resume the normal activities of life. But now some doctors fear that a backlash triggered by rampant street use of the drug dubbed "hillbilly heroin" will derail significant advances in the field of pain management. They worry that U.S. drug officials may respond to rising illicit use of OxyContin by yanking it from the market, place stricter limits on the use of all opiates, commonly used to treat cancer patients, severe back pain and other chronic pain conditions. "This is not just about OxyContin," said John D. Giglio, executive director of the American Pain Foundation, a nonprofit consumer group in Baltimore. "This is about the potential for rolling back progress made in pain management. It's been an extremely hard uphill climb to get physicians to become more comfortable prescribing opiates and overcoming the stigma among patients about potential addiction and abuse." [continues 777 words]
Sue Stevens was severely depressed after her young husband, Shane, succumbed to kidney cancer in 1999. She took large doses of numbing anti-depressants to get through the day, and conventional therapy didn't help. Then, last fall, the 32-year-old Chicago woman chose a more radical approach. She traveled to the West to see a psychologist whom she had learned was using the illegal drug Ecstasy for a handful of patients suffering from severe trauma. In a single session, under the influence of Ecstasy -- a drug that combines the effects of a psychedelic and an amphetamine -- she said she was finally able to come to grips with her grief. [continues 1022 words]
July 21, 2001 -- Sue Stevens was severely depressed after her young husband, Shane, succumbed to kidney cancer in 1999. She took large doses of numbing antidepressants to get through the day. Then, last fall, the 32-year-old Chicago woman chose a more radical approach. She traveled to the West to see a psychologist whom she had learned was prescribing the illegal drug "ecstasy" for a handful of patients suffering from severe trauma. In a single session, under the influence of ecstasy - a drug that combines the effects of a psychedelic and an amphetamine - she said she was finally able to come to grips with her grief. [continues 551 words]
First it was an intriguing experiment in therapy, then a nightclub scourge. But some experts say its healing potential should not be ignored. Sue Stevens was severely depressed after her young husband, Shane, succumbed to kidney cancer in 1999. She took large doses of numbing antidepressants to get through the day, and conventional therapy didn't help. Then, last fall, the 32-year-old Chicago woman chose a more radical approach. She traveled to the West to see a psychologist whom she had learned was using the illegal drug Ecstasy for a handful of patients suffering from severe trauma. In a single session, under the influence of Ecstasy--a drug that combines the effects of a psychedelic and an amphetamine--she said she was finally able to come to grips with her grief. [continues 2132 words]
First it was an intriguing experiment in therapy, then a nightclub scourge. But some experts say its healing potential should not be ignored. Sue Stevens was severely depressed after her young husband, Shane, succumbed to kidney cancer in 1999. She took large doses of numbing antidepressants to get through the day and conventional therapy didn't help. Then, last fall, the 32-year-old Chicago woman chose a more radical approach. She traveled to the West to see a psychologist whom she had learned was using the illegal drug Ecstasy for a handful of patients suffering from severe trauma. In a single session, under the influence of Ecstasy--a drug that combines the effects of a psychedelic and an amphetamine--she said she was finally able to come to grips with her grief. [continues 2131 words]
Mike Ambrose, a computer-systems analyst, often would spend 36 hours straight on weekends playing slot machines until his paycheck was gone. After blowing $15,000 to $20,000 a year on his habit for more than a decade, Ambrose, in desperation, volunteered as a patient in a clinical study to test a drug to control his gambling urge. The medication, naltrexone, originally devised to combat heroin addiction and alcoholism, changed his life. Within two weeks, the Fridley, Minn., man noticed a "tremendous difference - suddenly, the urges stopped." [continues 591 words]
Mike Ambrose, a computer systems analyst, often would spend 36 hours straight on weekends playing slot machines until his paycheck was gone. After blowing $15,000 to $20,000 a year on his habit for more than a decade, Ambrose, in desperation, volunteered as a patient in a clinical study to test a drug to control his gambling urge. The medication, naltrexone, originally devised to combat heroin addiction and alcoholism, changed his life. Within two weeks, the Fridley, Minn., man noticed a "tremendous difference -- suddenly, the urges stopped." [continues 743 words]
*The increased use of powerful psychiatric medicines in children under 6 has raised concerns about over-medication and long-term effects. With so many unknowns, parents face an agonizing choice. Teri Burley realized her 2-year-old son, Tanner, was out of control when he threw his brother, Tayler, off the jungle gym in the schoolyard playground, breaking the older child's arm. From the time he was a baby, Tanner had been a blur of activity. "He was into everything and rarely slept," says Burley, adding that she and her husband took turns staying up throughout the night because they never knew when their overactive child would awaken. "But we figured he was just energetic." [continues 1738 words]
