I have been working on a couple of interesting blog posts, specifically one about Twitter for health. I am working on the proper angle, outlining how I use the service, and how others can as well. It is taking longer than I thought, so I appologize.
Here are some quick snippets of news from other sources that I have seen this week so far. Sorry for the retread.
At Psychiatry MMC, there is an abstract about short-acting versus long-acting medications for the treatment of ADHD:
"Medication adherence is also a well-known problem in a chronic disorder like ADHD, with only about 20 percent of patients remaining on the same medication 15 months after first being prescribed that medication. The need for multiple daily dosing of immediate-release medications only further increases the risk of nonadherence in children, adolescents, and adults.
As there is a significant likelihood that one of the parents of a child with ADHD will also have ADHD (often undiagnosed), or another psychiatric disorder, there is potentially a significant risk that the parent will forget to give the additional immediate-release doses of medication to the child every 4 to 6 hours."
Over at MedTrack Alert, they discuss how juices can interfere with medication absorption:
"Researchers say grapefruit juice has been known to dangerously increase the amount of medication absorbed into the body--particularly drugs for high cholesterol and high blood pressure. But a new study by the same researchers has found that apple, orange, and grapefruit juice may also decrease the absorption of some meds, including drugs commonly used to treat diabetes, cancer, allergies, and some antibiotics."
Dr. Showalter at Alignmap discussed the new medication adherence tool: Zuri. FD it is kind of a competitor to Intelecare, however you do not have to spend $200 on a new device and adapt to new technology - Intelecare works with your existing cellphone, land line and computer. Also, you don't have to pay $40 - $50 a month for online services.
The Healthcare Blog now has it's own channel on ICYou. Hat tip to @mindofandre on Twitter.
SHPS to present at Harvard Colloquium about Six Sigma Principles Drive Healthcare Behavior Change -- Using Medication Compliance to Improve Healthcare Outcomes.
Over at Health Management Rx, Jen gets exited about the NextHealth Model launching in beta soon.
That is it for now. You can follow me on Twitter and contribute to the conversation.
Showing posts with label ADHD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ADHD. Show all posts
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Guanfacine XR Is Effective and Improves Adherence with ADHD
This is just the first couple of paragraphs from a MedScape story I read. I always find it sad when children are prescribed meds for mental instabilities. But we do live in a medicated world and pills fix problems. As I always say, anything that improves adherence works for me, but check out my comments at the end.
I went to high school and college with kids who were diagnosed ADHD and took Ritalin. I never really understood why. I mean isn't concentration something you learn in grammar school? Would any child choose to focus on their school work unless they were taught how to do so?
You don't automatically know how to study or prepare for an exam or write a term paper without learning how to do it. I guess when you call a kid spaz and they have some energy, you should just medicate. I really am not looking forward to seeing what happens to my son in a few years when he starts to act up and the psychologist recommends putting him on medication.
There is more technical information at MedScape, but it is not relevant to my comments.
January 9, 2008 — Guanfacine extended release (Shire Inc.) at doses of 2, 3, and 4 mg/day was effective vs placebo and was generally well tolerated in a multicenter, 8-week, fixed-dose escalation study in children aged 6 to 17 years old with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The study, part of a new drug application, is published in the January issue of Pediatrics.
"I think it is very important for clinicians and families to have alternative treatments...to treat a condition in which many patients cannot tolerate or do not respond to treatment," lead author, Joseph Biederman, MD, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told Medscape Psychiatry, adding that guanfacine extended release offers a unique option for patients who do not do well taking other treatments.
Any Stimulant Is Ineffective for 1 in 4 Patients
ADHD is a very prevalent, very morbid disorder, said Dr. Biederman. Although stimulants are the mainstay of treatment, any 1 stimulant is ineffective in 25% to 30% of cases, the group writes.
Guanfacine extended release, a nonstimulant, is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist like clonidine (Catapres; Boehringer-Ingelheim) but is more selective. Both of these drugs came to market as antihypertensive agents, said Dr. Biederman, adding that they have been used off label in psychiatry for many years for managing withdrawal reactions, treating severe hyperactivity in ADHD, and, more recently, treating insomnia that frequently develops as a consequence of stimulant treatment.
The study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of guanfacine extended release for the treatment of children and adolescents with ADHD.
The trail was conducted in 48 centers in the United States. Patients aged 6 to 17 years old who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for ADHD were eligible to participate.
COMMENTS
Did you read what Guanfacine came on to the market for? Did you read what it was prescribed off label for? These really disturb me that all of a sudden, hey, lets give it to kids who are too stimulated already! I do not know that much about medicine or science, but I would assume that there is a large gap between hypertension and ADHD.
Maybe I am wrong.
When a junkie goes through withdrawal, uh, I guess it is just like a hyperactive child - this sort of makes sense to me with frazzled nerves and brain functions. Also insomnia? I know that for people who do not suffer from ADHD, taking medications that are prescribed for ADHD makes them speedy, but puts them to sleep?
I need to learn more to properly comment on these items, but this is what I thought when I read it.
Stay adherent!
I went to high school and college with kids who were diagnosed ADHD and took Ritalin. I never really understood why. I mean isn't concentration something you learn in grammar school? Would any child choose to focus on their school work unless they were taught how to do so?
You don't automatically know how to study or prepare for an exam or write a term paper without learning how to do it. I guess when you call a kid spaz and they have some energy, you should just medicate. I really am not looking forward to seeing what happens to my son in a few years when he starts to act up and the psychologist recommends putting him on medication.
There is more technical information at MedScape, but it is not relevant to my comments.
January 9, 2008 — Guanfacine extended release (Shire Inc.) at doses of 2, 3, and 4 mg/day was effective vs placebo and was generally well tolerated in a multicenter, 8-week, fixed-dose escalation study in children aged 6 to 17 years old with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The study, part of a new drug application, is published in the January issue of Pediatrics.
"I think it is very important for clinicians and families to have alternative treatments...to treat a condition in which many patients cannot tolerate or do not respond to treatment," lead author, Joseph Biederman, MD, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told Medscape Psychiatry, adding that guanfacine extended release offers a unique option for patients who do not do well taking other treatments.
Any Stimulant Is Ineffective for 1 in 4 Patients
ADHD is a very prevalent, very morbid disorder, said Dr. Biederman. Although stimulants are the mainstay of treatment, any 1 stimulant is ineffective in 25% to 30% of cases, the group writes.
Guanfacine extended release, a nonstimulant, is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist like clonidine (Catapres; Boehringer-Ingelheim) but is more selective. Both of these drugs came to market as antihypertensive agents, said Dr. Biederman, adding that they have been used off label in psychiatry for many years for managing withdrawal reactions, treating severe hyperactivity in ADHD, and, more recently, treating insomnia that frequently develops as a consequence of stimulant treatment.
The study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of guanfacine extended release for the treatment of children and adolescents with ADHD.
The trail was conducted in 48 centers in the United States. Patients aged 6 to 17 years old who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for ADHD were eligible to participate.
COMMENTS
Did you read what Guanfacine came on to the market for? Did you read what it was prescribed off label for? These really disturb me that all of a sudden, hey, lets give it to kids who are too stimulated already! I do not know that much about medicine or science, but I would assume that there is a large gap between hypertension and ADHD.
Maybe I am wrong.
When a junkie goes through withdrawal, uh, I guess it is just like a hyperactive child - this sort of makes sense to me with frazzled nerves and brain functions. Also insomnia? I know that for people who do not suffer from ADHD, taking medications that are prescribed for ADHD makes them speedy, but puts them to sleep?
I need to learn more to properly comment on these items, but this is what I thought when I read it.
Stay adherent!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
More ADHD Adherence News
I picked this blip up from spiritindia.com, which calls itself "an amazing health tech site". I'll look into it more.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Alliant's Methylin Chewable Tablets and Methylin Oral Solution and the pediatric specialty pharmaceutical company said the goal is to increase compliance.
Dr. Lyndon Waugh of Emory University said children often have difficulty swallowing pills so the new offerings could help ensure they take their medication. It's estimated up to 26 percent of the general population has difficulty swallowing tablets and capsules and the percentage is considered higher for children.
ADHD is a brain disorder that causes children to exhibit inappropriate impulsivity or inattention. It is estimated that 7 percent of school-age children and 4 percent of adults suffer from ADHD, one of the most commonly reported behavioral problems.
My Comment
When I was young (34 now), I had the Flintstone chewable vitamins, as well as the St. Joseph's aspirin, so does this really come as a shock that kids have a difficult time with tablets and pills? Luckily I never suffered from ADHD or any deficit disorders, but hasn't that been the "easy" diagnosis for doctors for many years now? But 7% doesn't seem that high. Maybe I'm confused with ADD?
I know the parameters for diagnosing autism in children have gotten less stringent, raising the diagnosed numbers. But shouldn't ADHD be higher as well?
All I know if that anything pharma does to increase adherence is OK in my book.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Alliant's Methylin Chewable Tablets and Methylin Oral Solution and the pediatric specialty pharmaceutical company said the goal is to increase compliance.
Dr. Lyndon Waugh of Emory University said children often have difficulty swallowing pills so the new offerings could help ensure they take their medication. It's estimated up to 26 percent of the general population has difficulty swallowing tablets and capsules and the percentage is considered higher for children.
ADHD is a brain disorder that causes children to exhibit inappropriate impulsivity or inattention. It is estimated that 7 percent of school-age children and 4 percent of adults suffer from ADHD, one of the most commonly reported behavioral problems.
My Comment
When I was young (34 now), I had the Flintstone chewable vitamins, as well as the St. Joseph's aspirin, so does this really come as a shock that kids have a difficult time with tablets and pills? Luckily I never suffered from ADHD or any deficit disorders, but hasn't that been the "easy" diagnosis for doctors for many years now? But 7% doesn't seem that high. Maybe I'm confused with ADD?
I know the parameters for diagnosing autism in children have gotten less stringent, raising the diagnosed numbers. But shouldn't ADHD be higher as well?
All I know if that anything pharma does to increase adherence is OK in my book.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
ADHD and Compliance
Just a quickie. Dr. Brian Doyle from ADHD Spotlight has a good post on compliance at his blog: http://www.drbriandoyle.com/?p=238.
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