The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21247330
30 January 2013 Last updated at 07:51 GMT
Heart risk link to SSRI antidepressants confirmed
A heart trace or ECG can show up rhythm disturbances
Some but not all antidepressant drugs known as SSRIs pose a very small but serious heart risk, say researchers.
Citalopram and escitalopram, which fall into this drug group, can trigger a heart rhythm disturbance, a new study in the British Medical Journal shows.
UK and US regulators have already warned doctors to be extra careful about which patients they prescribe these medicines to.
And they have lowered the maximum recommended dose.
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says people with pre-existing heart conditions should have a heart trace before going on these drugs, to check for a rhythm disturbance known as long QT interval.
Experts reassure that complications are very rare and that in most cases the benefits for the patient taking the drug will outweigh the risks.
Long QT
QT interval is measured with an electrocardiogram (ECG) and varies with the heart rate - it gets longer when the heart beats slower and is shorter when the heart beats faster.
Some variation is normal, but if it gets too long it can upset the timing of heartbeat with potentially dire consequences - dizziness, faints and, rarely, sudden death.
To assess how common a problem long QT linked to SSRI use might be, US researchers decided to look at the medical records of more than 38,00 patients from New England.
Most of these patients had been prescribed an SSRI antidepressant, and some were patients who had been prescribed methadone. The researchers included the methadone patients for comparison because this drug (used for pain relief and to wean addicts off heroin) is known to prolong QT interval.
All of the patients had recently had an ECG.
Both citalopram and escitalopram, as well as methadone, was linked with a small but significantly longer QT interval.
This effect increased at higher doses.
Risks vs benefits
But the researchers say that while longer QT interval is a risk factor for abnormal heart rhythms, these abnormal rhythms are still extremely rare, and the actual increase in QT observed was modest - so for the vast majority of patients, the potential benefits in treating depression or anxiety would far exceed the risk.
June Davison of the British Heart Foundation said: "Having a long QT interval can potentially increase the risk of a serious abnormal heart rhythm. However, as these abnormal rhythms are very rare, the potential benefits in treating depression would exceed the risk for most patients.
"People taking these drugs shouldn't be alarmed and shouldn't stop taking their medication without speaking to their doctor. If you've got any concerns, speak to your GP or pharmacist."
A spokesman for the MHRA said: "The potential risks associated are well known and restrictions have been placed on the level of dosage for particular groups of patients.
"This report acknowledges that the benefits of this medicine outweighs the risks but it is important that these factors are carefully considered by healthcare professionals for patients with pre-existing health conditions such as certain heart conditions."
Helen Williams, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: "Patients should be reassured that the effects on QT noted by the study researchers were small and the risk of any adverse outcome associated with these changes is very low.
"The study results may however assist clinicians distinguish between different antidepressants drugs when prescribing - choosing a lower risk agent for patients where there is an established increased risk of arrhythmias."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its
full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not
mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL"
means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to
know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles
in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying
for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to believe
that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when I select
articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish, racist,
revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or religion, or any
other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It just
means that it is important for all human beings to know about them.
Common sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good
enough to understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug
decriminalization, it is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment,
which in this case was very clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs,
as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad people (as only depressed and
sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin their life with a criminal
record. That does not mean that there is any change to the Message which
says clearly that we must not use any drug except for medical purposes.
The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be absolute.
That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
anti-Semites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your
enemies or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight
them. With love and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence
of the French philosopher Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you
say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tell your friends that they can subscribe to this list by sending an email to:
subscribe@rael-science.org
- - -
To unsubscribe, send an email to:
unsubscribe@rael-science.org
- - -
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น