Over 20% of all diabetics have heart disease. That is why it is so scary when new research and studies come out that prove diabetic medication to harm your heart. And here we go again… Two Wake Forest University School of Medicine faculty members sifted through three trials to come to the conclusion that certain diabetic medications could cause increased heart failure- ACCORD, ADVANCE, and the Veterans Affairs Diabetes study.
“We strongly recommend restrictions in the use of thiazolidinediones (the class of drugs) and question the rationale for leaving rosiglitazone on the market,” write Sonal Singh, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of …read more

As I was watching the ol’ boob tube, that means television to any not familiar with American slang, and I saw a commercial for a new combination medicine. Caduet. It is a mix of Norvasc and Lipitor. So it lowers your blood pressure while lowering your cholesterol. I wrote about this last year but have seen so much prescribed and advertised as of lately that I thought it needed to be re-visited!

CADUET can be taken anytime, day or night, with or without food.

CADUET offers every dose combination of Norvasc and Lipitor for flexible dosing options (excluding 1 …read more

Leading US doctors are saying that children as young as 8 should receive statins as a course of treatment for high cholesterol. Currently in many places such as the UK kids with a rare gene fault are being prescribed statins but US pediatricians are taking it one step further.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, however, believes that the drugs, which are used by millions of adults worldwide, could benefit thousands more children who are already obese, or showing signs of high blood pressure or type II diabetes.
Many UK docs do not agree with this decision and state that this is being …read more

This should really come of no surprise. Amphetamines may place young adults at a higher risk of suffering a heart attack. We all know that methamphetamines and amphetamines are bad for your health. These type of drugs are also legally used to treat ADD in some young persons.
 “Most people aren’t surprised that methamphetamines and amphetamines are bad for your health,” Dr. Westover said. “But we are concerned because heart attacks in the young are rare and can be very debilitating or deadly.”
The abuse of methamphetamin is increasing in most major U.S. cities. So scary indeed. Talk to your kids, scare …read more

A study based at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston provides added justification that a thiazide-type diuretic is the best first-choice drug for hypertensive patients.
This is quite interesting as I was just debating this earlier in the day with a physician I work with. I think there are definite indications that prove to show how helpful a diuretic is in combating high blood pressure.
These drugs are generally well tolerated and inexpensive for the patient. And the medications have a duel purpose, fluid as well as lowering ones pressure.
via Science Daily

For the first time, the American Heart Association has set guidelines in the diagnosis and treatment of resistant high blood pressure. Resistant hypertension is if a person’s blood pressure remains above the goal despite taking three medications to lower as well as high blood pressure that is under control using four or more medications to treat it.
It is important to note that there is a huge difference between uncontrolled and resistant blood pressure. Uncontrolled is when the treatment is not effective and there needs to be more lifestyle changes or more adequate adjustments.
There are many underused types of medications …read more

As many as 1000 deaths each year are associated with long QT syndrome. This very scary cardiac arrhythmia puts teen and young persons at risk for sudden cardiac arrest, usually ending in death. These same young ladies and gents have healthy hearts otherwise.
Researchers have found that a drug that is used in cases of angina can safely help to treat QT syndrome…
In the current, pilot study, researchers found that a drug, ranolazine (brand name Ranexa, CV Therapeutics) shortens the QT interval by about 5 percent; just enough to reduce symptoms and risks associated with one form of LQTS (LQT3-deltaKPQ)
What …read more

Beta blockers prove to treat heart failure at the brain level- not just directly in the heart. Very cool when you think about the implications.
Heart failure patients are routinely given beta-blockers, although doctors do not know exactly how these drugs boost cardiac performance and reduce the risk of death. The UCL study, based on the rat model of postmyocardial infarction-induced heart failure and published in the journal Circulation Research, has discovered that the beta-adrenoceptor blocker metoprolol acts directly in the brain to slow the progression of heart failure. The action seems to be localised to a group of brain cells …read more

A new group of aspirin type substances have been developed in Italy. Physicians know that a low daily dose of aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes in some, but we also know that aspirin causes an upset belly as well. A safer form of aspirin is needed and that is exactly what these researchers have set out to accomplish.
In the new study, Alberto Gasco and colleagues designed a new form of aspirin by attaching a special chemical structure — called a nitrooxy-acyl group — that allows the drug to resist breakdown by stomach acidity …read more

Big trouble again for the magic blood thinner Heparin. Health officials identified a contaminant in batches of the medication associated with 19 deaths and are trying to determine how the chemical got into the drug. The lots of heparin were recalled on the 28th of February and there has been no new deaths. The key ingredient in this case was imported from China.
Dr. Janet Woodcock, head of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said the contaminant is oversulfated condroitin sulfate, a chemical that does not occur naturally. Condroitin sulfate is a natural compound that occurs widely and is …read more