Latest news with #medications
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Coffee warning: Just one cup could trigger alarming effects for millions on common medication
A pharmacist has warned that drinking coffee can be harmful for thousands of people who take common medications. This includes those on thyroid medication, SSRI antidepressants, drugs for ADHD and even over-the-counter decongestants for cold and flu. The energy-boosting drink can also make life-saving heart medication less effective, increasing the risk of a deadly irregular heartbeat, according to pharmacy expert at Kingston University, Dipa Kamda. While in other cases, caffeine can interact with prescription drugs, causing a range of debilitating symptoms such as insomnia, headaches, fast heart rate, raised blood drowsiness, confusion, and even stomach bleeding. 'While your morning brew might feel harmless, it can interact with certain medicines in ways that reduce their effectiveness, or increase the risk of side-effects,' warned Dipa Kamda, writing for The Conversation. 'From common cold tablets to antidepressants, caffeine's impact on the body goes far beyond a quick energy boost. 'Coffee may be part of your daily routine, but it's also a potent chemical compound that can influence how your body processes medicine.' Caffeine is a stimulant that speeds up activity in your brain and nervous system, she explained. Popular cold and flu medicines, like Sudafed, contain a decongestant called pseudoephedrine, which also has stimulant properties. If you combine this with the caffeine in coffee, the effects can be amplified, causing jitters, restlessness, headaches, fast heart rate and insomnia. Combining caffeine with pseudoephedrine can also raise blood sugar and body temperature, particularly important for people with diabetes, studies have found. With many cold medications already containing added caffeine, drinking coffee can increase the risks further. The risk also applies to those taking stimulant medications to treat ADHD, like amphetamines, or asthma drugs such as theophylline, which has stimulant properties. The pharmacist warned: 'Using them together may increase the risk of side-effects such as a rapid heartbeat and sleep disruption.' There is also added caffeine in some branded over-the-counter painkillers, such as those containing paracetamol or aspirin. Drinking coffee can speed up how quickly the drugs are absorbed and while this helps them work faster, it can be dangerous. Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant found in dozens of cold and flu medicines on the shelves 'It could raise the risk of side effects like stomach irritation, or bleeding,' said Ms Kamda. '[Although] no serious cases have been reported, caution is still advised. Drinking coffee while taking some types of medicines to control irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) or blood pressure is known to make them less effective. However, Ms Kamda added those with heart conditions don't have to stop drinking coffee entirely, but may want to 'consider limiting intake or switching to decaf'. If you drink coffee immediately before or after taking thyroid medication like levothyroxine, studies have found absorption of the drug can fall by up to 50 per cent. This can cause symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as fatigue, weight gain and constipation, to return 'even if you're taking your medicine correctly,' she explained. It is recommended those taking the medication should wait 30 to 60 minutes before eating or drinking coffee. However, this is most common with tablet forms of levothyroxine, and less likely with liquid forms, Ms Kamda pointed out. This timing rule also applies to a class of medications used to treat osteoporosis and other bone conditions called bisphosphonates, including alendronate and risedronate. It can also make the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressant, selective serotonin inhibitors, for example sertraline and citalopram, less effective, lab studies have found. And drinking coffee with the older and less commonly used tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), such amitriptyline or imipramine, can tirgger side effects. The pharmacist, with 17 years experience, explained: 'TCAs are broken down by the liver enzyme CYP1A2, which also metabolises caffeine. 'The competition between the two can slow drug breakdown, increasing side-effects, or delay caffeine clearance, making you feel jittery or wired longer than usual.' The problematic ingredient in coffee, caffeine, can also be found in a cup of tea, a can of Coca Cola, and even in green tea. The pharmacist added: 'Everyone metabolises caffeine differently. Some people feel fine after three cups, while others get side-effects after just one. 'Pay attention to how your body responds and talk to your pharmacist or GP if anything feels off. 'If you're ever unsure whether your medicine and your coffee are a good match, ask your pharmacist or doctor. 'A short conversation might save you weeks of side-effects or reduced treatment effectiveness, and help you enjoy your brew with peace of mind.'
Health Line
20 hours ago
- General
- Health Line
Excessive Urination at Night (Nocturia): Causes and Treatment
Nocturia, or nocturnal polyuria, is the medical term for excessive urination at night. Nighttime peeing is considered excessive if it's disruptive to your sleep. During sleep time, your body produces less urine that is more concentrated. This means that most people don't need to wake up during the night to urinate and can sleep uninterrupted for 6 to 8 hours. However, some people may need to urinate more often during nighttime hours. And this frequent need to pee during the night may require treatment if it's causing long-term sleep deprivation. While it is more common among older adults, nocturia can occur at any age. Read on to learn more about nocturia, its causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention strategies. What causes nocturia? Nocturia can happen as a result of certain lifestyle choices or medical conditions. Medical conditions A variety of medical conditions can cause nocturia. Common causes of nocturia are a urinary tract infection (UTI) (UTI) or bladder infection. These infections cause frequent burning sensations and urgent urination throughout the day and night. Treatment requires antibiotics. Other medical conditions that can cause nocturia include: Nocturia is also common in people with organ failure, such as heart or liver failure. Pregnancy Nocturia is a fairly common symptom of pregnancy. It can develop at the beginning of pregnancy, but it also happens later, when the growing womb presses against the bladder. Medications Some medications may cause nocturia as a side effect. This is particularly true of diuretics (water pills), which are prescribed to treat high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, or any type of fluid retention. You should seek emergency medical care from a doctor if you lose the ability to urinate or if you can no longer control your urination. Lifestyle choices Urinating too much over 24 hours is called polyuria, which can be caused by excessive fluid consumption, typically more than 40 milliliters per kilogram (mL/kg) per day. As part of that, you may also have nocturia or excessive urination at night. Alcohol and caffeinated beverages are also diuretics, meaning drinking them causes your body to produce even more urine. Therefore, consuming alcohol or caffeinated beverages in excess can lead to nighttime waking and needing to urinate. Other people who have nocturia may have developed a habit of waking up during the night to urinate. How do doctors diagnose nocturia? Diagnosing the cause of nocturia can be difficult. Your doctor will need to ask a variety of questions. The doctor will also usually ask you to record what you drink and how much, along with how often you need to urinate in a 24-hour period. Questions your doctor may ask you also include: When did the nocturia start? How many times per night do you have to urinate? Are you producing less urine than you did before? Do you have accidents, or have you wet the bed? Does anything make the problem worse? Do you have any other symptoms? What medications are you taking? Do you have a family history of bladder problems or diabetes? They may also have you undergo testing such as: blood sugar test to check for diabetes other blood tests for blood counts and blood chemistry urinalysis urine culture fluid deprivation test imaging tests, such as ultrasounds or CT scans urological tests, like cystoscopy tests to check if your bladder is fully emptying when you urinate How is nocturia treated? If your nocturia is caused by a medication, taking the medication earlier in the day may help. Treatment for nocturia can sometimes include medications such as: anticholinergic drugs, which help lessen the symptoms of an overactive bladder. However, recent research has associated these drugs with an increased risk of dementia in older people. Beta-3 adrenoceptor agonists, like mirabegron (Myrbetriq), can help relax the bladder muscles and reduce symptoms of overactive bladder desmopressin (Nocdurna), which causes your kidneys to produce less urine at night However, nocturia can be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as diabetes or a UTI, that could worsen or spread if left untreated. Nocturia due to an underlying condition will usually stop when the condition is successfully treated. What can you do to prevent nocturia? There are steps you can take to lessen the effects of nocturia on your life. Reducing the amount of liquids you drink 4 to 6 hours before going to bed can help prevent you from needing to urinate at night. Avoiding drinks that contain alcohol and caffeine may also help, as can urinating before you go to bed. Some foods, such as chocolate, spicy foods, acidic foods, and artificial sweeteners, can irritate the bladder. Kegel exercises and pelvic floor physical therapy can help strengthen your pelvic muscles and improve bladder control. Pay close attention to what makes your symptoms worse so you can try to modify your habits accordingly. Some people find it helpful to keep a diary of what they drink and when.
SBS Australia
4 days ago
- General
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Filipino, Saturday 31 May 2025
A group of eight Chinese nationals have reportedly been found in the Northern Territory. Researchers say medications like paracetamol and antidepressants are contributing to an alarming number of children visiting hospital emergency wards. Australia has formally turned over a culturally significant pottery collection to the Philippines. SBS Filipino 31/05/2025 05:52 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino
Medscape
5 days ago
- General
- Medscape
Geriatric CDS Tool Boosts Safe Prescribing in the ED
The use of an electronic health record (EHR)–based clinical decision support (CDS) system in emergency departments (EDs) increased adherence to geriatric prescribing recommendations for potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). METHODOLOGY: In this retrospective study, the researchers analyzed 6745 ED orders during 5814 patient encounters (median age, 72 years; approximately 70% White and 22.7% Black) and 1440 discharge prescriptions for PIMs in adults aged 65 years or older between August and December 2021. In October 2021, a geriatric CDS system was implemented into the EHR, which provided dosing recommendations and suggested alternative medications for 12 high-risk PIMs. The primary outcome was adherence to CDS recommendations. Secondary outcomes included the use of the CDS panel and adherence rates by medication type. TAKEAWAY: Following the implementation of CDS, the proportion of targeted PIMs adherent to geriatric recommendations increased from 52% to 71% for ED orders and from 0.5% to 31.7% for discharge prescriptions. Utilization of the geriatric CDS order panel reached 62.1% for ED orders and 36.7% for discharge prescriptions. Among orders placed through the geriatric CDS panels, 90% of ED orders and 80.4% of discharge prescriptions adhered to geriatric CDS recommendations. Adherence to geriatric CDS improved for most ED orders, except for a few drugs such as diphenhydramine, indomethacin, oral and intravenous ketorolac, and oral lorazepam. IN PRACTICE: "Geriatric clinical decision support implemented in the ED for targeted potentially inappropriate medications significantly increased the proportion of ED orders and discharge prescriptions adherent to geriatric drug therapy recommendations," the authors wrote. "As the volume of older patients in the ED increases, electronic health record–based clinical decision support can allow for care that is both better tailored and safer for this vulnerable population," they added. SOURCE: The study was led by Gina A. Elder, PharmD, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland. It was published online on May 13 in Academic Emergency Medicine . LIMITATIONS: Prescriber behavior changes and shared decision-making with patients could have influenced the findings. Data on important patient covariates such as ethnicity, preexisting dementia history, primary language, and rurality were not collected. Differences in patient volumes and site-level variations were not considered. DISCLOSURES: The authors did not report any funding information and reported no relevant conflicts of interest.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Potential Tariffs Will Harm Patients In The Name Of Protecting Them
Tariffs Two months ago, the Commerce Department launched an investigation into whether pharmaceutical imports pose a threat to national security (i.e., a Section 232 investigation). Not only are the investigation's accusations groundless, implementing the proposed remedy – more tariffs – will create the very problems that the investigation hopes to avoid. Allegedly, pharmaceutical imports are disconcerting because they create vulnerabilities. Importing medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients supposedly gives adversaries the ability to disrupt our access to needed medications. This vulnerability exposes the U.S. to potential geopolitical blackmail and creates an unacceptable national security threat. Even if this accusation had merit – it doesn't – the proposed remedy still makes no sense. If the Section 232 investigation concludes that national security vulnerabilities exist, then the government would impose tariffs on drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. The Trump Administration has thrown around tariffs of 25% or higher as the appropriate levy. Tariffs are, of course, simply taxes. In the case of pharmaceutical products, patients will bear the brunt of these taxes both directly and indirectly. A portion of the tariffs will be passed on to patients, which directly raises the costs of medicines – generic and branded alike. The higher costs for medicines will worsen drug affordability and create potential access issues for some patients. Indirectly, a portion of the tariffs will be borne by drug manufacturers. Yet, here too, these costs will ultimately harm patients; the precise impact will depend on whether the medicine in question is a generic or branded drug. Generic manufacturers, which account for 90% of all medicines prescribed in the U.S., currently operate on thin margins. The vast majority of generic medicines in the U.S. cost $20 or less with average patient copays of a bit more than $6.00. The portion of the tariffs on imported generic drugs that cannot be passed on to consumers will increase the costs for producing generic medicines. These higher costs will undermine the financial viability of generic manufacturers. With a weaker generic manufacturing base, patients will lose access to some of the most affordable medicines currently available. Importantly, tariffs would also be imposed on imported pharmaceutical ingredients. Increasing the costs of the ingredients that many domestic generic manufacturers rely on will further increase the costs and decrease the availability of low-cost generic medicines. Overall, the tariff policy makes it less profitable to produce generic medicines domestically. The actual impact from the tariff policy is counterproductive as a result – it decreases the incentive to increase the domestic production of medicines. The impact on the manufacturers of branded medicines is just as troubling. The U.S. is the global leader in the biopharmaceutical industry. The industry invested $141 billion into research & development in 2022 and is a major contributor to the U.S. economy. Beyond the economic contributions, innovative medicines have significantly improved health outcomes for patients, such as those living with cancer and autoimmune diseases. Continued innovation provides hope for patients living with untreated diseases, such as patients with Alzheimer's disease. The portion of the tariffs borne by branded manufacturers increases their costs making it less likely they will cover their cost of capital for developing innovative medicines – estimated to be $2.9 billion including post-approval R&D costs. Due to these higher costs, the incentive to invest in the next generation of medicines is diminished, reducing the odds that efficacious medicines for untreated conditions will be developed. As for the Section 232 investigation, the allegation that there are potential national security implications is based on significant misunderstandings of the facts. For example, a majority of innovative medicines consumed in the U.S. are already 'produced in the United States.' Further, for those drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients that are imported, they are mostly imported from U.S. allies such as Europe not from potential adversaries. These trading partners simply pose no national security threat. There are also sound reasons for manufacturers to leverage the global supply chain when manufacturing drugs – it allows the biopharmaceutical industry to produce high quality, safe drugs in a cost-effective manner. Because the current structure is cost-effective, even if the tariffs encouraged all production to occur in the U.S., patients would see the costs of their medicines increase. The result would be a less efficient, more expensive biopharmaceutical industry. While the national security arguments lack merit, there are still actions the Administration could take that would incentivize greater domestic manufacturing. For example, reducing the current regulatory burdens that inflate the costs of manufacturing drugs in the U.S. will reduce costs and incentivize greater domestic production without suffering from all the losses associated with tariffs. A 25% tariff on imported medicines would significantly increase the costs of medicines in the U.S. and create new access issues for patients – especially for poorly insured lower income families. In other words, should the Section 232 investigation wrongly conclude that the global supply chain poses a threat to patients' access to medicines, the Administration's response will create the very cost and access issues that concern them. Such actions simply make no sense.
