One of the long-standing concerns amongst professionals and parents alike is the possibility that early treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADHD) with stimulant medication (such as Ritalin or Adderall) could possibly lead to later problems. New research suggests these concerns are largely unfounded, with one possible exception.
The studies were published in the latest issue of […]

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) got some grant money from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals to produce an updated brochure on Women and Depression. The result?
A publication that is largely information that’s been regurgitated time and time again (you can see many of the same topics in NIMH’s Women and Depression brochure), culled from a myriad […]

In a rare behind-the-scenes disclosure (due to a lawsuit), the public is seeing for one of the first times the degree and depth some pharmaceutical companies will go to in order to publish positive results about their drug. Using the same peer-review process that is supposed to prevent abuses by researchers and drug companies and […]

The spigot of free gifts, travel and other give aways to doctors, professors and students in the nation’s 129 medical schools is about to be closed. Gosh, I don’t know how they’ll manage…
The New York Times brings us the story today:

Drug and medical device companies should be banned from offering free food, gifts, travel and […]

Furious Seasons brings us this advice column where a concerned parent is asking about her daughter’s desire to be diagnosed with ADHD to help her get into college:

[… Y]ou can imagine my surprise when she asked that I take her to the doctor to get a prescription for ADHD medication. I was blown away.
She says […]

Imagine taking a weight-loss pill and losing dozens of pounds, only to find yourself profoundly depressed for no reason.
Imagine taking a stop-smoking pill and not feeling the urge to light up a cigarette every again, only to find your mind plagued with suicidal thoughts.
No need to imagine these things — these are the kinds of […]

There are dozens of empirically proven treatments for a wide range of mental disorders. Drugs. Psychotherapy. Self-help books and support groups. Other stuff. It all works, and it works even better when you combine it together. This isn’t so much rocket science any more as “common sense.”
So you’d think every family doctor and general physician […]

Walmart has made $4 generics the talk of medicine. But are generic medications always as good as their name-brand counterparts? Not always.
The Wall Street Journal yesterday wrote an entry yesterday about how they differ — Inexact Copies: How Generics Differ From Brand Names. The spotlight is shining on generics because of their low cost and […]

The American Heart Association believes that children and teens with attention deficit disorder (ADHD) should get a careful heart evaluation, including an electrocardiogram (ECG), before they begin taking any of the stimulant drugs commonly prescribed to treated ADHD (such as Ritalin).
Children and teens with known or suspected heart conditions should be routinely monitored by their […]

For everyone who trumpets the invincibility of peer-reviewed research, here’s another nail in the coffin…
Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association today described how multiple Vioxx studies were ghostwritten for the researchers by, yes, you guessed it, Merck & Co.-paid writers. Researchers were welcomed to edit or change the writing, but not […]

Where would we be without economic researchers to tell us the price of things without context? Probably happier.
If you didn’t know what the average car cost and I try and sell you a Honda for $100,000, you might believe it’s worth it. If you learn most people drive a Honda costing around $20,000, then you […]

An experimental drug, called CP-316, 311 and made by Pfizer, was as effective as placebo (a sugar pill) in its initial clinical trials. At the interim analysis to determine efficacy, the researchers found the drug not to be working to help people with depression, and so the trial was terminated. CP-316, 311 is a selective […]