Drugs drug-induced side effects

Finally, polymorphisms associated with arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT2) may result in slow acetylators. The slow-acetylator phenotype is present in 50-70% of the population in Western countries and is associated with several drug-induced side effects. The frequency of the slow-acetylator phenotype rises to 80% in Egyptian and certain Jewish populations however, the frequency drops to 10% or 20% among Japanese and Canadian Eskimos. 

Usually utilities are presented as a single unit value for a defined disease state. They reflect the physical, mental and social aspects of the disease. The intent is to come up with a single number that reflects the person s experience of a disease state. Generally defined disease states are descriptions of normal (unimpaired), mild, moderate or severely impaired states of a disease or symptom. The utilities attached to them can represent specific aspects of the disease experiences. For example, utilities can be measured for a specific drug-induced side effect. 

Models to Probe for Drug-induced Side Effects. 169... 

MODELS TO PROBE FOR DRUG-INDUCED SIDE EFFECTS... 

Because of their cardiostimulatory effects, beta-1-selective drugs may induce side effects such as chest pain and cardiac arrhythmias in some patients. Shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing (i.e., feelings of chest constriction) have also been reported. 

Hormone substitution is sometimes referred to as simple replacement therapy. However, the use of exogenous hormones to replace normal endocrine function can be a complicated task. Problems such as regulation of optimal dosage, the interaction of the exogenous drug with other endogenous hormone systems, and drug-induced side effects are frequendy encountered. 

These agents address the need for additional treatment options for inflammation disorders while minimizing drug-induced side effects. 

Barrier CH, Hirschowitz BI. Controversies in the detection and management of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug-induced side effects of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Arthritis Rheum 1989 32(7) 926-32. 

Reduction of cancer chemotherapy drug-induced side effects widiout loss of antitumor activity. 

Lermg RWL, Chan FKL (2006) Drug-induced side effects affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Expert Opin Drug Saf 5(4) 585-592... 

Newly developed class III drugs comprise dofetilide, a specific Ik, blocker, and ibutilide, which blocks IKl and activates the slow iNa- Both drugs lack hemodynamic side effects. These drugs are scheduled for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. As with class HI drugs, they can induce torsade de pointes arrhythmia. 

Although the tailoring hypothesis does not fit the data, there is another hypothesis that works just fine. It is the idea that antidepressants are active placebos. That is, they are active drugs, complete with chemically induced side effects, but their therapeutic effects are based on the placebo effect rather than their chemical composition. Their small advantage in clinical trials derives from the production of side effects, which leads patients to realize that they have been given the active drug, thereby increasing their expectancy for improvement. 

Ondansetron is the first 5-HT3-receptor antagonist to be used for the treatment of nausea and vomiting induced by cancer therapy. Its high receptor selectivity is reflected in clinical studies which show ondansetron to be a very effective antiemetic drug with few side-effects. 

The NME can now be administered to humans. The first step in clinical evaluation is one or more phase I studies designed to assess the drug s safety and pharmacokinetic profile. Phase I studies usually involve a small number of healthy volunteers who are closely monitored after receiving escalating doses of the drug candidate. Phase I studies of drugs for cancer or HIV infection must be carried out in patients, not in healthy subjects. Ordinarily, until more information is available, the minimum dose to induce side effects is stipulated as the upper dose limit for subsequent administration to human subjects. 

Any allopathic remedy, even when prescribed carefully, always induces side-effects in treated patients. Drugs are indeed extraneous bodies for the living system who will plus or minus look upon them favourably, depending on the size of the bullet. Thus, posologies in allopathy, even upon sub-acute, chronical and limited schedules, are actually confronted to a dramatical balance between therapeutic benefits and penalizing side-disorders. 

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