Taste medication effects

Some disease states or trial conditions militate in favour of a high placebo response rate and lend support for the inclusion of placebo in a comparative trial. These include long treatment periods, previous treatments and response to them, innate characteristics of the study subjects (e.g. social class, educational level and personality t)rpe), influence of medical staff, environment and supervision during the trial, appearance and taste of trial drugs, and presence (or absence) of imwanted pharmacological effects. 

Accidental ingestion of a small piece or less than a few pellets can be adequately managed at home by Poison Control Centers, or by a healthcare professional with home observation and parent education. Usually, these types of exposures do not require any medical intervention or routine follow-up laboratory studies. Gastric decontamination has no effect on the clinical outcome after taste amounts are ingested by children (Kanabar and Volans, 2002 Mullins et al, 2000 Shepherd et al, 2002). 

Use of Topical CAIs in Clinical Practice. Although, as monotherapy, this class of medication can lower lOP by -20%, topical CAIs are generally used as adjunctive therapy either as an additional separate administration or, more commonly, in a fixed combination with timolol maleate (Cosopt). It is important to explain to patients that this medication can be uncomfortable on the eye and that they may experience a bitter metalUc taste associated with its use. This side effect is far more common with dorzolamide than brinzolamide. 

Schiffman SS, Zervakis J, WestaU HL, Graham BG, Metz A, Bennett JL, Heald AE. Effect of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory medications on the sense of taste. Physiol Behav 2000 69(4-5) 413-24. 

The effect of transdermal nicotine on concomitant medications has been reported in an open non-comparative study of 80 smokers (42 men and 38 women) who used 24-hour nicotine patches (10). Adverse effects included itching and local erythema, insomnia, and abnormal taste sensations. Two subjects withdrew because of adverse effects. At 12 weeks, 17 were non-smokers. At 26 weeks, 19 were non-smokers and a further 14 had reduced their use of cigarettes significantly. 

Medications metabolized by the liver are secreted into bile. Bile enters the intestine and is eliminated in feces. Fat-soluble medications are reabsorbed from bile into the bloodstream and returned to the liver to be metabolized and eliminated by the kidneys. This process is called the enterohepatic cycle. Medications that are not metabolized by the liver are eliminated by the lungs at a rate that corresponds to the patient s respiration rate. These are volatile medications, such as anesthetics and medications that are metabolized to C02 and H20. Side effects such as rashes and skin reaction are commonly seen at sweat and salivary glands. For example, a patient may report tasting the medication. Medication excreted into saliva is eventually swallowed, reabsorbed, and... 

Changes in elderly patients abilities to taste various substances do not necessarily affect the ease or difficulty of administration of medications, but these changes do have an effect on the patients acceptance of a product. For instance, although it may be easier for patients to swallow liquid medications, they may find the taste or smell of the product so objectionable that they will refuse to take any medication prepared in this manner. Indeed, even some solid dosage forms carry with them objectionable tastes or odors that result in limitation of patient acceptance. Although there have been few studies assessing elderly... 

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