Posted in 65+, Botox, Health Research, Pain killers, Stroke on May 7th, 2007
Botox, made popular by aging celebrities to make forehead lines disappear has become so commonly used that Botox injections are available nearly everywhere. But Botox may now have a place in the treatment of pain and spascticity of muscles in stroke patients.
The conclusion of a study at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, showed that repeated treatments with Botox (botulinum toxin type A) over the course of one year, reduced pain intensity, pain frequency and decreased spasticity in upper limbs following stroke.
“In the clinical setting, limb stiffness and pain are the most commonly reported symptoms of spasticity following a stroke, and relief of spasticity-related pain is a priority treatment goal for many patients,†said Allison Brashear, M.D., professor and chairman of neurology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and head of the spasticity clinic at Wake Forest Baptist.
Study Shows Repeated Treatment With Botox® Decreases Pain And Intensity Of Spasticity Following A Stroke
Posted in 65+, Consumer affairs, FDA, Health warnings, Heart attack, Medical information, NSAIDs, Pain killers, Research, Scares on April 30th, 2007
The FDA has added warning labels to some commonly used pain relievers like ibuprophen and naproxen, warning that use of these NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) increase the risk of heart attacks.
But according to Curt Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the FDA has ignored the most dangerous of these drugs, Voltaren, and incorrectly labeled naproxen, which appears to be safe based on research.
High doses (500 mg twice daily) of Aleve were not associated with an increased risk of heart attacks compared to a placebo. High doses of Advil (800 mg three times a day) and Voltaren (75 mg twice daily) were associated with rates of heart attack that were 51 percent and 63 percent higher, than the placebo. The increased risk of heart attack is associated with drugs that are COX-2 inhibitors.
“Naproxen does not increase the risk of heart attacks and ought to be a painkiller of choice,” said Furberg. “On the other hand, Voltaren carries the same risk as the harmful COX-2 inhibitors Bextra® and Vioxx®, which have been taken off the market.
Read more at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
