Cevimeline

August 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Generic Name
Cevimeline (seh-VIM-ih-lene) 9
Brand Name  Evoxac
Type of Drug  Cholinergic.
Prescribed For
Dry mouth in people with syndrome.
General Information
Sj6gren’s syndrome jS a group 0j symptoms related to a lack of bodily secretions. People with this condition have very dry eyes and mucous membranes, facial lesions, and neck swelling. It often occurs in menopausal woman and is often associated with rheumatoid arthritis, poor blood circulation in the legs, and tooth decay. Cevimeline increases secretions in the mouth by binding to specific nervous system receptors and causing the release of more saliva.
Cautions and Warnings
Do not take cevimeline if you are allergic or sensitive to any of its
ingredients.
This drug may make breathing more difficult and worsen lung conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Eye conditions like glaucoma or inflammation of the iris may be worsened by cevimeline.
Cevimeline may affect the heart, and some people with severe heart disease, including those with a history of severe angina or heart attack, may not be able to compensate for this effect.
Cevimeline may worsen gallstones and kidney stones and should be avoided by people with a history of these conditions.
Cevimeline may cause visual blurring, especially at night.
Possible Side Effects
✓    Most common: excessive sweating, headache, nausea, sinus irritation, respiratory infection, runny nose, and diarrhea.
✓    Common: upset stomach, abdominal pains, urinary infection, coughing, and sore throat.
✓    Less common: vomiting, back pain, injury, rash, conjunctivitis (pinkeye), dizziness, bronchitis, severe joint pain, fatigue, bone pain, sleeplessness, hot flushes, excess salivation, chills, and anxiety.
✓    Rare: frequent urination, weakness, and flushing. Other rare side effects can occur in almost any part of the body. Contact your doctor if you experience any side effect not listed above.
Drug Interactions
•    Combining cevimeline with a beta blocker can lead to heart rhythm disturbances.
•    Cevimeline may interfere with the effects of anticholinergics, found in Some medications for abdominal or stomach spasms or cramps.
•    Cholinergics such as bethanechol, donepezil, physostigmine, pilocarpine, and pyridostigmine can add to the effects of cevimeline.
•    Some drugs may interfere with the breakdown of cevimeline in the liver, increasing the chance of drug side effects. These include amiodarone, celecoxib, chlorpheniramine, cimetidine, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, clomipramine, cocaine, diltiazem, erythromycin, fluconazole, fluoxetine, halofantrine, indinavir, itraconazole, ketoconazole, methadone, mibefradil, nelfinavir, paroxetine, quinidine, ranitidine, ritonavir, saquinavir, and terbinafine.
Food Interactions
Grapefruit juice may interfere with the breakdown of cevimeline in the liver, increasing the chance of drug side effects. Food interferes with the absorption of cevimeline into the bloodstream. Take this drug on an empty stomach.
Usual Dose
Adult: 30 mg 3 times a day. Child: not recommended.
Overdosage
Overdose symptoms can include exaggerated drug side effects including headache, visual impairment, excess tearing and/or sweating, difficulty breathing, stomach or intestinal spasms, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, changes in heart rhythm, blood pressure changes, shock, mental confusion, and tremors. Overdose victims should be taken to a hospital emergency room. ALWAYS bring the prescription bottle or container.
Special Information
cevimeline may cause blurred vision, possibly interfering with driving or performing tasks that require reliable vision, especially at night or in low light.
If you sweat excessively while taking cevimeline, be sure to drink a lot of water. Excessive sweating can lead to dehydration.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular schedule. Do not take a double dose.
Special Populations
Pregnancy/Breast-feeding: Pregnant women should take cevimeline only if it is considered crucial by your doctor, since its effect on the developing fetus is not known.
It is not known if cevimeline passes into breast milk, but nursing mothers who must take this drug should consider using infant formula.
Seniors: Older adults should be cautious about using this drug because of its possible effects on the kidney, liver, and heart, and on other diseases or medications.

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Adefovir

July 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Generic Name
Adefovir (ah-deh-FOE-veer)
Brand Name  Hepsera
Type of Drug  Antiviral.
Prescribed For
Chronic active hepatitis B in adults.
General Information
Hepatitis B is one of several different types of hepatitis, a viral infection of the liver. Adefovir is an antiviral drug that can reduce the amount of hepatitis B virus in the bloodstream and slow its spread to healthy liver tissue, however, it cannot cure chronic hepatitis B. People with chronic hepatitis B may develop liver cirrhosis or liver cancer and it is not known if adefovir can prevent these conditions from occurring. Like other viruses and bacteria, the hepatitis B virus can become resistant to the effects of adefovir.
Adefovir works against the hepatitis C virus in a way similar to that of certain human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) drugs. It interferes with an enzyme called reverse transcriptase, which is an essential component of the viral reproduction process. Almost half of each dose is eliminated via the urine within 24 hours of taking it.
Cautions and Warnings
Do not take adefovir if you are allergic or sensitive to any of its ingredients.
Adefovir can be toxic to the kidneys, especially in people who already have some kidney problems. Since it is eliminated from the body through the kidneys, people with kidney disease are often given lower doses of adefovir.
In some cases, hepatitis can become severely aggravated upon discontinuation of adefovir. Your doctor should check your liver for’ 2 weeks after the drug is stopped. it is possible that antiviral therapy may have to be re-started.
Adefovir has some activity against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). An HIV blood test is recommended before starting adefovir treatment. If you are HIV positive, adefovir could make the HIV virus resistant to future antiviral drugs.

People taking adefovir can develop liver disease, liver enlargement, fat degeneration, and lactic acidosis (potentially fatal metabolic imbalance). This may be a reason for your doctor to stop your adefovir treatment. This occurs most frequently in obese women.
Possible Side Effects
In studies, side effects reported in the treated group were similar in frequency to placebo.
✓    Most common: weakness, headache, stomach pain, and nausea.
✓    Less common: intestinal gas, diarrhea, and upset stomach.
Drug Interactions
This drug was studied extensively in an attempt to predict possible drug interactions. No major interaction problems have been revealed.
•    Taking drugs that can be toxic to the kidneys (such as amino-glycosides, cyclosporine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), tacrolimus, and vancomycin) together with adefovir can lead to the more rapid appearance of kidney damage.
•    Ibuprofen, when taken in dosages of 800 mg 3 times a day, will increase adefovir blood levels by about 20 %, however the importance of this finding is unknown.
Food Interactions
Adefovir may be taken without regard to food or meals.
Usual Dose
Adults: 10 mg once a day. People with kidney disease requiring dialysis may take only 10 mg a week. The exact dosage is based on the severity of kidney disease.
Child: not recommended.
Overdosage
Gastrointestinal symptoms are the most likely outcome of an adefovir overdose. Take the victim to a hospital emergency room. ALWAYS bring the prescription bottle or container.

Special Information
Practice safe sex and safe needle use. People taking adefovir may still spread hepatitis B through sexual contact or by sharing needles. Practice safe sex using condoms and dental dams.
Do not share personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them, such as toothbrushes or razor blades.
Try to take adefovir at the same time every day.
Adefovir must be taken continuously to maintain its effectiveness. Be sure to keep enough adefovir on hand so that you do not run out of medicine.
If you take adefovir on a regular schedule and forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the forgotten dose and continue with your regular schedule. Do not take a double dose of this medicine. Call your doctor if you forget 2 or more doses in a row. Skipping or forgetting too many doses can make the hepatitis C virus resistant to adefovir.
Call your doctor at once if you feel very weak or tired, cold (especially in your arms and legs), dizzy or lightheaded, have unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, or have a fast or irregular heartbeat. These could be signs of lactic acidosis.
Call your doctor if you experience jaundice (symptoms include yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes), appetite loss for a few days or more, lower stomach pain, nausea, dark urine, or bowel movements that are light in color. These could be signs of liver toxicity.
Special Populations
Pregnancy/Breast-feeding: Animal studies with adefovir have revealed a tendency for some birth defects when the dosage administered was more than 20 times the average human dose. There is no information on the effect of adefovir during pregnancy. The company that produces adefovir has established a registry to collect information on pregnant women who take this drug. When this drug is considered crucial by your doctor, its potential benefits may be carefully weighed against its risks.
It is not known if adefovir passes into breast milk. Nursing mothers who must take it should use infant formula.
Seniors: Seniors may be more sensitive to adefovir’s side effects because of the natural loss of kidney function that occurs with advancing age.

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Recovery from Prostate Surgery

Whatever anyone tells you, a prostatectomy is a major operation and you need to allow yourself sufficient time to recover from it bupropion. Men are notoriously impatient, especially if they have to go back to work, but you must accept that you will probably have to slow down for a while. Don’t expect miracles, and don’t be too hard on yourself. You may not have had a leg amputated, but you have nevertheless had a major operation and you must make allowances for this. You must not expect too much of yourself during your recovery period in order to give yourself the best chance to get better as quickly as possible. Any impatience may, in
the long run, only make matters worse and set you back on your road to recovery. Exactly how long it takes you to get yourself back to a state of good health depends to a large extent on how fit you were before you had the operation. It also depends on how large your prostate gland was, and on whether or not there were any complications as a result of surgery.

Remember that old cliche about time being the great healer? It may not be very original but, like a lot of cliches, it’s true. So grit your teeth and take things easy for a while. It may take as long as three months before you feel completely well again, but once you do, you’ll be utterly convinced that it was worth every minute!

Your bladder

In the first few weeks after your operation, don’t be surprised if your symptoms do not seem any better than before. They may even seem worse. This doesn’t mean that the operation hasn’t been a success - only that you haven’t healed yet. It can take anything up to about six weeks for the cut surface inside the prostate to heal over completely. Expecting everything to work perfectly before this happens is unrealistic. Until then, you will have to be prepared to make allowances. Even when your urinary system returns to a state of good health, do not be surprised if you have problems getting used to this. You’ve probably spent a long time - years maybe - getting used to having to empty your bladder all too frequently, and it may take a long time -several weeks, probably, or even months - before you succeed in unlearning those habits. Be patient and you will gradually build up confidence in your bladder again until you are able to forget about it completely.

Medication

You will probably still be taking a course of antibiotics when you leave hospital. You must be disciplined about taking these. Remember to finish the course, and don’t just stop taking the pills as soon as you feel better. This could set you back a long way and allow any leftover bacteria to multiply and mount another attack just when you’re least expecting it and you’re congratulating yourself on getting better .

AFTER AN OPEN PROSTATECTOMY

If you’ve had an open prostatectomy, you will have stitches in your abdomen and you will have been given strict instructions on what you can and can’t do. You will be tired after your general anaesthetic and you will need to look after your wound. A district nurse will probably come to your house every other day to change the dressing, and she will take the stitches out when necessary. You will have been told what movements you can make to avoid putting too great a strain on both the scar and the surrounding muscles. You should also:
• Avoid carrying anything at all heavy - even a full kettle may be too heavy, so fill it only half full.
• Get out of your chair cautiously and gently by wriggling your way to the edge of the chair before getting up.
• Build up slowly to normal activities.
• Use your common sense at all times and don’t attempt to do too much.
• STOP immediately if you suspect you are doing too much.
Even when you’ve had the stitches removed, you will still need to be careful. It takes a good six weeks for the wound to heal itself, and several months before the abdominal muscles get back to their full strength.

AFTER A TRANSURETHRAL PROSTATECTOMY (TURP)

If, on the other hand, you’ve had the more common transurethral prostatectomy (TURP), you won’t have any visible signs of your operation, like a scar, and it’s all too easy to forget that you’ve actually had an operation at all. But you have, and you mustn’t forget it. Any operation puts a great physical strain on the body and, as a result, takes a surprisingly long time for you to get over. In hospital, you will have spent most of your time sitting or lying in bed. You probably won’t have done anything more strenuous than reading or watching television. As soon as you get home, the temptation will be to resume all your favourite occupations - going for a walk in the park, perhaps, or doing a bit of gardening. But it is not a good idea to get back into the swing of things too soon. This should be a slow and gradual process, and you must be careful not to push yourself too far, or to do more than you can genuinely cope with. In the meantime, make sure that you get plenty of rest. Get up late, have a rest whenever you feel you need one, and go to bed early. Whenever you are sitting, remember that a firm seat is more comfortable than a soft one that can press upwards between the buttocks.
The problem is obviously greater for people who live alone and who are looking after themselves. But even where this is the case -perhaps even more so, in fact, because you can’t risk driving yourself so hard that you make yourself ill - you must restrict yourself at First to doing the essentials. You’ll obviously need to do the cooking and washing, but most other things can wait. There is absolutely no shame in spoiling yourself at a time like this. Your priority is to get well, and everything else comes second to that average.

BLADDER CONTROL

The great majority of prostatectomies are successful, and recovery is usually straightforward. Having said that, though, recovery can sometimes be slow, and efficient urination is something you may have to work at will.
Just after the operation, the urethra may be swollen, which may in turn be painful. This pain can make the urethral muscles contract from time to time, which can mean that the flow of urine is either slow or intermittent. Bruising of the tissues around the urethra can also prevent the muscles surrounding the urethra working properly, which can mean that the urethra neither opens nor closes completely. This can result in a low stream of urine, of continual leakage of urine. Such problems are, of course, unpleasant and debilitating, but they should disappear as soon as the swelling and bruising get better, which should take only a fortnight or so.
Another problem following the operation may be that you suffer from just as bad - if not worse - a degree of frequency and urgency of urination as you did before the operation. This is likely to be brought about by inflammation of the prostate and urethra, and may continue until the cut surface of the prostate is completely healed, which can take as long as six to eight weeks. It can last even longer 11′ you develop a urinary tract infection, which is a good reason to have your urine tested at your six-week check-up. It may surprise you to know that the opposite problem of an absence of urgency can, contrary to what you might expect, be
even more worrying than its presence. This is because if you suffered from chronic retention of urine before your operation, your bladder may have become so accustomed to holding a large amount of urine that it does not send the right signal when it is full. The danger, in this case, is that the bladder may become so full that it will be unable to contract properly and empty itself efficiently. You will have to empty it by the clock - say every hour or so - until you begin to feel the natural urge to urinate. This should happen spontaneously, if gradually. In short, you can expect your bladder to behaving abnormally for up to six weeks or so after the operation.

Bladder training

You will probably benefit from training - or retraining - your bladder to hold more urine and to last comfortably for longer periods of time. This should help reduce increased frequency and urgency of urination, as well as night-time urination.
Start by making a urination chart, or frequency/volume chart, detailing the time and amount of urine each time you go to the toilet. Equip yourself with a measuring jug, of the type you can buy in hardware or kitchen equipment shops, so as to measure the volume of urine. Continue keeping this chart while you are bladder training. You will probably be used to emptying your bladder each time you feel the slightest urge to do so, or even each time you pass a toilet ‘just in case’. Stop doing this and gradually increase the time between visits to the toilet. Start by holding on for another two minutes after you feel the need to go to the toilet, then increase this to five minutes, then another five minutes, and so on. All this is easier said than done, but there are a few ‘tricks’ that should make it easier for you to hold on between visits.
• Sit rather than stand when you feel the desire to urinate.
• Keep still rather than moving around.
• Pull up your pelvic floor muscles.
• Cross your legs.
• Hold your penis, if you can do this discreetly .
• Take regular, slow, deep breaths.
• Think about something else to keep your mind off your bladder.
• Try to do something else to take your mind off your bladder, such as making a telephone call, or reading the newspaper.
You will find that you can gradually manage to hold on for longer and longer intervals. Aim, ultimately, for an interval of three to four hours.
Bladder training can achieve a lot for most people in just four weeks. Try to keep it up for three months or, even better, six months. Don’t expect to have dealt with all your problems even after six months. Symptoms can continue to improve for as long as a year -or even longer.

RESUMING SEXUAL ACTIVITY

You can resume sexual activity as soon as you feel up to it. Some doctors are wary of advising patients to do this, in case of disturbing clots and scabs, others say that the passage of semen cannot do any more harm than the passage of urine. Be alert to how you feel, and follow your natural inclinations. You may, however, not feel like sex for some time after the operation. If this happens to you, you shouldn’t worry It does not mean that you have lost your sex drive or your potency as a result of the operation - it simply means that you have a natural degree of fatigue after what is, after all, a major operation side affects. This is even more likely if you have had a general anaesthetic.

Retrograde ejaculation

You are unlikely to ejaculate in quite the same way as you did before the operation and may experience retrograde ejaculation. This means that semen goes backwards up the urethra into the bladder, rather than forwards and down into the urethra. This often has the effect of making you sterile, and a lot of men find this a very difficult hurdle to deal with, even if they do not actually want to father any more children. In their eyes, the fact that they are now sterile seems to emasculate them in some way, to make them less of a man. It is important that a man is told that this is a likely side-effect of a prostatectomy before the operation, as this seems to help them deal with it better. Even if you do have retrograde ejaculation, this cannot guarantee that your partner won’t become pregnant and you should still use some form of contraception if this is an issue. You cannot rely on a prostatectomy to give you a reliable form of contraception medicare. It is estimated that between 5 and 10 per cent of men are still fertile afterwards. If you want a reliable and permanent method of contraception, you may want to discuss the possibility of having a vasectomy with your surgeon, as this can easily be done at the same time as a prostatectomy. Your urine will probably look a little cloudy after intercourse, as the semen that went into the bladder is washed out. You may also find that you bleed slightly after intercourse during the first six weeks or so after the operation - just as you notice a little blood in your urine - but as long as this is not a large amount of blood, you should not have anything to worry about.

YOUR SIX-WEEK CHECK-UP

By six weeks after the operation, most of your symptoms should have cleared up, though you may still be suffering from frequency and urgency of urination. You will probably have a check-up after six weeks, which is your opportunity to discuss anything that is worrying you. It is particularly important to have a test done on a urine sample, just to check that you are free of any urine infection. Some hospital clinics also like to repeat the urine flow test, which will indicate that the operation has been successful.

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Prostatitis. DIAGNOSIS OF PROSTATITIS. CHRONIC PROSTATITIS. ACUTE BACTERIAL INFECTION.

Prostatitis is a catch-all expression covering various types of inflammation of the prostate. It is not as serious as enlargement of the prostate, and especially not as serious as cancer of the prostate. It can, however, be a very difficult condition to treat and can sometimes drag on for several years. In prostatitis, the tiny glands in the prostate become infected, inflamed or clogged - either with thickened secretions or with small gravel-like stones. As we have seen in Chapter 1, the prostate is a complex system of glands, cells, tubules and ducts. Once infection gets a hold in this complicated network, it is hardly surprising that it can be very difficult to eradicate.
Even when it has been treated - and even when it seems as though it has been successfully treated - it can still come back. And in the absence of successful treatment, it can flare up for years, with depressing regularity.

THREE TYPES OF PROSTATITIS

There are three main types of prostatitis. These are:
• Acute bacterial infection.
• Chronic infection, which may be bacterial or non-bacterial.
• Prostatodynia, which may cause the symptoms of prostate pain without any obvious signs of inflammation or infection.

DIAGNOSIS OF PROSTATITIS

Prostatitis is sometimes difficult to diagnose. In general, the person best qualified to diagnose prostatitis is a doctor specialising in urology or genito-urinary medicine clinical trials. Your doctor may refer you to a special genito-urinary (GU) clinic. This does not mean that your doctor suspects that you are suffering from a sexually-transmitted disease. It simply means that genitourinary clinics have the best experience and equipment to investigate and treat your symptoms. The staff are used to dealing with this kind of problem, and will do so sympathetically and in confidence, so you have no need to feel embarrassed. You are likely to have a number of tests as part of the investigation of your symptoms. These may include some, or all, of the following:

• A digital rectal examination, which means that the doctor inserts a lubricated gloved finger into the rectum and gently palpates, or feels, the prostate through the front wall of the rectum, which lies against the back of the gland. If you have prostatitis, the prostate will feel boggy, soft and tender. A digital rectal examination should not hurt,
though it may be uncomfortable if the prostate is inflamed and therefore tender to the touch. A lot of men are embarrassed to have one, but they shouldn’t be: doctors are used to doing this and have a very matter-of-fact attitude to it.
• Swabs from the end of the penis, which are taken by gently inserting a sterile cotton bud into the end of the penis and taking any fresh discharge.
* Urine tests to check for cloudiness, signs of protein or blood, and threads of cellular niaterial, which are then examined under the microscope for pus cells or bacteria.
® Urine cultures to see if any bacteria grow, which should also distinguish between infection in different parts of the urinary tract.
• A blood test to check for a raised white cell count.
• Routine screening for sexually-transmitted diseases such as chlamyclia.
• The doctor will look for a discharge from the penis, and for signs of inflammation and soreness both on the penis and in the testicles. If prostatitis is untreated, or it’ drug treatment is unsuccessful, there is a risk that the prostate gland may become full of pus 5 online sildenafil citrate . Not surprisingly, this can have dreadful consequences. It may eventually burst, releasing pus into the urethra, which will discharge from the tip of the penis. And it may also result in severe infection elsewhere in the urinary tract.

ACUTE BACTERIAL INFECTION

This is an uncommon complaint. It is usually caused by bacteria from the intestines. These find their way into the urinary system, either through the urethra or through the bloodstream or lymphatic fluids.
Sometimes there is a link with organisms that cause a sexually-transmitted disease, such as gonorrhoea or chlarnydia. Sometimes, too, the fungus that causes thrush (Candida) is responsible.

Symptoms

These can happen suddenly and can include one or several of the following:
• Feeling generally under the weather.
• Chills or fever.
• An aching feeling around the thighs and genitals.
• A deep pain in the perineurn, which is the area between the pouch containing the testicles, known as the scrotum, and the anus.
• Low back pain.
• Pain in the lower abdomen.
• Pain on passing water.
• Blood in the urine.
• Difficulty in passing water.
• Increased frequency of passing water.
• Urine may be cloudy or smelly.
• Pain on ejaculation.

Diagnosis

The doctor will probably perform a digital rectal examination by inserting a lubricated gloved finger into the rectum. He will then feel the prostate through the wall of the rectum. If a man has prostatitis, the prostate will probably feel hot, swollen and tender. The doctor will then do a series of tests on a sample of urine and On urethral secretions obtained after massaging the prostate gland, in order to investigate the cause of the infection.

Treatment

Acute bacterial prostatitis, when symptoms come on suddenly, is the most dramatic form of the disease, but it is also the form that responds best to treatment. A prolonged course of antibiotic tablets is prescribed. This is usually for at least four weeks. Acute infection responds well to antibiotics, probably because the intense inflammation allows the drugs to penetrate into the interior of the gland. Symptoms should begin to show some improvement within the first few days. Sometimes, though, infection may persist in the prostate, in spite of treatment, and it is necessary to have careful follow-up treatment to make sure that the condition has cleared up. If this does not happen, the condition may tend to recur and chronic prostatitis will usually result. Occasionally, though rarely, infection may cause the gland to swell sufficiently for the urethra to be squeezed shut. This causes urinary outflow obstruction . It necessitates urgent admission to hospital, where urinary flow is eased by inserting a catheter directly into the bladder. With rest and the administration of antibiotics, the infection will usually clear up well in only a few days.

CHRONIC PROSTATITIS

Chronic prostatitis is more common than acute prostatitis, but is much more difficult to eradicate. There are two types of chronic prostatitis, which can be bacterial or non-bacterial. Chronic bacterial prostatitis Swelling occurs rapidly and this traps the bacteria in the gland, as the usual drainage channels become blocked. Prostatic secretions may coat the offending bacteria, which then harden to form tiny stones, or crystals. This protects them from being attacked by the body’s immune system or by antibiotics. This explains the repeated flare-ups that tend to occur in chronic bacterial prostatitis. This means, too, that the condition can be difficult to treat successfully. Some sufferers may even be unlucky enough to suffer from recurrent symptoms throughout their lives.

Symptoms

These vary from one person to another. They may include any, or several, of the following:

• Frequency in passing water.
• Pain on passing water.
• Pain in the prostate, genitals or rectum.
• Swelling of the testes.
• Lower back pain.
• Watery discharge from the penis.
• Pain on ejaculation.
• Blood in the semen.
• Premature ejaculation.
• If the doctor feels the prostate during a digital rectal examination, it may feel boggy, soft and squelchy.

Fertility

There is some evidence that chronic bacterial prostatitis may impair. This may probably be true in all cases of prostatitis, but seems to be especially true of chronic bacterial prostatitis. Analysis of the prostatic fluid of men with chronic bacterial prostatitis has shown significant changes in both the physical properties and the chemical constituents of the fluid. It is thought that these changes may well affect the quality of the semen, and thus the level of fertility. It is not unusual for doctors to hear the wives of men with chronic bacterial prostatitis complain that they are finding it difficult to become pregnant. A sperm count and sperm quality assessment can be done to find out how much a man’s fertility has been affected.

Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis

This is a complaint in which inflammation is present without any signs of infection. In other words, prostate secretions contain white pus cells, but no bacteria. It is not known exactly what causes chronic non-bacterial prostatitis, but several theories have been suggested. One is that it is caused by abnormal emptying of the bladder, which forces urine into the prostate channels and ducts, where it causes irritation and inflammation. This may be triggered, or aggravated, if a man jogs or plays any strenuous sport on a
full bladder. Another theory is that some men produce thicker prostate secretions, which are perhaps more acid then normal. These secretions are unable to drain away through the narrow ducts and therefore build up to cause irritation and swelling.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of chronic non-bacterial prostatitis are:
• Frequency in passing water.
• Pain on passing water.
• Pain or ache in the prostate, genitals or rectum.
• Lower back pain, especially after sexual intercourse.
• Discharge from the urethra, especially after intercourse.

Treatment

Any chronic infection is difficult to treat, particularly when inflammation and swellings trap the infection inside the gland. In the case of chronic bacterial prostatitis, a course of the appropriate antibiotic, depending on which bacterium is responsible for the condition, will be prescribed for at least six weeks. Sometimes antibiotics may be required for as long as three months, or even longer. Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis can be treated with a natural food supplement derived from rye pollen extracts, which
has been shown to reduce inflammation, irritation and swelling, though improvement may not be apparent for at least three months and full recovery may take as long as six months or even more. Swelling, inflammation and pain may be helped by anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen.

Self-help

Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis is sometimes relieved by an increased frequency of ejaculation. This can be brought about through intercourse, of course, but if this does not happen it may equally be brought about by masturbation. Ejaculation drains the prostate of any excess secretions and causes a temporary increase in blood. Both these things help to flush away any toxins. In some cases, however, an increased frequency of ejaculation only makes the problem worse.

PROSTATODYNIA

This is characterised by the usual symptoms of prostate problems, including pain, but with no evidence of inflammation or infection in the gland. Prostate secretions look perfectly normal and contain no pus cells. Prostatodynia is surprisingly common and accounts for around one third of all cases where men experience the symptoms of chronic prostatitis.

Symptoms

The symptoms of prostatodynia are therefore similar to those of chronic prostatitis. They may often also include psychosexual problems.
Symptoms include the following:
• Frequency in passing water, sometimes with associated pain.
• Pain in the prostate, genitals or rectum.
• Lower back pain.
• Watery discharge from the penis.
• Blood in the semen (haemospermia).
• Premature ejaculation.
• Pain on erection.
• Pain on ejaculation.
• Low sex drive.
• A diminished volume of semen.
• Impotence.
• If the doctor feels the prostate during a digital rectal examination, it may feel boggy, soft and squelchy.

Treatment

Prostatodynia can be difficult to treat. Painkillers are not usually helpful. It is, however, likely to have a physical cause, such as spasm of the pelvic muscles, which may be brought on by stress and anxiety. In this case, tranquillisers may be prescribed in order to reduce muscular spasm in the gland, though it is not a good idea to take these in the long-term as they can become addictive. Recent studies have suggested that prostate pain can be relieved by microwave hyperthermia. The technique was originally developed at the Beilinson Medical Centre, Petah Tiqva, in Israel in the early 1980s and is now attracting a lot of interest in other countries. An hour’s treatment is usually given weekly for six weeks.
Other treatments that have been tried for prostatodynia include:
• Acupuncture.
• Laser irradiation.
• Muscle-relaxant drugs, such as diazepam.
• Antispasmodic drugs.

Self-help

As in chronic non-bacterial prostatitis, symptoms may be worsened when ejaculation is infrequent, in which case the pain may be caused by prostatic gland engorgement. Symptoms may therefore be relieved by an increased frequency of ejaculation, as a result of either intercourse or masturbation. Ejaculation drains the prostate of any excess secretions
and causes a temporary increase in blood supply. In some cases, however, an increased frequency of ejaculation only makes the problem worse. Sitting in a hot bath for half an hour can help to warm up the prostate gland. Relaxation techniques may also be used to relax the muscles and as an alternative to muscle-relaxant drugs. The combination of regular exercise and a high-fibre diet will help keep the bowels regular, which is particularly important for men suffering from prostatodynia. This is of special benefit to those men who sit at a desk for most of the day, as both constant sitting and constipation tend to increase prostate congestion. Symptoms of prostatodynia may be triggered by the nicotine in cigarettes and by alcohol or caffeine, so it is best to reduce consumption of all three. It may also be advisable to consult an allergy specialist who may be able to identify foods that you should avoid.

Natural treatments

Rye pollen extracts have been shown in clinical trials in Europe to help ease the symptoms of prostatitis, particularly chronic non-bacterial prostatitis and prostatodynia. They reduce inflammation and ease irritation.  They may take as long as three months before they show any improvement, which may then continue over the next three months. Rye pollen
extracts, such as Cernilton and ProstaBrit, are available from health food stores.

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The Prostate in Sexual Activity

The prostate is part of the male reproductive system and supplies part of the seminal fluid. It is not essential for the man’s sexuality, though, nor even for his ability to reproduce. When a man’s prostate is removed, male sexuality is not normally affected ripped fuel. His sex drive is intact, and his ability to
achieve and maintain an erection is unchanged.

SEMINAL FLUID

In fact most of the fluid you ejaculate isn’t sperm at all. Most of the fluid consists mainly of secretions from a number of glands. The largest of these glands is the prostate.
The various secretions from these glands probably serve the purpose of providing the sperm with a greater motility after they have been ejaculated, which stimulates their activity and enables them to move towards the egg. It is thought by some people that the prostate also has a lot to do with the feeling that an orgasm gives you. When a man
has an orgasm, sperm fluid from the seminal vesicles and the secretions from the prostate all mix together as semen at the top of the urethra, just below the bladder. A man gets an intensely pleasurable sensation when the semen floods down the urethra into the penis . He also gets a pleasurable feeling when the semen squirts out of the penis and into the tight region of a woman’s vagina. The prostate gland can be felt, as a man’s orgasm proceeds, to contract i-liythmically, which some people believe to be very much an integral part of the pleasure he experiences on orgasm.

What prostate fluid contains:

• Water.
• Salts.
• Minerals.
• Proteins.
• Antibodies.
• Enzymes.
• Citric acid.
• Fats buy domain fioricet tramadol .
• Prostaglandins, which are hormone-like chemicals.

PROSTATIC DISEASE

Prostatic disease can have an effect not only on the urinary system, but also on the reproductive system. The male reproductive and urinary systems are, of course, closely linked, if only because they share the same exit route - the penis - or, to be more exact, the urethra which runs through the centre of the penis. The prostate gland is the site at which the male sex hormone testosterone, which is made by the testicles, is broken down. It is here that it then forms another hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The conversion is controlled by an enzyme called 5-alphareductase. In a study conducted by Imperato-McGinley (Science, 1974), the males in an obscure tribe in the Dominican Republic are deficient in 5-alpha-reductase and are often mistaken for girls until they reach puberty. Until then, they have a very small penis and scrotum, which suddenly enlarge at puberty, along with the development of a deep voice. These males only ever develop a very small prostate gland, they never go bald, and they do not suffer from acne check.
It is this genetic deficiency in 5-alpha-reductase that has enabled researchers to comprehend the role played by dihydrotestosterone in the enlargement of the prostate gland.

Testosterone

As well as prostate enlargement, the male hormone testosterone also has several other effects on the male body.
These include the following:
• The growth of the penis.
• The growth of testes.
• The production of sperm.
• A deeper voice.
• The growth of facial and body hair.
• The male sex drive.
• Bone growth hair loss.
• Strength.
• Acne.
• Baldness.

A MAN’S GREATEST FEARS

One of man’s greatest fears on seeing a urologist and considering the prospect of a prostatectomy is what effect this will have on his sexuality. The idea of having any sexual organ tampered with by a surgeon is very frightening for most men, who worry that it may have a deleterious effect on their sex lives. Many men are so frightened that their prostate problems will affect their sex lives, particularly if they have to have an operation, that they put off going to the doctor gastroparesis caused by prozac . And even when they do eventually go to the doctor, they may be too embarrassed to discuss sexual matters. Sex is something that all too many men find difficult -if not impossible - to talk about with their doctor. But this is foolish. It is only by talking the matter over with their doctor that they will find their fears were groundless and that they can therefore be reassured.

The doctor’s role.

To make matters worse, some doctors and urologists are sometimes insensitive on this subject. It is quite wrong of them to assume that their patients are too old to be interested in sex. Sex can play an important role in the lives of many men until well into old age, and they should treat their fears as real and serious. A man who is due to have a prostatectomy should not just fret about this in secret, he should talk to his doctors about it - his GP, his consultant, his surgeon. Most importantly, the doctor should respect his fears, and him for coming to air them with him. It’s not easy for any man to do this, and if he succeeds in overcoming his reluctance to do so, the doctor should recognise what that has cost him. If the doctor reacts badly, it might have catastrophic effects: it might just send him scuttling back to his burrow, his pride injured, and he might never be able to take the risk again. Only when both doctor and patient can talk about this calmly, sensibly, realistically, will the patient be reassured that it will have no effect on his sexuality - neither on his libido, nor his ability to obtain or maintain an erection, nor on his performance.

Retrograde ejaculation

What it may well do, however, is cause him to be infertile after the operation. Even a man who has no intention of becoming a father again may find the idea of losing his potential to be a father very distressing. A man may find this emasculating, as if it were questioning his manhood. He’s only lost his ability to procreate, not his sexuality, but this can have a devastating effect on him. This is reminiscent of a woman who regrets the loss of her womb after a hysterectomy, even though she is beyond childbearing, and feels she has lost her femininity. A doctor should have the sensitivity to talk to his patient about this. Only with patience and understanding can he help
him come to terms with his feelings of fear and loss. Retrograde ejaculation will not make a man impotent, nor - in most cases - will it prevent him from having orgasms. It will, however, make the sensation of orgasm a different one - and, in all honesty, probably not as good. Some women, too, are disappointed by the new feeling of a ‘dry’ climax in their male partner. These changes in a man’s sexuality should be addressed beforehand. He should be told what to expect. A sensitive doctor will also help a couple come to terms with their new-found sexuality.

Impotence

It is possible, though by no means certain - nor even common -that prostatectomy may cause impotence Some men are frightened that it might have this effect, probably because they have heard tales of the old perineal prostate operation (which is hardly ever done nowadays) or the radical prostatectomy in which the entire prostate, including the capsule in which it is enclosed, is removed (sometimes performed for prostate cancer). In both these operations, the nerves supplying the penis were sometimes cut, which led to a man’s impotentence. The problem of impotence is therefore unlikely but it may arise. If a man is very frightened that the operation may lead to impotence, he may actually experience a kind of psychological impotence afterwards. This underlines how important it is for a man to be reassured before the operation. If a psychological problem does occur, a counsellor or sex therapist should be able to deal with it.

An excuse to avoid sex

In spite of all the evidence that prostate surgery has no effect at all on a man’s sexuality (other than retrograde ejaculation), it does occasionally seem to happen. An obvious explanation for this is that some men may use surgery as an excuse to avoid sex, which they had stopped enjoying ages ago anyway. Occasionally, if a man is not in very good health, a prostate operation - which is, after all, a major operation requiring a long convalescence period - may be enough to push his sexuality over the edge.
Generally, though, most men do not have any problems with their sex lives after the operation. In fact, a man may actually find that his sex life has greatly improved since he had his prostatectomy, if only because he now has full control of his bladder.

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PROSTATE CANCER

Cancer is the word that has brought agonizing pain and terror to the last half of the twentieth century. To most people cancer means death. Many still think that a man with cancer has a death sentence. Not true. Increasingly in this last decade of the century it is proving not necessarily so. There are hundreds of different kinds and types of cancers, the medical experts tell us, and some can and are being cured. One of those types of cancer strikes men in their prostate. Cancer is described as being an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. Cancer cells can spread quickly throughout the body through the blood stream and the lymph system. Wherever they lite they create new tumors that begin replacing the normal tissue.
Some types don’t move at all, some are aggressive and attack different parts of the body quickly first. Cancer can develop in the lymphatic system, in bones, a man’s lungs, chest, throat, colon, stomach, even his brain. One of the areas cancer hits in a man is his prostate. When cancer strikes a man’s prostate it is usually what doctors call a primary cancer. This simply means the cancer begins, originates, in the prostate and has not been transported there from some other cancer in another part of the body.

WHAT CAUSES PROSTATE CANCER?

Scientists say there are hundreds of different kinds of cancer and they undoubtedly are caused by hundreds of different inciters. A few of the cancers have been researched enough so the medical people have the beginnings of the causes of them and can then go ahead and utilize some kind of anti-body to stop or kill the cancer. Massive research is going on for many forms of cancer, but less than one percent of that work is being done on prostate cancer. What this says is that there probably won’t be a miracle cure for prostate cancer within the lifetimes of most of us. That, like some of the preventive inoculation vaccines we have, will have to be applied to our children or our grandchildren. So who can develop prostate cancer? Unlike smoking and lung cancer, there isn’t even a hint of what might cause prostate cancer. Most researchers have ruled out any of the usual work and behavior activities such as alcohol, diet, work place, smoking, venereal diseases, too much sex or too little, or any other currently defined lifestyle.
There is one exception: men who work in nearly constant exhaust fumes from cars and those exposed to cadmium in the work place, are found to be at slightly higher risks of prostate cancer than the rest of us.
The one constant in prostate cancer and man seems to be age. As with the enlargement of the prostate, cancer seems to strike older men. Yes, some men die of prostate cancer in their forties, but most of the confrontations with the disease comes when men are over sixty. One researcher reports that the average age of men who are diagnosed as having cancer is seventy-two. Slightly over eighty percent of all prostate cancers reported come in men who are over the age of sixty-five.
Most doctors understand that by the age of eighty, nearly eighty percent of men have cancer of the prostate to some degree too. It may have been dormant for years, or it may just be starting and of a type that will grow slowly. Most of these men will never develop any symptoms of prostate cancer and will die of some cause not related to their prostate.
Most of our readers probably know someone who either has prostate cancer or has died of it. The American Cancer Society says that one out of eleven Americans will develop cancer of the prostate during his lifetime. Nearly 100,000 prostate cancer cases are reported by doctors each year. With men living longer now each year, there is expected to be an increasing number of prostate cancers. Men are simply living longer now and that’s when the disease develops. The American Cancer Society reports that nearly 28,000 men died of prostate cancer last year.

WHAT CAN THE AVERAGE MAN DO?

The problem is far from hopeless. They key to any cancer, and especially prostate cancer, is to catch the problem as early as possible. Some urologists suggest that all men over forty should have a digital rectal examination once a year.
Most of these examinations will be negative, which is good news to the man examined. We do dozens of examinations each year on people and expect negative results. Cholesterol testing is done routinely on people in their twenties and thirties, but the problem usually isn’t critical until much later in life. Chest X-rays are done routinely with usually a 99% negative result.
Testing for prostate cancer should be as routine for all men over forty. Yes, it’s a bit uncomfortable, but not painful. It takes about three minutes in a doctor’s office. Some urologists say the digital exam of the upper two lobes of the prostate will reveal ninety percent of prostate cancer. Other urologists think this is a bit high, but the exam should be made.
If such exams could catch 50% of starting prostate cancers in an early stage, most of those could be cured completely.
The big problem with prostate cancer is that it is a silent killer. It can show no symptoms at first. By the tune it starts hurting, the cancer usually has spread into other parts of the body and it’s often a matter of time until it kills the patient.

SCARE TACTICS?

If your reading this book does nothing more than makes you decide to have a yearly physical examination including a digital rectal exam of the prostate, that will be reward enough. You could be saving your life with a digital examination by discovering a cancer early enough to cure it.
Right now, about sixty-four percent of prostate cancers are discovered while they are small. Of these men, almost eighty-four percent are still alive five years after their surgery. Doctors compile statistics on cancer patients and most consider a man cured after a 15 year free period. The secret is catching it early so all of the cancerous tissue can be removed so it can’t spread or grow again. Ann Landers in her syndicated column has repeatedly pushed for greater awareness of testing to catch early cancer development. In one recent column she urged women to do the job this way. Whenever they go in for a mammogram, usually once a year, they should make an appointment for their husband to have his prostate checked by a digital exam or by the more expensive ultrasound probe. She urges women to do this so they won’t become premature widows. The lady has a good idea.
The American Cancer Society reports that currently seventy-one percent of all patients with cancer of the prostate live for five years or more after treatment. That’s for all cases whether diagnosed early or late. The later the diagnosis, the worse the chance for a cure.

HOW DOES YOUR DOCTOR KNOW IT’S CANCER?

More and more these days there is a push to try to catch prostate cancer in its earliest stages. This is a difficult job because very small cancers in the prostate traditionally have been from hard to impossible to detect by the traditional digital exam.
Now there are new tools to use to find these cancers. One of the best may be a simple blood test called the PSA. That stands for Prostate Specific Antigen. Prostate antigen is a protein found only in the prostate tissue. It has long been known that when the prostate is cancerous, the antigen level is elevated. The problem has been in finding how much this elevation may be made when the cancers are small and can’t be felt digitally.Now with the PSA there has been enough research to make some general pointings.
The tests showed that in the BPH men when the level of antigen had risen to 4 units, BPH was likely by a ratio of 4 to 1. But when the antigen level lifted to 10 or more units, the likelihood of cancer was more likely by a ratio of 33 to 1. Cooner also suggests the use of prostate ultrasonography as another diagnostic tool for screening patients who fall in the over 50 year category. This is done with a probe in the rectum and the use of ultrasound to reveal the tissue and mass in the prostate area.
Cooner concludes in his paper that we need to employ these two tools in a try to improve the ability to find curable cancers before they cause pain. He suggests that all men over 50 years should have a digital rectal elimination, then a PSA blood test, and a prostate ultrasound sonogram done as a baseline for future comparisons.
At this time PSA looks like a tool that the urologists need to make more use of. What if it only catches two or three percent of early cancer cases. Those men, cured of their cancer, are going to be wildly enthusiastic about the benefits of the test. As a parallel, how many positive readings do physical exams get these days from a routine chest X-ray? A dramatically low percentage.

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Aspirin-Like Drugs

One of the best arthritis buys in the pharmacy is a frequently overlooked prescription drug called salsalate. It has been around for so long that many physicians have forgotten about it. Because salsalate is available generically, the cost should only be the amount of your co-pay. Even without insurance, the cost shouldn’t be much more than $1 a day.
salsalate is a kissing cousin to aspirin (it is salicylsalicylic acid instead of acetylsalicylic acid). Because it lacks the acetyl group, salsalate behaves differently in the body. Studies done 20 to 30 years ago suggest that it may be a little less irritating to the stomach than aspirin because it is absorbed only from the small intestine. (There are no data on whether it irritates the small intestine the way enteric-coated aspirin does.)
Asalsalate is just as effective as aspirin at relieving joint pain or morning stiffness. Unfortunately, it probably won’t prevent blood clots or heart attacks the way aspirin does. salsalate may also be a little more likely to cause dizziness or ringing in the ears. It does require medical supervision, just as any NSAID does, and probably has similar side effects.

BRANDS OF SALSALATE
•    Amigesic    • Mono-Gesic
•    Artha-G    • Salflex
•    Disalcid    • Salsitab

Another aspirin-like arthritis medicine that is often overlooked is choline magnesium trisalicylate (Tricosal, Trilasate, Trisalicylate). It too requires a prescription and should cost a lot less than $1 a day. Like salsalate, it may be a little less irritating to the stomach than aspirin. Again, it provides no extra protection against heart attacks or strokes.

Ibuprofen and Naproxen

For those who cannot tolerate aspirin or who want a traditional NSAID to get them over a hump, which drugs would we consider using? This is an incredibly difficult call because of the new and alarming data linking these drugs to heart attacks. If forced to recommend something, we would probably fall back on naproxen. For one thing, it is a good deal. When prescribed generically the co-pay should be $10 or less a month. Even when purchased over the counter the cost should be no more than 15 cents per day. That compares to as much as $4 to $7 a day for Celebrex.
One study found that ibuprofen and naproxen are not associated with accelerated progression of hip and knee arthritis the way some other NSAIDs are.82 Another possible plus with these two drugs may be a somewhat safer cardiovascular profile. One epidemiological study demonstrated no increased risk of heart attacks or other cardiovascular complications with these two pain relievers when they were used for short periods of time. 13 Another study, unfortunately, found that NSAIDs like ibuprofen increase the risk of a second heart attack.” A Danish study of nearly 60,000 heart attack survivors showed that NSAIDs such as Celebrex, ibuprofen, and diclofenac were linked to an increased risk of heart attack death. This complication showed up within several weeks of starting on the pain reliever. The researchers concluded that heart attack survivors need to be very cautious about the kind of pain reliever they use.

N a p r o x e

Naproxen is an NSAID available both OTC and by prescription (Anaprox, Naprelan, Naprosyn). it does a reasonable job of relieving arthritis pain and the effect lasts a little longer than that of Ibuprofen. Some researchers believe that it may be less likely to pose cardiovascular risks than other NSAIDs. This is unconfirmed, and naproxen may not be as safe as we would wish.84
Downside: Damage to the stomach lining. Indigestion, gastritis, and ulcers. High blood pressure, kidney problems, liver complications, rash, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, and ringing in the ears.
Cost: Approximately $4 to $5 per month SIGNS OF TROUBLE!*
•    Chest pain
•    Shortness of breath or sudden weakness
•    Slurred speech or paralysis
•    Severe stomach pain or indigestion
•    Black, tarry stools
•    Sudden weight gain
•    Trouble removing a ring
•    Skin rash, itching, blisters, fever
•    Nausea, fatigue, yellow eyes, flu symptoms
*If any of these symptoms occur, contact your physician immediately or visit urgent care.

Even people who have not had a heart attack need to be wary about NSAIDs. Anyone with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, blockage in a coronary artery, or kidney problems is likely to be at increased risk of a heart attack when taking such pain relievers.  Finnish investigators studied more than 33,000 heart attack patients hospitalized between 2000 and 2003. By comparing them to 139,000 control subjects, the researchers found that taking any NSAID increased the chance of a heart attack by approximately 40 percent.
For those who think taking aspirin together with a drug like Advil or Aleve might diminish any risk of a blood clot, think again. There are no clear-cut data to support that notion. There is even some worry that drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen might undo the cardiovascular protective benefits of aspirin.88,89 Be wary of interactions with other medications, especially blood pressure drugs (ACE inhibitors), furosemide (Lasix), lithium (Eskalith, Cibalith, Lithane, Lithobid, Lithotabs), methotrexate, (Rheumatrex, Trexal), and blood thinners like warfarin (Coumadin).
Of course anyone who opts to use an NSAID must treat these drugs with the respect they deserve. Treatment for more than 10 days requires medical supervision and great vigilance. Remember, there may be an increased risk for heart attack, hypertension, heart failure, kidney problems, and ulcers.
To counteract the risk of serious GI toxicity, many gastroenterologists now routinely recommend acid-suppressing drugs called PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) in combination with NSAIDs. Medications such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole (Protonix), and rabeprazole (Aciphex) are supposed to diminish the likelihood of NSAID-induced stomach upset and ulcers.’ Despite this belief, there is no guarantee that such drugs can prevent all ulcers or perforations. A review of the use of low-dose aspirin in the New England Journal of Medicine cautions against any sense of complacency. This should apply to all NSAIDs.

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NSAID Nastiness

The biggest recognized drawback to NSAIDs has always been their tendency to cause digestive tract distress. That’s because of how they work in the body. These drugs block the manufacture of a class of chemicals called prostaglandins. These hormonelike compounds have a profound impact on cells throughout the body. If you sprain your ankle, have a tooth extracted, or develop arthritis, you will experience pain, redness, warmth, and inflammation. This is in large measure due to prostaglandins made by a protein called cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Blocking their formation with NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen means there is less inflammation and pain.
But some prostaglandins made by another protein, COX-1, are beneficial. They protect the stomach lining from damage. If you disrupt their production by blocking COX-1 with NSAIDs, many people complain of symptoms such as nausea, indigestion, abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea. It is estimated that more than half of the people taking NSAIDs experience unpleasant gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Far more worrisome are ulcers, which can bleed or, in the worst case, perforate. A bleeding ulcer or a hole in the stomach wall can very quickly turn into a life-threatening crisis. All too often there are no early warning symptoms that someone is on the verge of disaster. Although it is hard to know exactly how many people are affected each year, experts estimate that more than 100,000 are hospitalized because of complications caused by NSAIDs and more than 16,000 die.’ The researchers admit these numbers are probably conservative.
Although most physicians have known for a long time that NSAIDs can be hard on the stomach, they didn’t realize that the same drugs can be disastrous for the small intestine. That’s because until recently the small intestine could not be examined directly. Now a small video camera the size of a capsule can be swallowed and the image it transmits can be monitored on a television as the capsule passes into the small intestine.
“If deaths from gastrointestinal toxic effects of NSAIDs were tabulated separately in the National Vital Statistics reports, these effects would constitute the 15th most common cause of death in the United States. Yet these toxic effects remain largely a ’silent epidemic,’ with many physicians and most patients unaware of the magnitude of the problem. 70 Furthermore, the mortality statistics do not include deaths ascribed to the use of over-the-counter NSAIDs ”
The New England Journal of Medicine, 1999

Investigators discovered in a preliminary study that 71 percent of the patients taking NSAIDs had erosions or ulcers in their small intestine, compared to only 10 percent of those not taking these drugs. This unexpected finding suggests that NSAID damage to the intestinal tract is even more common and serious than previously suspected. Frequently, aspirin is sold with an enteric coating that protects the stomach from harm. The coating is designed to dissolve in the small intestine instead, releasing the aspirin there. When we asked gastroenterologist Waqar Qureshi, MD, chief of endoscopy at Baylor University and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, about such formulations, he said, “Enteric-coated drugs might, in fact, cause more damage than regular medications.”" This is because the damage occurs in the small intestine, where the tissue is less resistant to irritating chemicals than the stomach is and where the damage may go undetected.

The COX-2 Catastrophe

With such GI toxicity associated with_ NSAIDs, it’s hardly any wonder that doctors and patients were excited to learn about COX-2 inhibitors. Vioxx, Bextra, and Celebrex were introduced with the idea that they would be gentler on the stomach than other NSAIDs. That’s because these newfangled members of the class were supposed to be “selective.” They would block only the COX-2 enzyme, relieving inflammation as well as aspirin or other NSAIDs do. By sparing the COX-1 enzyme, prostaglandins would be created to protect the stomach from irritation. The promise: pain relief with much less risk of digestive upset or stomach ulcers.
As soon as COX-2 inhibitors were introduced in 1999, they took off like rocket ships. Aggressive advertising directed at consumers and enthusiastic prescribing by physicians turned Celebrex and Vioxx into overnight sensations. Tens of millions of people started popping these pills in the hope that they would relieve pain without the usual problems.
There was just one big oops. By selectively blocking the COX-2 enzyme to relieve inflammation, a crucial prostaglandin called prostacyclin was also reduced. This compound is our friend. It dilates blood vessels and keeps the sticky part of blood, called platelets, from clumping together to form clots. Without adequate amounts of prostacyclin circulating throughout the body, there is an increased risk of blood clots that can trigger heart attacks and strokes. Early in the development of COX-2 inhibitors some researchers worried that there could be cardiovascular dangers. In 2000, a large Vioxx study suggested that the pain reliever could cause an increased risk of heart attacks and other vascular complications.
Neither the FDA nor the manufacturer acted on those early warning flags. In one of the darkest hours in the history of American medicine, millions were allowed to continue taking COX-2 inhibitors until the fall of 2004. By then the handwriting was on the wall. First Vioxx and then Bextra were pulled off the market. In the interim, it is estimated that more than 100,000 people who had been taking COX-2 inhibitors suffered heart attacks and strokes.75 According to FDA safety officer David Graham, MD, as many as 40,000 people may have died .

The Broken Promise

If COX-2 inhibitors like Vioxx, Bextra, and Celebrex had truly protected the digestive tract from damage, it might have been easier to justify their approval, aggressive marketing tactics, and high prices. But an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association described the science behind COX-2 inhibitors as a “house of cards” based on wishful thinking. They were marketed “with unrealistic expectations about pain relief, marked gastrointestinal protection, and safety.” Canadian researchers tracked hospital admissions caused by gastrointestinal bleeding before and after the introduction of COX-2 inhibitors (Vioxx, Celebrex, and Mobic). Instead of dropping when the new drugs became available, as investigators had expected, the rate of hemorrhage and hospitalization for older people paradoxically rose by 10 percent .78 British researchers asked a similar question: Would COX-2 inhibitors be easier on the stomach than traditional NSAIDs?

Other NSAID Troubles

No sooner did the FDA wake up to the risk of heart attacks and strokes associated with COX-2 inhibitors than the agency had to deal with the possibility that other NSAIDs might pose a similar problem. Decades after these drugs began to be marketed, the FDA reviewed the data and decided that all such prescription pain relievers should carry a stronger black-box warning.

The FDA goes on to warn that people with risk factors for cardiovascular disease are especially vulnerable to these life-threatening problems. That includes almost everyone with arthritis. If you accumulate enough birthdays to develop osteoarthritis, you are bound to have some hardening of the arteries. But that’s not all. The FDA has gone on to emphasize other problems with NSAIDs as well. It is easy for your eyes to glaze over when looking at such a list. You may also assume that some of these potential side effects are rare events, but that could be a dangerous assumption. A study of older and potentially sicker patients revealed a startling incidence of kidney damage associated with Celebrex. More than 20 percent of the people taking this COX-2 inhibitor experienced kidney toxicity (fluid retention, high blood pressure, and kidney failure).81 If patients had some kidney impairment before the study started (a common situation in older people), the likelihood of kidney toxicity jumped to more than 50 percent! We assume other NSAIDs are likely to have a similar effect on kidney function.

OTHER NSAID ADVERSE EFFECTS
•    High blood pressure
•    Fluid retention, edema
•    Congestive heart failure
•    Stomach ulcer (bleeding)
•    Perforation of the stomach
•    Perforation of the small intestine
•    Perforation of the large intestine
•    Kidney damage
•    Severe allergic reaction
•    Skin rash (toxic)
•    Itching
•    Stevens-Johnson syndrome
•    Liver damage
•    Blood disorders (anemia)
•    Asthma worsening

NSAID Survival Strategy

By now it should be clear that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including the COX-2 inhibitors, can be trouble with a capital T! They aren’t all that effective for arthritis, especially of the knee. Some NSAIDs may actually contribute to joint deterioration if they are taken for years. Then there’s the risk of serious side effects like bleeding ulcers, hypertension.

Aspirin
Aspirin prevents blood clots and lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Unlike other NSAlDsJt does not raise blood pressure.
Aspirin remains the best buy for pain relief. At pennies a day, it reduces the inflammation that is at the root of so many chronic ailments, including arthritis, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Regular aspirin users seem to develop fewer cancers of the colon, rectum, prostate, pancreas, ovary, skin, lung, and breast.
Downside: Damage to the stomach lining. The potential for indigestion, gastritis, and ulcers makes this drug inappropriate for many. Bleeding or perforated ulcers can be life threatening. Anyone on long-term aspirin therapy must be under medical supervision.
Cost: Approximately $2 to 5 per month.

ASPIRIN AND BAKING SODA

Although it will not be identical to Alka-Seltzer, you can create your own buffered, soluble aspirin. In a glass, combine:
•    2 uncoated aspirins
•    8 ounces club soda or sparkling water
•    Juice from 1/4 wedge lemon
Wait till the aspirins dissolve and then drink. This formula is not appropriate for people on a sodium-restricted diet.
attacks, strokes, and kidney or liver damage. Why would anyone in his or her right mind take such medicine?
The most obvious answer is that there aren’t very many pharmaceutical alternatives. Doctors have relatively little to offer beyond NSAIDs when it comes to pain and inflammation. And sometimes you hurt so much that you need something to help you move your bones around. When used in the short-term and with appropriate safeguards, it may be possible to take an NSAID. But which one should you consider?
Aspirin remains our first choice by far. No other NSAID or OTC pain reliever has ever been proven more effective. In addition, aspirin reduces the risk of heart attacks and thrombotic (clotting) strokes. As a bonus, there is growing evidence that aspirin may diminish the likelihood of developing many common cancers. We discourage the use of enteric-coated aspirin because this merely moves the aspirin to the small intestine, where it can do serious damage.
Our preferred method for taking aspirin is as a liquid. In Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and dozens of other countries you can find several soluble, effervescent aspirin products. Brands like Aspro and Disprin are very popular because all you do is drop the aspirin tablets into a glass of water, where they fizzle and dissolve within seconds. This makes them a little faster acting and possibly a little less irritating to the stomach (though there is no guarantee of protection).
Soluble aspirin never really caught on in the United States, except in the form of Alka-Seltzer. It is a combination of as-pirin, sodium bicarbonate, and citric acid advertised for relief of “acid indigestion, sour stomach, heartburn with headache, body aches and pains.” The trouble with Alka-Seltzer is that it’s way more expensive than plain aspirin and there’s too much sodium for folks who have congestive heart failure or salt-sensitive hypertension.
If you would prefer not to pay an arm and a leg for fizzy aspirin, you could make your own soluble aspirin for a fraction of the cost. All you have to do is buy some club soda or sparkling water. Drop two regular-strength aspirin tablets in the fizzy water and let them dissolve. It will take a couple of minutes.

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NSAIDs

After the roller-coaster ride with cortisone, you would think that the medical establishment would have been more careful about the next big thing. Maybe doctors were so anxious to find something safer for arthritis that they didn’t appreciate that they might be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Aspirin was the first nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It was introduced in 1899 and was a mainstay of arthritis treatment for most of a century. Aspirin works a little differently from other drugs in this class and has advantages that make it unique. For almost 100 years aspirin was the Rodney Dangerfield of the drugstore. It got relatively little respect. Because aspirin was available over the counter, it took physicians a long time to appreciate how valuable it could be against heart attacks, strokes, and even cancer. Because it has been around for so many years, doctors have often assumed that newer medicines would provide better pain relief. And they (and their patients) have often been disappointed.
The launch of prescription indomethacin (Indocin) in 1965 really put NSAIDs on the map. These drugs became some of the most successful pharmaceuticals of their time. Whenever a new anti-inflammatory drug came along, it generated tremendons excitement. Drugs like sulindac (Clinoril), piroxicam (Feldene), ibuprofen (Motrin), and naproxen (Naprosyn) had their time in the limelight. Then along would come something newer and doctors would switch their allegiance.

NON-ASPIRIN NSAIDS
•    Celecoxib (Celebrex)
•    Diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren)
•    Etodolac (Lodine)
•    Fenoprofen (Nalfon)
•    Flurbiprofen (Ansaid)
•    Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.)
•    Indomethacin (Indocin)
•    Ketoprofen (Orudis, Oruvail)
•    Ketorolac (Toradol)
•    Meloxicam (Mobic)
•    Nabumetone (Relafen)
•    Naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprosyn)
•    Oxaprozin (Daypro)
•    Piroxicam (Feldene)
•    Sulindac (Clinoril►
•    Tolmetin (Tolectin)
Those of us who have observed this game of medicinal musical chairs for more than 40 years have become somewhat cynical about this class of pain relievers. The fickle switching from one drug to another suggests to us that no particular NSAID really stands out. There have not been really great head-to-head clinical trials that prove one drug is superior to another or significantly safer than others in the class.
If truth be told, these drugs really don’t work all that well when it comes to relieving the pain and inflammation of arthritis, especially of the knee. Despite the fact that tens of millions of people have spent countless billions of dollars on these medications, there are surprisingly few data demonstrating long-term benefit with their use. A scientific analysis of 23 different studies was published in the British Medical Journal in 2004. This meta-analysis involved more than 10,000 patients and revealed a shocking discovery: “NSAIDs can reduce short-term pain in osteoarthritis of the knee slightly better than placebo, but the current analysis does not support prolonged use of NSAIDs for this condition. As serious adverse effects are associated with oral NSAIDs, only limited use can be recommended.”‘
What a bombshell! This review of the world’s medical literature on NSAIDs concluded that such drugs are reasonable only for short-term use. But arthritis is a long-term affair. The only conclusion we can draw: Regular use of such drugs is inappropriate for a chronic condition like arthritis.
Even more alarming, some evidence suggests that these medications may actually be harmful to arthritic joints. Researchers in the Netherlands followed more than 1,600 patients for several years. Patients who had been taking the NSAID diclofenac (Arthrotec, Cataflam, Voltaren) experienced greater joint deterioration as determined by x-ray evidence. The authors concluded, “Our data suggest that diclofenac may not be harmless and may induce accelerated progression of hip and knee OA [osteoarthritis].
OTC Mistake?
When NSAIDs like ibuprofen (Advil, Cap-Profen, Excedrin 113, Genpril, Haltran, lbuprin, Ibuprohm, Ibu-Tab, Medipren, “OTC analgesics including NSAIDs are widely used, are frequently taken inappropriately and potentially dangerously, and users are generally unaware of the potential for adverse side effects.
Midol IB, Motrin IB, Nuprin, Pamprin IB, Profen, etc. and naproxen (Aleve) were approved for over-the-counter (OTC) sale, millions of people were delighted to have access to these powerful anti-inflammatory drugs. An Rx-to-OTC switch was a radical concept back in 1984. Even though the FDA assured consumers that such drugs were so safe that they did not require medical supervision, many physicians opposed the plan. They feared that side effects such as rash, fluid retention, high blood pressure, gastritis, and ulcers might make these drugs too dangerous for casual use. The FDA ignored the worriers.
Dear reader, we cannot tell you whether the decision to make NSAIDs available OTC was a blessing or a curse. The FDA has been incredibly inept at keeping track of adverse reactions to prescription medications. The agency’s track record on nonprescription pills is even worse. So, we really do not know how many ulcers, heart attacks, or other serious complications have occurred because of easy access to NSAIDs.
What we do know is that people are gobbling down these drugs almost like candy. Based on scientific surveys (Roper and the National Consumers League), it is estimated that 23 million Americans use a nonprescription NSAID (ibuprofen or naproxen) every day.” Only about one in five consumers bothers to read the directions on the label and fewer than one in three checks out dosing instructions. Perhaps that’s why one-fourth of them take more than the recommended dose. Scarier still, roughly half of the people surveyed were unaware of the potential for NSAID toxicity or just plain didn’t care.

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