Online Pharmacy & Drug News

Cymbalta is a prescription drug that is commonly used to treat depression, fibromyalgia, generalized anxiety disorder and diabetic nerve pain, but it is now being tested against claims that it helps to ease chronic pain in the lower back.

A recent study has been presented in Madrid at the 12th congress of the European Federation of Neurological Sciences, which took place between 23-26 August this year.

The study was based on testing adults who experience chronic lower back pain but weren’t depressed. There were 236 adults involved in the study, where some were given Cymbalta and some were prescribed a placebo during the 13-week study period. These drugs were prescribed daily.

Weekly pain scores were taken from each of the groups before and after the Cymbalta study. During the study, it was shown that those taking the Cymbalta drug saw great improvements in their back pain, more than those taking the placebos.

A second study was undertaken that showed no significance between those taking Cymbalta and those taking placebos. Again the study was carried out across a m13-week period, but on this occasion patients taking Cymbalta only experienced greater improvements in pain levels from weeks three to eleven, where there was no significant difference in other weeks.

The difference in outcomes of the two studies may be down to the difference in dosage of Cymbalta administered to patients. The first study, in which there was a greater significance in reduced pain of those taking Cymbalta, used 60 or 120 milligram doses of the drug, or a placebo. The second study, that showed no significant differences in pain, included a lower dose of 20 milligrams as well as the 60 and 120 milligram doses and the placebo.

Both studies showed certain side effects which were expected and in line with past studies of Cymbalta. Further study will be needed to determine whether Cymbalta proves successful in improving chronic lower back pain.

It has been shown that the blood pressure drug Diovan, also known as valsartan, is able to safely lower blood pressure in children of ages 1-5. Blood pressure is also known as hypertension, and is very rare in children of this age; it is often caused by secondary causes or kidney disease. In a recent study, results were shown to be successful without causing any adverse effects in the children being tested.

The study, funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, involved 90 children whose hypertension was mostly down to kidney disease, where the average age of the children being tested was 3 years. The children were given different doses of Diovan, and some were prescribed placebos. All of the Diovan given to the children was well-tolerated, with a very low rate of side-effects and few differences in results between those given Diovan and those given placebos.

The study also showed that Diovan successfully lowered the blood pressure of the children tested by a significant amount. Amongst effects tested were effects on growth, gaining weight, and head circumference, all of which incurred no negative changes after the use of Diovan.

A recent research study has reassured users of the drug Arimidex that there have been no mental effects seen as a result of using the drug.

The drug has been used by women to prevent breast cancer. The drug belongs to a class of drugs known as aromatase, which block the production of estrogen. The main concern with the usage of this class of drugs is that reduction in the levels of estrogen may impair certain mental abilities in women.

However, British research has shown that the drug Arimidex has had no such effect. Many post-menopausal women were tested either taking Arimidex or a placebo and the results showed no increased effect in the women taking Arimidex. The drug has been used by women at a high risk of breast cancer after reaching menopause.

The tests ran over a 24-month period and provide welcome news to those using the drug. The research shows that drops in estrogen levels are less effective on mental capacity on post-menopausal women than women of a younger age. Arimidex is still being used to successfully reduce the chances of breast cancer in women who are at a high risk.