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Probiotics reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea risk, study finds
Taking probiotics during a course of antibiotics reduces the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, according to the results of a study published May 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Taking probiotics during a course of antibiotics reduces the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD), according to the results of a study published May 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Antibiotics disturb the balance of good and bad bacteria in the digestive tract, which can lead to mild-to-severe diarrhea in as many as 30% of patients - a key reason some patients do not follow through with their prescriptions, according to Susanne Hempel, PhD, of the Southern California Evidence-based Practice Center, RAND Health in Santa Monica, Calif., and colleagues.
Probiotics are live microorganisms, and evidence indicates they may help maintain and restore this balance, the researchers wrote. To evaluate the evidence for probiotic use in the prevention and treatment of AAD, the research team conducted an extensive literature review pooling 82 studies that met their inclusion criteria.
Of these, 63 trials reported the number of participants with diarrhea and those randomized to treatment groups. Among the 63 studies, the researchers found that patients who took probiotics had a 42% lower relative risk of developing diarrhea compared with those who did not. In further subgroup analyses, the result remained statistically significant.
The researchers added that evidence was not sufficient to show which types of probiotics worked best and further research would need to address this, as well as which patients are most likely to benefit from probiotics and whether there are any associated risks.
“In rare cases, probiotics have been linked to serious adverse effects such as fungemia and bacterial sepsis,” the authors warned, “hence, potential adverse effects of probiotics must be reviewed with the efficacy data, especially because little research attention has focused on adverse effects of probiotics used in clinical practice.”
Coalition promotes important acetaminophen dosing reminders
November 18th 2014It may come as a surprise that each year Americans catch approximately 1 billion colds, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 20% get the flu. This cold and flu season, 7 in 10 patients will reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine to treat their coughs, stuffy noses, and sniffles. It’s an important time of the year to remind patients to double check their medicine labels so they don’t double up on medicines containing acetaminophen.
Support consumer access to specialty medications through value-based insurance design
June 30th 2014The driving force behind consumer cost-sharing provisions for specialty medications is the acquisition cost and not clinical value. This appears to be true for almost all public and private health plans, says a new report from researchers at the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID Center) and the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC).
Management of antipsychotic medication polypharmacy
June 13th 2013Within our healthcare-driven society, the increase in the identification and diagnosis of mental illnesses has led to a proportional increase in the prescribing of psychotropic medications. The prevalence of mental illnesses and subsequent treatment approaches may employ monotherapy as first-line treatment, but in many cases the use of combination of therapy can occur, leading to polypharmacy.1 Polypharmacy can be defined in several ways but it generally recognized as the use of multiple medications by one patient and the most common definition is the concurrent use of five more medications. The presence of polyharmacy has the potential to contribute to non-compliance, drug-drug interactions, medication errors, adverse events, or poor quality of life.
Medical innovation improves outcomes
June 12th 2013I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the pancreas, a disease that’s long been considered not just incurable, but almost impossible to treat-a recalcitrant disease that some practitioners feel has given oncology a bad name. I was told my life would be measured in weeks.
