British journal of clinical pharmacology
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1. The anticonvulsant potency of vigabatrin (gamma-vinyl GABA, GVG) was studied in an open trial in a group of 21 mentally handicapped patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. 2. With this treatment one third of these patients had more than 50% reduction in seizure frequency. ⋯ Other anticonvulsant drugs remained at baseline levels during GVG therapy. GVG was not found to modulate EEG recordings. 3. According to our results, GVG is effective for treating intractable epilepsy in mentally handicapped patients.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Nov 1987
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialEffects of graded oral doses of a new 5-hydroxytryptamine/noradrenaline uptake inhibitor (Ro 15-8081) in comparison with 60 mg codeine and placebo on experimentally induced pain and side effect profile in healthy men.
1. Ro 15-8081 (Hoffmann-La Roche, Basle, Switzerland) is a novel mixed 5-HT/noradrenaline uptake inhibitor producing potent antinociceptive effects in animal pain models. 2. In healthy man, two models with electrically and thermally induced pain, respectively, have been shown to reliably discriminate between the effects of opioid as well as of antipyretic analgesics and placebo. 3. ⋯ The effects of all doses of Ro 15-8081 were significantly superior to those of placebo. Threshold and tolerance to electrically induced pain were not affected differently by the three doses of Ro 15-8081, whereas the threshold to thermally induced pain was elevated significantly more by 50 mg than by 10 and 25 mg Ro 15-8081. 6. Codeine 60 mg had a more rapid onset of action and greater maximal effects than Ro 15-8081.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Aug 1987
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialHaemodynamic effects of atenolol, labetalol, pindolol and captopril: a comparison in hypertensive patients with special reference to changes in limb blood flow, heart rate and left ventricular function.
1 To compare the haemodynamic effects of secondary characteristics of beta-adrenoceptor blockers with an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor forty patients with previously untreated mild to moderate hypertension were prescribed either atenolol 50-100 mg day-1, labetalol 200-800 mg day-1, pindolol 10-30 mg day-1 or captopril 25-100 mg day-1 and observed for 6 months. 2 Over this period: (a) All four drugs produced similar reductions in blood pressure at rest (P less than or equal to 0.01) and after exercise (P less than or equal to 0.01). (b) All four drugs significantly decreased resting forearm (P less than or equal to 0.01) and calf blood flow (P less than or equal to 0.01). They all also caused a significant reduction in the increased calf blood flow following exercise (P less than or equal to 0.01). (c) No drug produced a change in resting forearm vascular resistance, while resting calf vascular resistance was decreased by captopril and pindolol, unaltered by labetalol and increased by atenolol. Post-exercise calf vascular resistance was increased by atenolol, labetalol and pindolol but unaltered by captopril. (d) Although all four drugs produced a fall in resting heart rate this was significantly greater for atenolol and labetalol (P less than or equal to 0.01). ⋯ The reduction in arterial vascular resistance produced by captopril and pindolol is inconsistent and does not appear of major benefit in preserving limb blood flow. The reduction in perfusion with the agents studied may in part be related to a fall in cardiac output associated with decreased heart rate. This suggests that captopril may exert antisympathetic activity when used as an antihypertensive agent.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Nov 1986
Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialEffect of glycopyrrolate and atropine on thermoregulation after exercise.
The effects of two anticholinergic drugs on heat production (derived from oxygen consumption), sweating and core and skin temperature were compared with saline placebo in five healthy volunteers, before and after exercise. There were no significant differences between the groups in resting and peak heat production after exercise. Sweat evaporation rate increased after exercise in all cases, but there was individual variation in response to the drugs. ⋯ Core temperature increased following exercise, but there were no significant differences between the anticholinergic drugs and saline placebo. Although clinical doses of anticholinergic drugs, when compared with saline placebo, inhibited sweating after exercise, core temperature was not significantly increased. Therefore it is suggested that non-evaporative heat loss compensated for the reduction in sweating due to anticholinergic drugs.