The Annals of pharmacotherapy
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy and safety of mirtazapine in fibromyalgia syndrome patients: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study.
Data from an open-label trial suggest that mirtazapine might prove useful in treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). ⋯ Patients with FMS taking mirtazapine exhibited within-group significant improvement in most of the measured outcomes. Between-group analysis was predictably compromised by the small sample size. Mirtazapine was well tolerated. Further study with a larger sample size is likely to be useful.
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To evaluate the evidence for lorcaserin and phentermine/topiramate in the treatment of obesity. ⋯ With lifestyle modification, phentermine/topiramate appears most effective in terms of weight loss. Lorcaserin demonstrates moderate efficacy. Long-term cardiovascular outcomes studies are needed to confirm the safety and benefit of these new obesity agents.
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Industry-sponsored ghost- and guest-authored clinical research publications are a continuing problem in medical journals. These communications are written by unacknowledged medical communication companies and submitted to peer-reviewed journals by academicians who may not have participated in the writing process. ⋯ Since peer-reviewed data are used to develop health care paradigms, misleading information can have catastrophic effects. A failure to curb ghost and guest authorship will result in an erosion of trust in the peer-review system, academic research, and health care paradigms.
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Mobile devices (eg, smartphones, tablet computers) have become ubiquitous and subsequently there has been a growth in mobile applications (apps). Concurrently, mobile devices have been integrated into health care practice due to the availability and quality of medical apps. These mobile medical apps offer increased access to clinical references and point-of-care tools. However, there has been little identification of mobile medical apps suitable for the practice of pharmacy. ⋯ Mobile medical apps have a variety of features that are beneficial to pharmacy practice. Individual clinicians should consider several characteristics of these apps to determine which are suitable to incorporate into their daily practice.
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Depression is frequently debilitating. The American Psychiatric Association recommends adjunctive atypical antipsychotics as a treatment option when response to antidepressants is inadequate. ⋯ Compared with adjunctive olanzapine or quetiapine, adjunctive aripiprazole was associated with lower mean total and mental health-related medical costs and with lower odds of total and mental health-related hospitalizations in patients with depression.