Prescrire international
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Prescrire international · Dec 2007
Buprenorphine + naloxone: new combination. Opiate dependence: no proof of reduced risk of self-administered injection.
(1) Two drugs with similar efficacy are available in France for heroin replacement therapy: methadone and buprenorphine. (2) Buprenorphine is sold in the form of sublingual tablets, but some patients dissolve and inject them. Methadone is the main alternative for these patients. Other intravenous opiate derivatives can also be tried, although they have not been approved for this indication. (3) In order to help prevent patients from injecting themselves with buprenorphine, a sublingual combination of buprenorphine + naloxone is to be marketed in France. (4) From a pharmacological point of view, this combination makes sense. ⋯ However, clinical studies are needed to determine whether or not this prevents injection. (5) A double-blind trial in 326 patients compared replacement therapy with buprenorphine 16 mg + naloxone 4 mg/day versus buprenorphine 16 mg + placebo. The addition of naloxone did not reduce the efficacy of sublingual buprenorphine, but the frequency with which patients injected the drugs was not studied in this trial. (6) This combination of buprenorphine + naloxone has not been directly compared with methadone. (7) In addition to the classical adverse effects of opiates, buprenorphine can cause hepatic adverse effects. (8) Little evidence is available on the effects of intravenous injection of buprenorphine + naloxone. According to an epidemiological survey conducted in Finland, where the combination is also marketed, about 8% of patients regularly inject it intravenously. (9) Patients who are likely to inject buprenorphine should be switched to methadone.
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Prescrire international · Dec 2007
Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device and uterine perforations.
Cases of uterine perforation have been reported with levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine devices, possibly linked to their large size; the incidence seems to be similar to that observed with non-drug intrauterine devices.
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(1) Paracetamol is the first-choice analgesic for joint pain. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), especially ibuprofen, are second-line options. Cox-2 inhibitors are no more effective than traditional NSAIDs and have no tangible advantages in terms of gastrointestinal tolerability. ⋯ Serious skin reactions were reported both during clinical trials and after marketing, but their precise incidence is not known. Etoricoxib is partly metabolised by the cytochrome P450 isoenzyme CYP 3A4 and increases the bioavailability of ethinylestradiol. (7) When a NSAID is considered, drugs with which we have the most experience should be chosen, such as ibuprofen, and used at the lowest acceptable dose regimen (daily dose and length of treatment). Etoricoxib should be avoided.
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Prescrire international · Dec 2007
Leuprorelin, triptorelin: new indications. Locally advanced prostate cancer: minimally assessed me-toos.
Unlike goserelin, leuprorelin and triptorelin have not been assessed for their impact on survival in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer. The main adverse effects of these two drugs are similar, but convenience of use differs.