Prescrire international
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Prescrire international · Apr 2004
Comparative StudyAtrial fibrillation: rate control often better than rhythm control.
(1) The treatment aims in atrial fibrillation are to reduce patients' symptoms and to prevent both embolism and deterioration of any underlying heart disease. Therapy consists of anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs, treatment of any underlying heart disease, and heart rate control. (2) Digoxin, betablockers, diltiazem and verapamil slow the heart rate but rarely restore sinus rhythm. Amiodarone, disopyramide, flecainide, quinidine and sotalol can be used to prevent relapse of atrial fibrillation after electrical cardioversion, but they all have potentially serious adverse effects. ⋯ However, this approach carries a risk of serious adverse effects, and its impact on the risk of cardiovascular events and death is not known. (8) In practice, an attempt should be made to restore sinus rhythm with amiodarone and/or electrical cardioversion, in symptomatic, recent or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in patients under 65 who have no signs or symptoms of coronary heart disease. In other situations, rate control is the first-line option, using digoxin, betablockers (other than sotalol) or calcium channel blockers (diltiazem or verapamil). Whatever the option, treatment must be combined with anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy, and with treatment of any underlying heart disease.
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(1) The first-line drugs for mild to moderate pain are non opiate analgesics, namely paracetamol and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). (2) Codeine, dextropropoxyphene and tramadol are weak opiates; they are often used with paracetamol in fixed-dose combinations, in order to reinforce the analgesic effect of paracetamol. (3) These analgesic combinations have only been evaluated in a few situations associated with chronic and acute pain. And the endpoints used in clinical trials are designed more to show statistically significant differences than clear clinical differences. (4) In acute pain, available meta-analyses confirm that the first-line drug is paracetamol, or, if necessary, ibuprofen, a NSAID. (5) The paracetamol + codeine combination slightly increases the analgesic effect of paracetamol, but causes more adverse effects. ⋯ We found no trials of paracetamol + NSAID combinations. Combinations of paracetamol and weak opiates have been inadequately studied in this situation, and are only second-line options.
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(1) In 1999, all amphetamine derivatives still sold in France as appetite suppressants were withdrawn from the market because of serious cardiovascular adverse effects. Sibutramine, marketed in France since 2001, is closely related to this group of drugs. (2) The adverse effects shared by these drugs are mainly neuropsychiatric (due to a psychostimulant action) and cardiovascular (arterial hypertension and tachycardia). (3) More specific cardiovascular adverse effects, such as pulmonary hypertension and severe cardiac valve damage, emerged after several years of use. The first reports date back to the 1960s. (4) The pulmonary hypertension associated with appetite suppressants can be fatal or necessitate transplantation. (5) Cardiac valve damage due to appetite suppressants is generally irreversible and sometimes requires surgery.
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Prescrire international · Dec 2003
Comparative StudyParacetamol + tramadol: new preparation. No advance.
(1) First-line treatment for both acute and chronic pain is paracetamol or, if necessary, ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug. If relief is inadequate, the best option is a combination of paracetamol with codeine (a weak opiate). (2) A fixed-dose combination of paracetamol (325 mg) and tramadol (37.5 mg), a weak opiate, arrived on the French market in May 2003. (3) In the acute setting, three trials in a total of 1197 patients showed that a single dose of the paracetamol 650 mg + tramadol 75 mg combination after dental surgery was no more effective than ibuprofen 400 mg. ⋯ A comparative double-blind trial in 462 patients with low back pain or osteoarthritic pain showed no difference in efficacy between paracetamol 325 mg + tramadol 37.5 mg and paracetamol 300 mg + codeine 30 mg. (6) The main adverse effects of the paracetamol + tramadol combination are the same as other weak opiates: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, drowsiness and constipation. Tramadol carries a higher risk of drug interactions than codeine. (7) In practice, the paracetamol + tramadol combination offers patients no advantages relative to standard analgesics.