Prescription drugs and alcohol

Everyone knows it’s best not to mix prescription drugs and alcohol.

So, as New Year’s Eve approaches, here are some risks that are known to result from mixing drugs and alcohol, as well as some precautions.
You can’t be sure how it will affect you: It affects everybody differently, A host of factors including height, weight, alcohol tolerance and general health come into play.

Watch out for drowsiness- Probably the biggest side effect that we see is the potentiation for drowsiness. Antidepressants are an example of a drug that, when mixed with alcohol, can cause extreme drowsiness.

Alcohol can trigger a drug’s side effects: In some cases, the same enzymes are required to metabolize alcohol and certain types of drugs. If enzymes are busy metabolizing alcohol, the drug may stay in the body longer and cause side effects. Drowsiness with antidepressants is a typical example of this.

Conversely, alcohol may make drugs metabolize too quickly: If drug-metabolizing enzymes are activated, they can stay “on” long term even in the absence of alcohol. This can decrease a drug’s availability and diminish its effects.

Alcohol can make a drug toxic: In the case of chronic alcohol consumption, some chemicals in drugs can turn toxic and damage the liver or other organs. Tylenol is the most widely known example.

Ask a pharmacist; read instructions: Contact the pharmacy where you get your medication if you have concerns about drinking alcohol with the drugs you take.

Don’t drink on an empty stomach: People absorb alcohol faster from an empty stomach and slower from having stomach full of food; it doesn’t matter what the food is.

Ixabepilone

Ixabepilone (Ixempra; Bristol-Myers Squibb), a cytotoxic microtubule inhibitor, was approved by the US FDA for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in October 2007. It is the first member of the epothilone family of anticancer agents to be approved.

Microtubule-targeted drugs — in particular, the taxanes paclitaxel and docetaxel — have had a major impact on the treatment of many cancers including breast cancer, the most common cancer affecting women worldwide. Nevertheless, there are a number of areas in which microtubule-targeted therapy could be improved, including increased activity against cancers that are less responsive to taxanes or against cancers in which taxane resistance has developed following treatment
Basis of discovery

Microtubules — polymeric filaments composed of alpha-tubulin and beta-tubulin heterodimers — have a key role in a range of cellular functions, including cell division and growth For example, microtubules are a major component of the mitotic spindle that separates chromosomes during eukaryotic cell division

Microtubules show complex polymerization dynamics that are crucial to their cellular functions. Several families of compounds that interact with the tubulin subunits and thereby disrupt microtubule dynamics involved in mitosis have been found to have potent anticancer activity . These anti-mitotic compounds are typically classified into two main groups: microtubule-destabilizing agents, such as the Vinca alkaloids, and microtubule-stabilizing agents, such as the taxanes . The clinical success of the taxanes has encouraged efforts to identify and develop other classes of microtubule-targeted anticancer compounds that might overcome the limitations of existing drugs.

The epothilones, which are produced by the myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum, are a novel class of microtubule-stabilizing agents that were discovered in the early 1990s . Epothilones A and B were found to have potent in vitro anticancer activity, including activity against taxane-resistant cell lines, but their in vivo activity is modest, owing to issues such as poor metabolic stability and unfavourable pharmacokinetics . Synthesis and testing of more than 300 semisynthetic epothilone analogues with the aim of addressing these issues led to the identification of ixabepilone .

Antidepressants during pregnancy

Taking antidepressants during pregnancy may pose risks for your baby — but stopping may pose risks for you.
Antidepressants are the first line of treatment for most types of depression. Antidepressants can help relieve your symptoms and keep you feeling your best. But there’s more to the story when you’re pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant. Here’s what you need to know about antidepressants and pregnancy.
Pregnancy hormones were once thought to protect women from depression, but researchers now say this isn’t true. In fact, an estimated 10 percent of women experience depression during pregnancy. Although pregnancy doesn’t make depression worse, pregnancy often triggers a range of emotions that can make it more difficult to cope with depression.
If you don’t take proper care of depression during pregnancy, you may put your health — and your baby’s health — at risk. If you’re depressed, you may not have the energy to take good care of yourself. You may not seek optimal prenatal care or eat the healthy foods your baby needs to thrive. You may turn to smoking or drinking alcohol. And the price may be high, including premature birth, low birth weight, developmental problems and an increased risk of postpartum depression.
Few medications have been proved safe without question during pregnancy. Research continues, however, and the latest studies on antidepressants and pregnancy offer some reassurance. Overall, the risk of birth defects and other problems for babies of mothers who take antidepressants during pregnancy is very low. Still, some types of antidepressants are safer than others.

Here’s an overview, arranged alphabetically by specific type of antidepressant:

Note: Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn is a rare condition. Even if you take an SSRI during pregnancy, the ultimate risk remains extremely low.

 If you take antidepressants throughout pregnancy or during the last trimester, your baby may experience temporary withdrawal symptoms — such as jitters or irritability — at birth.
A preliminary 2007 study associated the use of antidepressants during pregnancy with preterm birth. However, the evidence wasn’t strong enough to consider antidepressants a consistent risk for preterm birth. Generally, antidepressants aren’t considered a risk factor for preterm birth.
If you stop taking antidepressants during pregnancy, you risk a depression relapse. In fact, in a 2006 study, pregnant women who stopped taking antidepressants were five times more likely to experience a depression relapse than were pregnant women who continued taking the drugs.

In addition, stopping an SSRI abruptly may cause various signs and symptoms, including:

• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Chills
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Vivid dreams

If you have depression and are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant, consult your doctor. Sometimes mild depression can be managed with support groups, counseling or other therapies. If your depression is severe or you have a recent history of depression, the risk of relapse may be greater than the risks associated with antidepressants.
It’s not an easy decision. As researchers continue to learn more about antidepressants, the risks and benefits of taking the drugs during pregnancy must be weighed carefully on a case-by-case basis. Work with your doctor to make an informed choice that gives you — and your baby — the best chance for long-term health.

Cancer drug sunitinib (Sutent) can create heart problems

All patients taking sunitinib, but especially those who have risks for heart disease, need careful monitoring and treatment for high blood pressure and other signs of heart problems.

New study find – Sunitinib (Sutent), which fights stomach tumors, can also create heart problems for some patients.

Sunitinib is one of a family of new and powerful anti-cancer drugs called tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, which target key molecular pathways thought to encourage tumor growth. Other drugs in this family include imatinib, better known as Gleevec, and dasatinib (Sprycel).

Sunitinib’s maker, Pfizer Inc., agreed that these heart risks do exist. However, they added that the cardiovascular events “were medically manageable in most patients and underscore the importance of having a collaborative team of healthcare professionals working together to appropriately manage patients, who have limited available options” in treating their cancer.

No Heart Risk From Heartburn Drugs

Preliminary studies had suggested possible problems with popular heartburn drugs – Prilosec and Nexium.
But U.S. government review of heartburn drugs Prilosec and Nexium found no evidence of increased heart risks.
The announcement followed a three-month safety review after reports of possible heart risks emerged from two preliminary studies. But detailed data from both studies, plus another 14 studies, showed no heightened risk associated with long-term use of the drugs, U. S. Food and Drug Administration officials said.

Both drugs Prilosec and Nexium are made by the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.