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Almost a quarter of the most problematic drug-users in some areas exit drug treatment programmes before they’ve even completed 30 days reports a new study published in BioMed Central’s open access Harm Reduction Journal. It found that problem drug-users who were younger, homeless or not currently injecting are significantly more likely to exit early, possibly because drug services are off-putting and not suited to their needs.

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Patients often do not take the medicines their doctors prescribe, and a new review of existing research suggests that there is no proven way to get them to follow directions for long periods.”Simple things don’t work and nothing works very well,” said review lead author Dr. R. Brian Haynes of the McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences in Hamilton, Ontario.

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When cleaning out the medicine cabinet, medication and drugs should not be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet, says a Purdue University expert. Patricia Darbishire, a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice, recommends that before disposing of any medication people contact a local pharmacist, the Solid Waste Management District or a law enforcement agency to learn the proper disposal technique for your geographic area.

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Compared to older drugs for Parkinson disease, a newer class of medications called dopamine agonists might be better at preventing some of the disabling muscle control problems associated with the disease and its treatment, a new review of recent studies concludes.

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Patients concerned about recent news regarding the safety and efficacy of medications should seek guidance from their pharmacist, physician or other healthcare professional before they stop taking their medications. The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) strongly encourages patients to stay informed about their medications and ask their pharmacist or prescriber about any questions or concerns they may have about their medications.

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Policies requiring authorization before physicians can prescribe newer medications to schizophrenic patients may be counter-productive. According to a new study, patients in Maine’s Medicaid program who found themselves in this situation were 29% more likely to stop or disrupt medication use than patients not subject to the policy. In addition, although the policy was originally designed to cut costs, government savings were minimal at best.

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Free, online instructions for creating a pill card — an illustrated medication schedule — using only a personal or lap top computer and printer are now available from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a part of the US. Department of Health and Human Services. One in four Americans do not take prescription medicines as prescribed. Adherence to medication instructions is particularly important when people have chronic illnesses such as diabetes or heart failure.

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A large community-based registry of patients treated with drug-eluting stents is providing important insight into how long patients with complex coronary artery disease typically stick to their doctors’ orders to take clopidogrel, a drug that prevents unwanted blood clots; why they stop taking the drug; and the long-term consequences of that decision.

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Researchers now have a possible solution for the one in three adults who fail to take their medicines as prescribed by their doctors, as well as for everyone else who occasionally forgets: a sensor necklace that records the exact time and date when specially-designed pills are swallowed, and reminds the user if any doses are being missed.

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High blood pressure may be one of the top killers in the country, but you’d never know it by the way we’re behaving, say scientists attending the annual congress of the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM).”Research shows that some 73 million people in the U.S. have high blood pressure, yet many of them don’t even know it. And among those that do, a large number are not taking the medications they need to control it,” says Dr.

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