Cochrane

Individual antidepressants are effective for the treatment of bulimia nervosa when compared to placebo treatment, with an overall greater remission rate but a higher rate of dropouts.

Asthma can be treated with drugs which aim to reduce inflammation in the airways. Inhaled corticosteroids are frequently used, but occasionally individuals require oral steroids for adequate control. However, oral steroids are frequently associated with severe side-effects. Chloroquine has been suggested as a useful 'add-on' therapy to oral steroid ...

Asthma can be treated with drugs which aim to reduce inflammation in the airways. Inhaled corticosteroids are frequently used, but occasionally individuals require oral steroids for adequate control. However, oral steroids are frequently associated with severe side-effects. Colchicine has been suggested as a useful 'add-on' therapy to oral steroid treatment ...

People who have had a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can develop post-thrombotic syndrome. This is caused by long-term clots in the affected leg and poor venous blood flow, resulting in leg pain, swelling ankles and hardened discoloured skin. The symptoms are worsened with prolonged standing or sitting and may limit lifestyle and day-to-day activities. ...

During acute asthma attacks, inhaled beta-agonists (reliever medications) are used to treat spasm in the airways in the lungs. The medication can be administered by wet nebulisation or from an inhaler with a holding chamber; wet nebulisation may be delivered in a continuous or intermittent fashion. This review has collected information from randomised ...

The use of corticosteroids among patients with non-active Crohn's disease does not appear to be effective in reducing the risk of disease recurrence over a 24 month period. Side effects associated with the long term use of corticosteroids include osteoporosis and cataracts. There may be subgroups of patients who would benefit from low dose corticosteroids ...

One of the causes of hirsutism (excessive hair growth) in women is excessive production of the hormone androgens by the ovaries. A variety of medications can be used to counter the effects of the androgen. Cyproterone acetate is an anti-androgen drug. Adverse effects that have been reported with its use include weight gain, depression, fatigue, breast ...

Endometriosis is a painful condition caused where tissue from the lining of the uterus (womb) is outside the uterus as well. It can be treated with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHas). Possible adverse effects of GnRHas include loss of bone density, loss of sex-drive and hot flushes. The decrease in bone density is particularly important ...

This review assessed the long-term benefits and risks of approved anti-obesity drugs in clinical trials of 1 to 4 years duration. Sixteen orlistat (10,631 patients), 10 sibutramine (2623 patients) and four rimonabant (6635 patients) studies were examined. High drop-out rates (30% to 40%) were a limitation of nearly all studies. Compared to placebo, ...

General anaesthetic reduces reflexes that stop regurgitated gastric juices reaching the lungs. As this can be dangerous, people are often advised to have nothing to eat or drink from the midnight before surgery. However, the review of trials found that drinking clear fluids up to a few hours before surgery did not increase the risk of regurgitation ...