The thiazolidinediones pioglitazone and rosiglitazone were introduced into global markets in 1999–2000; we now have over 10 years of experience with them. The safety issues that it was fashionable to focus on at that time were abnormalities of liver function as a result of the rare but serious side effects of troglitazone, the thiazolidinedione then on the market. This turned out to be irrelave...

the other two agents in improving stool consistency and relieving urgency (Palmer et al., 1980). Side effects. Diphenoxylate causes more side effects than either codeine phosphate or loperamide. Both codeine and diphenoxylate cross the blood-brain barrier and may cause central-nervous-system side effects such as nausea, dizziness, drowsiness and depression. Loperamide does not usually cross the...

The ability of melatonin to shift biological rhythms is well known. As a result, melatonin has been used in the treatment of various circadian rhythm sleep disorders, such as advanced and delayed sleep phase disorders, jet lag and shiftwork disorder. The current evidence for melatonin being efficacious in the treatment of primary insomnia is less compelling. The development of agents that are s...

The editorial by Bolonna & Kerwin (2005) is both timely and important. The authors succinctly present the case for the use of partial agonists of dopamine receptors, concluding that ‘the reviewed evidence suggests a promising future for dopamine receptor partial agonists’. While this is arguably true on the basis of the evidence presented, theoretical and empirical concerns regarding the use of...

The reinforcing effects of D(1-like) and D(2-like) agonists, and their capacity to modify cocaine self-administration, were compared in rats with extensive cocaine self-administration experience. Cocaine (0.01-1.0 mg i.v.) dose-dependently maintained responding under a fixed ratio (FR) 5 schedule of reinforcement, and an inverted U-shaped function characterized the relationship between unit dos...