OBJECTIVE To examine the prescription rates in cancer patients of three common psychotropic drugs: anxiolytic/ hypnotic, antidepressant and antipsychotic. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, data were extracted from the pharmacy database of University Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) responsible for dispensing records of patients stored in the pharmacy's Medication Managemen...

Background and aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of melatonin administration on sleep and behavioral disorders in the elderly and the facilitation of the discontinuation of regular hypnotic drugs. Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial in a community-living population. Participants were 22 older adults (7 men, 15 women ...

CONTEXT The liver as an important organ in the body has many essential functions in physiological processes. One of the major activities of liver is drug metabolism. Hepatic dysfunction affecting hepatic physiological activities, especially drug metabolism can cause many problems during anesthesia and administration of different drugs to patients. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION Studies on hepatic disor...

OBJECTIVE Although widely used in the general population, sleeping pills and minor tranquilizers, also known as antianxiety agents, have been associated with undesirable outcomes. Reports about the association of these drugs with an elevated mortality rate are inconsistent and controversial. This study was designed to assess the mortality hazard associated with anxiolytic and hypnotic drug use ...

Background. The increased practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) worldwide has raised concerns regarding herb-drug interactions. The purpose of our study is to analyze the concurrent use of Chinese herbal products (CHPs) among Taiwanese insomnia patients taking hypnotic drugs. Methods. The usage, frequency of services, and CHP prescribed among 53,949 insomnia sufferers were evaluated fr...