AP IMPACT: Tons of drugs dumped into wastewater

U.S. hospitals and long-term care facilities annually flush millions of pounds of unused pharmaceuticals down the drain, pumping contaminants into America's drinking water, according to an ongoing Associated Press investigation.
These discarded medications are expired, spoiled, over-prescribed or unneeded. Some are simply unused because patients refuse to take them, can't tolerate them or die with nearly full 90-day supplies of multiple prescriptions on their nightstands.

Norman DeLisle, MDRC
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Study links incontinence drugs with memory problems

CHICAGO (AP) - Commonly used incontinence drugs may cause memory problems in some older people, a study has found. "Our message is to be careful when using these medicines," said U.S. Navy neurologist Dr. Jack Tsao, who led the study. "It may be better to use diapers and be able to think clearly than the other way around."

Urinary incontinence sometimes can be resolved with non-drug treatments, he added, so patients should ask about alternatives. Exercises, biofeedback and keeping to a schedule of bathroom breaks work for many.

U.S. sales of prescription drugs to treat urinary problems topped $3 billion in 2007, according to IMS Health, which tracks drug sales. Bladder control trouble affects about one in 10 people age 65 and older, according to the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the study. Women are more likely to be affected than men. Causes include nerve damage, loss of muscle tone or, in men, enlarged prostate.

Common Anti-psychotic Drugs Bad For Alzheimer's Patients, New Study Finds

A new UK study has found that anti-psychotic drugs, such as (Melleril), chlorpromazine (Largactil), haloperidol (Serenace), trifluoperazine (Stelazine) and risperidone (Risperdal), are bad for patients with Alzheimer's disease - the drugs were found to make their condition worse.

The researchers, from Kings College London and the Universities of Oxford and Newcastle, found that neuroleptics undermined Alzheimer's patients' verbal skills, and offered most patients with mild symptoms of disturbed behavior no long-term benefit. In fact, they found that a deterioration in verbal skills happened within six months of taking the medications. Neuroleptics are drugs used for treating schizophrenia as well as some other serious mental illnesses.

In this study, researchers looked at 165 Alzheimer's patients from four different nursing homes in Oxfordshire, Newcastle, Edinburgh and London. Approximately 60% of UK Alzheimer's patients are given medications to control their often aggressive behavior. There are indications that neuroleptics may also up the death rates of Alzheimer's patients.

You can read about this study in the Public Library of Science Medicine

Drugs for Elderly More Costly, Study Finds

Drugmakers increased prices by an average of 7.4 percent last year for the brand-name medicines most commonly prescribed to the elderly, according to the advocacy group <layer id="clearforesthighlight"><layer onmouseout="javascript:gnosisDocMenu(event,false,false);" onmouseover="javascript:gnosisDocMenu(event,true,true);" class="clfAARP" style="border-bottom: 3px double rgb(0, 254, 254);" id="Organization">AARP</layer></layer>.

The increase far exceeded inflation, continuing a longtime trend.

<layer id="clearforesthighlight"><layer onmouseout="javascript:gnosisDocMenu(event,false,false);" onmouseover="javascript:gnosisDocMenu(event,true,true);" class="clfAARP" style="border-bottom: 3px double rgb(0, 254, 254);" id="Organization">AARP</layer></layer> said prices charged to wholesalers have been slightly higher since the <layer id="clearforesthighlight"><layer onmouseout="javascript:gnosisDocMenu(event,false,false);" onmouseover="javascript:gnosisDocMenu(event,true,true);" class="clfMedicare" style="border-bottom: 3px double rgb(0, 254, 254);" id="Organization">Medicare</layer></layer> drug benefit started on Jan. 1, 2006. Since then, the outcry over prices has diminished, with the government picking up much of the tab.

"Unfortunately, many manufacturers have taken the absence of an outcry as a green light to go ahead and raise prices even more," said <layer id="clearforesthighlight"><layer onmouseout="javascript:gnosisDocMenu(event,false,false);" onmouseover="javascript:gnosisDocMenu(event,true,true);" class="clfJohn_Rother" style="border-bottom: 3px double rgb(43, 254, 0);" id="Person">John Rother</layer></layer>, <layer id="clearforesthighlight"><layer onmouseout="javascript:gnosisDocMenu(event,false,false);" onmouseover="javascript:gnosisDocMenu(event,true,true);" class="clfAARP" style="border-bottom: 3px double rgb(0, 254, 254);" id="Organization">AARP</layer></layer>'s policy director.