When all else fails, there’s electricity

A new, last-resort way to treat someone for opioid addiction has emerged: Implant electrodes in his brain.

The device, known as a deep brain stimulator, is designed to alter the function of circuits in the man’s brain. It has been used with varying degrees of success in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive disorder and even depression.

The cost of the Zantac recalls

We know you’re worried about how much the ranitidine recalls are costing drug makers, and you should be. If one generics maker is an indicator, it ain’t cheap.

India’s Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories gave a good idea of how much it had to set aside to cover the recall of its 33 different ranitidine products. It reported its North American sales in the most recent quarter were down about $25 million compared to the preceding quarter.

Make Jeff Bezos donate to the Georgia Pharmacy Foundation!

If you shop on Amazon, you can support the Georgia Pharmacy Foundation without spending a dime.

Just use Amazon Smile! It’s is a automatic way to support your favorite non-profit, and Amazon pays for it. It’s simple:

Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the foundation (that’s 50¢ for every $100 you spend), and you won’t pay a cent.

Buy your stuff, and let Jeff Bezos and Amazon support the foundation. Everyone wins!

Co-payments mean skipped meds

New data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that far too many people are skipping their meds because of cost — and that includes people with private insurance or Medicaid.

  • 25% of diabetes patients asked about lower-cost meds.
  • 13% were rationing their meds and not taking them as prescribed because of the cost.
  • More than a third of uninsured people skipped their meds — and so did 18% of Medicaid patients and 14% of those with private insurance.

Staph vaccine could be coming

Your favorite mice might not have to worry about getting a Staphylococcus aureus infection next time they’re in the hospital. A new vaccine developed at the University of Maryland was more than 80 percent effective against S. aureus.

On the 21st day post-infection, the surviving animals—both those immunized, and controls—showed no signs of ill health, such as ruffled fur, or other abnormalities of appearance, and all had regained pre-infection weight.

Cholesterol: We’re making progress

The latest info from the American College of Cardiology shows that, since new cholesterol guidelines were issued in 2013, Americans’ cholesterol levels have dropped noticeably, thanks to increased use of statins.

Among people taking cholesterol medication, the average level of that “bad” cholesterol — what’s known as LDL cholesterol — dropped 21 points over the study period […]. It was declining even before the 2013 guidelines but continued to inch down afterward.

If other people call it “hell,” you probably want to avoid it

In this case, “it” is cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, “a rare illness afflicting a small portion of heavy cannabis consumers.” The Boston Globe’s description — “a rare vomiting syndrome” — should be enough to dissuade you.

The condition […] can be horrific for patients, causing intense abdominal pain, nausea, and days-long vomiting episodes that are strangely relieved by hot showers or baths. The illness can be cured by quitting pot.

Do you hear that?

If you have a patient complain of an earache, before you send him to the Debrox shelf maybe you should grab a flashlight….