Mixed Bag

Managing chronic bone and joint pain
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)—easily the most commonly recommended or prescribed medication by orthopaedic surgeons—are not especially effective in many chronic pain scenarios. “While far from the everyday ‘arsenal’ of orthopaedic surgeons, antidepressants and anticonvulsants (medications to prevent seizures) can have remarkable effects on many forms of chronic bone and joint pain. There are many readily-accessible, economic, safe and effective treatments for chronic pain,” says Dr. Uhl. AAOS

Northera approved for rare blood pressure condition
Neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH) is most often associated with Parkinson's disease and other neurologic disorders. Symptoms may include dizziness, lightheadedness, blurred vision, fatigue and fainting, the FDA said in a news release.

Granted accelerated approval to treat a rare condition, the drug will have a boxed label warning that it could cause an unhealthy rise in blood pressure while a person is lying down. This potential side effect could lead to a stroke, the agency said, warning that Northera users should be monitored carefully. MedicalXpress

Many US seniors get prescription painkillers from multiple doctors
About one-third of Medicare patients who get prescriptions for powerful narcotic painkillers receive them from multiple doctors, which raises their risk for hospitalization, according to a new study. MedicalXpress

Backing Off Exercise Worsens COPD
The odds of hospitalization for COPD exacerbation rose 2.49-fold in the 3 years after a shift from a daily walking routine of up to roughly 2 miles per day to none, or from getting around 2 to 4 miles daily to less or none, compared with staying highly active (P=0.004), Cristobal Esteban, MD, of the Hospital de Galdakao-Usansolo, Spain, and colleagues found. MedPage Today