Self-medication is an important pillar of healthcare

Stimulant laxatives, such as bisacodyl, sodium picosulfate (SPS), and senna, are recommended to treat constipation, based on the recent AGA/ACG guideline [1], with different levels of recommendation and evidence. They all stimulate intestinal motility, as well as water and electrolyte secretion, and accelerate intestinal transit time [2, 3]. Herbal laxatives cannot be generalized to be gentler com ...

Real-world evidence (RWE) studies are gaining increasing importance in medical research because they investigate drug therapy use under everyday conditions. Two recent RWE studies in the field of self-medication exemplify the added value that this methodology offers for the evaluation of medicinal products.

The use of ambroxol is recommended by the German Society for Pneumology and Respiratory Medicine [1] to reduce symptom intensity and accelerate the recovery from acute and subacute cough. As mucoactive, it stands out by its mucokinetic effects, increasing cilia beating in the airways to remove the mucus. A new study [2] has now shed light on further details of the signalling pathway responsible fo ...

Stress can have a negative impact on cognitive functions. This secondary analysis from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on moderately stressed healthy adults, showed the positive acute effects of a combination of magnesium, B vitamins (B6, B9, B12), rhodiola and green tea extracts enriched in L-theanine on brain EEG theta activity during attentional task performance conducted u ...

Headache affects many people and can – in most cases – be successfully treated with over-the-counter analgesics. What are the patients’ characteristics? How do they experience the effects of the treatment with ibuprofen plus caffeine (400/100 mg; IbuCaff)? How does the treatment response to IbuCaff compare with other treatments? A pharmacy-based patient survey run in German community pharmaci ...