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THURSDAY, Oct. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A new study is sounding the alarm about the addition of antihistamines to street forms of opioids — and how they might make a fatal overdose more likely.The prime drug in question is diphenhydramine, found commonly in over-the-counter allergy meds such as Benadryl. Because opioid use can spur itchy skin in people who misuse the drugs, diphenhydramine is often mixed into street formulations to curb that symptom. However, diphenhydramine is also very sedating. So when a person overdoses on an opioid, the addition of diphenhydramine makes the “rescue” drug naloxone less effective, warns a team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.In fact, “nearly 15% of overdose deaths during 2019-2020 were antihistamine-positive,”...

THURSDAY, Oct. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Tackling drills are typically a staple of high school football practices, but new research suggests dropping them from training might cut the risk of head hits.Using mouth guards with sensors that recorded every head hit, researchers found players who spent 5,144 minutes in non-contact practice had just 310 head hits, while those who had nearly 7,000 minutes in high-speed training with contact only above the waist had more than 3,300 head hits.Head hits in football that lead to concussions and permanent brain damage conditions like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) have prompted experts to find ways to reduce head trauma. "This study was fueled by some of the failures in the past by NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association], and...

THURSDAY, Oct. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid has been a game-changer in the global pandemic, shielding high-risk patients from the coronavirus’ most devastating effects.But Paxlovid can itself pose a risk for people taking widely prescribed heart medications to lower cholesterol, prevent blood clots or manage irregular heartbeat, a new paper warns.Some heart patients might need to either avoid Paxlovid or cut back on their heart meds while receiving the antiviral treatment, warns senior researcher Dr. Sarju Ganatra, director of the cardio-oncology program at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Mass.The situation presents a tightrope walk for doctors and patients, given that Paxlovid reduces progression to severe COVID by 89% in high-risk...

THURSDAY, Oct. 13, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- On an August morning, Nicole Tetreault, her husband, Brian, and their 2-year-old daughter, Ella, had eaten breakfast and taken a walk.Nicole hadn't been feeling well since Friday. She'd had a headache and was nauseous. But on Sunday she was feeling better. She'd missed several days of exercising and was eager to get back to the gym.She joined a late morning class at her fitness club, near her home in Alpharetta, Ga. When she arrived, she noticed a newcomer standing next to her.During the first few minutes of warmup, before the high-intensity class began, Nicole saw herself in the mirror and thought, "I look tired. I'm not going to push myself today."A few minutes later, 37-year-old Nicole picked up a weight for the first set...