Rapid onset of response and patient-reported outcomes after onabotulinumtoxinA treatment of moderate-to-severe glabellar lines.

INTRODUCTION: no previously published botulinum toxin type A cosmetic trials included both physician and subject measures of onset. OBJECTIVE: determine physician- and subject-reported onset of onabotulinumtoxinA. METHODS: Two-center open-label, 14-day study in toxin-naive female patients with moderate-to-severe glabellar lines (GL) treated with 20-U onabotulinumtoxinA. Onset endpoint was categorical (physician assessed: days 2, 3, 4, 7 and 14; subject: 14-day diary). Subjects rated improvements in GL severity and completed the Facial Line Outcomes (FLO) and Self-Perception of Age (SPA) questionnaires. RESULTS: nearly half, 48 percent (n=45) of subjects, reported onset by day 1. Subject- and physician-reported onset rates, respectively, were 77 percent and 87 percent (day 2), 93 percent and 91 percent (day 3), 98 percent and 100 percent (day 4), and 100 percent thereafter. At all time points, FLO and SPA improved (P=0.008 and P=0.01, respectively). No serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION: onabotulinumtoxinA provides rapid onset (one to two days) based on physician and subject assessment.

The use of trazodone as a hypnotic: a critical review.

BACKGROUND: The last few years have seen a remarkable rise in the off-label use of trazodone for inducing sleep in nondepressed patients, to a degree that it is prescribed for this purpose as commonly as the leading hypnotic. In view of this widespread popularity, it seems prudent to review what is known of the safety and efficacy of trazodone when used in this context. DATA SOURCES AND SELECTION: A MEDLINE search of the literature published in English between 1975 and 2003 that included the keywords sleep, trazodone, Desyrel, depression, sleeping pill, and sedative-hypnotics was conducted. DATA SYNTHESIS: From this review, it is concluded that there are very few data to suggest that trazodone improves sleep in patients without mood disorder, though it does increase total sleep in patients with major depressive disorder. There are virtually no dose-response data for trazodone vis-à-vis sleep and, similarly, no available data on tolerance to its possible hypnotic effects. Areas of concern with its use include reports of significant dropout rates and induction of arrhythmias, primarily in patients with histories of cardiac disease, as well as the development of priapism. CONCLUSION: In summary, there are few data to support the use of trazodone in nondepressed subjects. When the risk-benefit ratio of trazodone is assessed, its side effect profile, which is much more significant than that of conventional hypnotics, should be considered.

Safety of 25- and 50-mg capsules in the initiation of zonisamide therapy in patients with epilepsy: an uncontrolled, open-label study.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess the safety of 25- and 50-mg dosage strengths of zonisamide for initial titration in patients with epilepsy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This phase 3, multicenter, open-label, uncontrolled study conducted at 26 study sites in the United States included male and female patients with epilepsy >or= 12 years of age. After a screening visit, subjects began zonisamide therapy at a dosage depending on their body weight. Zonisamide was titrated to 100 mg/day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: At the study's conclusion, information regarding adverse events (AEs) and body weight was recorded. RESULTS: One hundred forty-three subjects enrolled and received at least one zonisamide dose. Of these subjects, 125 reached at least the 100-mg dosage before terminating the study. Eighty-two subjects (57.3%) experienced at least one AE. Most commonly reported AEs included headache, somnolence, asthenia, rhinitis, nausea, and rash. No significant change in patient body weight was noted during the study (95% confidence interval: -0.1, 0.6). CONCLUSIONS: Study limitations include the open-label design and the lack of direct comparison between lower (25- and 50-mg) and higher (100-mg) starting dosages. Despite these limitations, the 25- and 50-mg zonisamide dosage formulations were well tolerated in this study.