Kusuri-no-Check No.11

Kusuri-no-Check

"Check-up Your Medicines to Save Your Life"

No.11 Sleeping Pills and Tranquilizer

Message: Evidence that NPOJIP has Given to Civil Movement

KOGA, Masako

Japan Consumers' Alliance

Main Feature: Benzodiazepin

■"Is there an appropriate sleeping hours as such?" Q&A

HAMA, Rokuro

■Benzodiazepin: advantages and disadvantages of sleeping pills and tranquilizers

UMEDA, Tadatoshi

■Column: Halcion (triazolam) scandal

■On insomnia and sleeping pills

MITA, Yasuko

■Benzodiazepin: Side effects of sleeping pills and tranquilizer

HAMA, Rokuro & KIMOTO, Yasusuke

■Drug information leaflet for patients: Triazolam (Halcion), Diazepam

Series

■The Relay Essay "One dementia patient and medicines"

HARUMOTO, Sachiko

■Medicine in Film: "Sleeping pills"

KIMOTO, Yasusuke

■Bioethics in Lay Language 11 "Medicine is a benevolent act?"

TANIDA, Noritoshi

■History of Drug Disaster: SMON (subacute-myelo-optico-neuropathy, clioquinol　poisoning)

HIROBE, Keiko

■How to communicate with doctors: Case study
　"What is the standard therapy for cancer?"

HARUMOTO, Sachiko

■Tricks of new drug approval
　Protopic ointment: a specific remedy for atopic dermatitis? or dangerous?
　Who would take responsibility if it causes cancer?

HAMA, Rokuro & SAKAGUCHI, Keiko

■Coffee Break

■Visit(1): Patients' Rights Ombudsman Japan, the Symposium
　"Ethics of medicine in the 21st century: For medicine based on consent and trust"

■Visit(2): Association for Medical Accident Investigation
　the 8th Symposium "Preventing Malpractices"

Topic

■Some thoughts on SARS panic

TANIDA, Noritoshi

■Editorial
　Protopic ointment for children should not be approved.

HAMA, Rokuro

■Q&A: On the use of allopurinol for dialysis patients

■Readers' Voice

■Correspondence

Words Frequently Heard at Hospital

Hypnotic-----Easy use must be avoided.

Withdrawal syndrome-----Get a good grasp of drugs prescribed.

Tranquilizer-----Be aware of the strength of dependency.

Anti-convulsion drugs-----Cessation by layman's judgment is dangerous.

General anesthesia-----Monitoring of respiration and blood pressure is important.