Free Republic

Researchers on the hunt for a pre-approved medicine that can be repurposed to treat Alzheimer’s disease have found promising signs of effectiveness in a 50-year-old generic drug commonly used as a diuretic. Through a variety of animal studies and real-world investigations, the new study indicates exposure to the common drug could significantly reduce a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Researchers on the hunt for a pre-approved medicine that can be repurposed to treat Alzheimer’s disease have found exposure to a common diuretic drug could significantly reduce a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s. The research began several years ago with the...

A ‘water pill’ used to reduce swelling could combat autism, experts claim. New research has revealed that a prescription drug, known as bumetanide, can also improve the symptoms of the developmental disability by boosting signals between neurons.... ….Bumetanide is a type of medicine called a diuretic which is available in the UK and the US and enables patients with cardiovascular, liver or kidney disease to produce more urine and rid the body of surplus fluid and salt. Diuretics are sometimes called “water pills/tablets” because they make you pee more. However, a study has shown that in autistic children it helps...

Small-scale trial provides hope for treatment of autistic behaviour in children. A drug normally used to increase the rate at which people urinate improves some of the symptoms of autism in children, according to a small clinical trial published today in Translational Psychiatry1. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired communication and social interactions, and also by repetitive behaviours in those affected. Research has shown that signalling by a molecule called GABA, a neurotransmitter which normally dampens down neuronal activity, is altered in autism. And that this disruption of GABA is due to increased levels of chloride ions in...