The first U.S. study to compare two treatments for opioid addiction finds a monthly shot works as well as a daily drug to prevent relapse. The shot requires days of detox first, and that proved to be a stumbling block for many. For those who made it past that hurdle, the shot Vivitrol worked about the same as an older treatment, Suboxone. Both drugs had high relapse rates and there were overdoses, including fatal ones, in the experiment in 570 adults. The study, published in the journal Lancet, is the first to compare the two drugs in the United States.

Heart-stopping sex? That's not very likely

Heart patients have worried that they may die suddenly from sex, but a new study suggests they probably won't. Researchers found that less than 1 percent of people who experienced sudden cardiac arrest were having, or just had, sex. "As a cardiologist, from time to time, in an awkward way, patients would ask me 'you know doc, what's my risk of dying suddenly with sexual activity?' " said Sumeet Chugh, one of the study's authors. "Now we have data to answer that question." More than 300,000 people die annually in the United States from sudden cardiac arrest, yet about 1 in 100 men and 1 in 1,000 women experience sudden cardiac arrest relating to sexual activity, according to the study.

FDA warns about supplement kratom

Federal health authorities are warning about reports of injury, addiction and death with an herbal supplement that has been promoted as an alternative to opioid painkillers and other prescription drugs. The supplement, kratom, made from a plant native to Southeast Asia, has gained popularity in the U.S. as a treatment for pain, anxiety and drug dependence. But the Food and Drug Administration said that kratom carries similar risks, including addiction and death, and the agency is working to block shipments. The FDA said it is aware of 36 deaths involving products made with kratom and hundreds of calls to poison control centers.

Women more likely to die after heart attack

Compared with men, women are at significantly higher risk of death in the first year after a heart attack, a new study has found. The generally higher risk of death in women who have heart attacks is well known, but the differences are largely explained by women's older age when the attack occurs, higher rates of other diseases, and types of treatment they typically receive. This new analysis controlled for those variables and others. Researchers studied 802 men and 802 women matched for age, hypertension, diabetes, smoking status, various measures of heart function and the types of treatment and medications they received. In the first year of a five-year follow-up, women were 60 percent more likely to die than the men. Beyond the first year, their death rates did not differ.

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