Parents may not be able to keep up with the lingo, but Wiebe says they should be able to recognize the signs of drug use. Signs of heroin use, which is rising as the drug becomes more available and more affordable, include pinpoint pupils, slurred speech, drooping eyelids and nodding head. But a new study found that women, after successful treatment, are more apt than men to relapse. Dr. Kimberly Yonkers, assistant professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, monitored panic-disorder patients for up to five years. Her team found 82 percent of women and 51 percent of men reported their panic disorders recurred.
More study is needed to determine reasons for the gender differences and treatment consequences.
The Viagra label warns that patients who take nitrates shouldn't take Viagra because the two-drug combination can cause problems. So if it's known that a man has taken Viagra in the last 24 hours or so, the medics may choose to withhold nitrates from the emergency pre-hospital treatment. Zachariah, the medical director for paramedics in Dallas and a dozen of its suburbs, says men shouldn't hesitate to call 911 if they experience signs of heart attack following sex. For older men whose impotence is related to cardiovascular disease or who haven't had that type of workout in a long time, two flights of stairs may be enough stress on the heart to cause problems. That is why doctors need to know a man's cardiovascular condition before prescribing Viagra.