First-ever examination of medications used by astronauts on long-duration missions to the International Space Station: the meds they used, the reasons they used them and how well they said the medicines worked were analyzed. Much of the medicine taken relates to the unusual and confined microgravity environment in which they work or to the actual work that they are doing to complete their missions. Use of sleep aids and incidence of skin rashes were higher than expected. These findings not only help the world’s space agencies anticipate needs for future ISS inhabitants, but also the day-to-day medical needs of those who may take the trip to Mars.
Wotring examined medical records of ISS crewmembers who gave permission to use their data in this study. The medications they used, the reasons they used them and how well they said the medicines worked were analyzed. Many of the astronaut medication uses were very similar to any group of healthy adults on Earth. The astronauts’ medication usage was especially similar to that of submarine crews – although submariners are on Earth and underwater, they also live in a closed environment for months at a time. While data used was not detailed enough to suggest treatment changes, it did identify 2 areas to examine more closely in future studies: sleep problems and skin rashes. This study is one step toward figuring out if being in reduced gravity changes how our meds work.
“Getting a good night’s sleep in space is a little trickier than you might think. Not only do you have to deal with the discomfort of microgravity, but you also wake up to the fact that ‘day’ and ‘night’ are best experienced on a planet,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. “As far as skin rashes are concerned, that should be no surprise either. Those are close quarters and things get itchy.” http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/foas-tts110215.php
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