Drug Information
New Ways to Stop Nosebleeds
More than twenty years ago, we got our first letter about using cold car keys against the back of the neck to stop nosebleeds. As you will see, we thought it was a bit bizarre. Keys to Stop Nosebleeds…
Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) Side Effects, Diabete…
We suspect that hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ or HCT for short) is one of the most prescribed drugs in America on a daily basis. HCTZ is taken regularly by over 15 million people. Many doctors believe tha…
Suffering Side Effects from Mirapex for Restless…
Restless legs syndrome, or RLS, doesn't sound like a serious health condition. (Maybe that's why doctors and researchers sometimes call it Willis-Ekbom disease.) This neurological condition results in…
Does Your Medicine Have a Boxed Warning? Why You…
When people are poised to participate in risky activities, they are supposed to follow safety protocols. For example, sky divers exercise proper precautions and procedures before each jump. No commerc…
When Doctors Prescribe and Patients Push Back
Dennis Miller, R.Ph. is a retired chain store pharmacist. His book, The Shocking Truth About Pharmacy: A Pharmacist Reveals All the Disturbing Secrets, can be downloaded in its entirety at Amazon for …
Do Treatments for Knee Arthritis Do More Harm Th…
Steroid shots and arthroscopic surgery have been mainstays in the treatment of pain and inflammation brought on by knee arthritis. Many people try to delay knee replacement as long as possible, especi…
Do Heartburn Drugs or Antihistamines Trigger RLS…
What causes Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)? Check with most medical authorities and you will learn that “there’s no known cause” (Mayo Clinic). Symptoms are often blamed on a chemical imbalance in…
Can Aspirin Help Prevent Sunburn? Surprising Sci…
It's that time of year when people start stocking up on sunscreen. Whether it's gardening, a trip to the beach, a picnic in the backyard or a game of golf, sunscreen, protective clothing and a good ha…
When Blood Pressure Treatment Raises the Risk of…
For decades, doctors have emphasized the importance of lowering blood pressure to prevent heart attacks and strokes. With good reason! The CDC estimates that: "More than 843,000 Americans die of heart…
Will FDA Fumbles and Firings, Chaos and Cutbacks…
The Food and Drug Administration is in the middle of a meltdown. I do not recall so many high-level departures in such a short time in the middle of a presidential term. Many readers of this newslette…
Is There a Downside to Ashwagandha?
Have you been looking for natural ways to get some sleep? That is certainly understandable. When you are worrying about family members and friends, you may not be able to sleep well. Some herbs could …
Hormone Therapy for Bones and Libido: Osteoporos…
For decades, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been controversial, caught between fear and renewed enthusiasm. Now, a growing number of women are asking a different question: could Hormone Therapy…
When Doctors Prescribe Ozempic for Weight Loss
If you have been reading our newsletter, you know that semaglutide is one of the hottest medications in the pharmacy. For months, this self-injected diabetes drug was "Currently in Shortage." Why woul…
How to Get Rid of a Wart with Tagamet (Cimetidin…
Warts can affect almost anyone. For reasons that are not clear, children seem especially susceptible. In theory, their immune systems are working well, so they should be more resistant to viral infect…
Dr. Marty Makary Couldn’t Heal the FDA–Now H…
On November 28, 2024, I was pleased to announce that: “President-elect Trump has nominated a Johns Hopkins surgeon, Dr. Martin Makary, to lead the Food and Drug Administration. Can he create a new e…
Will You Get Osteoporosis If You Take Omeprazole…
Do you take omeprazole (Prilosec) or another proton pump inhibitor such as esomeprazole (Nexium) or lansoprazole (Prevacid)? Such PPI drugs were once thought to be relatively free of side effects, but…
Will Ozempic Lead to Hair Loss?
Over the past several years, the FDA has approved a number of medications designed to help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar. You may have seen some of them advertised on televisio…
How Slick Marketing Attempts to Humanize Pharmac…
Dennis Miller, R.Ph. is a retired chain store pharmacist. His book, The Shocking Truth About Pharmacy: A Pharmacist Reveals All the Disturbing Secrets, can be downloaded in its entirety at Amazon for …
Nicotine for Brain Power: Promise, Peril or Plac…
Americans are always searching for ways to stay sharp, focused and mentally competent. There is nothing worse for an older person who is searching for a word than to have to apologize by resorting to …
Amlodipine (Norvasc) Side Effects Include Swolle…
For reasons that remain somewhat mysterious to us, amlodipine (Norvasc) is one of the most popular blood pressure medications in the pharmacy. This calcium channel blocker lowers blood pressure in par…
Why Buproprion Smells Bad: Uncovering the Myster…
Some drugs have a distinctive odor. That’s a nice way of saying that some medications naturally smell nasty. For example, Mucomyst (acetylcysteine) is prescribed to dissolve mucus. It can smell like…
Are GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs Stealing Muscle Stre…
GLP-1 agonists have been hailed as miracle drugs. Medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide are transforming the treatment of obesity, helping people lose weight when nothing else seemed to work. W…
Is Thyroid Treatment Linked to Osteoporosis?
Doctors have long known that people who make too much thyroid hormone are at risk for weakened bones. This is also a problem for those who take synthetic levothyroxine to supplement their underactive …
Drug Effectiveness: The Missing Number Behind Ev…
You might assume that drug effectiveness would be one of the most important things a doctor would discuss when writing a new prescription. That almost never happens. Patients may be told what a medici…
How Can You Counteract Muscle Pain from Statins?
The doctors' debate over statins has become heated. You can read what we have written about that here and here. If you prefer, you can listen to our interviews with leading cardiologists here. But pat…
How to Soothe Allergy Symptoms Without Serious S…
Allergy season takes a terrible toll on people who are susceptible to pollen. This is the time of year when invisible particles in the air trigger sneezing, sniffling, itching and congestion. Allergy …
Pills or Shots for Obesity? New Foundayo Pills v…
The FDA approved oral Wegovy (semaglutide) on December 22, 2025. Eli Lilly received approval for its pill, Foundayo (orforglipron), on April 1, 2026. It will be a fight for America’s fat. Instead of…
The Informed Consent Charade: Are Patients Truly…
Before any surgery or medical treatment, patients are asked to agree to what is known as informed consent. What does that mean? Health care providers have both a legal and an ethical responsibility t…
Will Nexletol (Bempedoic Acid) Replace Statins?
Statins overwhelmingly dominate pharmacy sales. At last count, over 50 million people take statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs such as atorvastatin, rosuvastatin and and simvastatin. That does not …
How Dangerous is Aluminum for People? What’…
No doubt you have seen the commercial that repeatedly asks: What's in your wallet? That, of course, is the Capital One ad. We have a different question: What's in your armpit? If you use an antiperspi…
Anti-Amyloid Drugs: Breakthrough or Boondoggle A…
In 2022 we wrote: "YIKES! FDA Approves Lecanemab Against Alzheimer's." In 2023 we asked the question: is aducanumab (Aduhelm) a breakthrough or boondoggle against Alzheimer's? In 2024 we asked the qu…
PPI Use Linked to Chronic Kidney Disease
Acid-suppressing drugs called proton pump inhibitors or PPIs are considered so safe that they can be purchased over the counter as Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec. House brands include esomeprazole, lan…
Will Drug-Resistant Infections Kill Millions?
Infectious disease experts have been concerned about drug-resistant bacteria for years. Back in 2019, researchers at the United Nations issued an alarming analysis about drug-resistant infections. It …
OTC Drug Safety: Are We Playing Doctor At Our Pe…
Most Americans assume that if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a medication for over-the-counter (OTC) sale, it must be safe. Every pharmacy and convenience store offers a wide variety …
Is Your Medication Causing Nightmares?
We are all encouraged to get a good night's sleep. That's because scientists find that restful sleep is important for brain function, cardiovascular health and diabetes management. Sleep is also impor…
Metformin Slows Prostate Cancer Growth and Simul…
The most prescribed drug in the world for type 2 diabetes is metformin. The last time I checked, more than 20 million Americans were taking this very old and amazingly affordable medication. What has …
Do Statins Impair Memory? The Evidence Keeps Evo…
Statins remain a never-ending source of controversy. After nearly 40 years, doctors have debated the pros and cons of statins with little resolution. Over 50 million Americans take a drug such as ator…
The Dangers of Diclofenac and Other NSAID Pain R…
Doctors love NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). That’s largely because they don’t have a lot of other tools in the toolkit when it comes to treating pain and inflammation. Opioids have…
Flu Kills. Antiviral Treatments Exist. Why Don…
or just In a moment I will ask you to step into my time machine and visit The People's Pharmacy newspaper column 43 years ago on February 7, 1983. But first... Antiviral medications have become standa…
Generic Drug Failures: When Cheap Drugs Turn Cos…
ly disappointingWhen the world's most prestigious medical journal publishes a paper titled "Substandard Generic Drugs – Threats to Patient Safety and National Security (New England Journal of Medici…