By: Joe Graedon January 19, 2026 21 Comments
    BP Drug Lisinopril: Swollen Genitals or Intestin…

    Lisinopril is taken by over 18 millions Americans to lower blood pressure. That makes it the most prescribed blood blood pressure medication in the United States. It is a very effective medication. Mo…

    By: Terry Graedon January 19, 2026 3 Comments
    Do Statins Lower CoQ10 Levels? Can Supplements C…

    Doctors prescribe the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins as an essential step in treating heart disease. Many physicians also prescribe them for prevention. While many people take these medicin…

    By: Joe Graedon January 15, 2026 2 Comments
    Mental Health Funding Chaos Puts Lives at Risk 

    For 24 chaotic hours this week, the nation’s mental health system was thrown into mental health funding chaos. Thousands of programs that provide addiction treatment, crisis services, school-based c…

    By: Joe Graedon January 15, 2026 0 Comments
    Could Common OTC Drugs Sabotage Cancer Immunothe…

    Cancer patients and oncologists are working hard to get the best possible results from immune checkpoint blockade—one of the most promising advances in cancer care. But a new warning from Duke resea…

    By: Joe Graedon January 12, 2026 75 Comments
    Excessive Flatulence Creates Challenges

    Flatulence–aka gas–is an embarrassing problem. It can't be broached in polite conversation, and many patients are reluctant to bring it up during a doctor visit. Nonetheless, excessive flatulence …

    By: Joe Graedon January 8, 2026 8 Comments
    Will Semaglutide Prevent Heart Attacks, Strokes …

    , buOzempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss are now familiar brand names for the pharmaceutical compound semaglutide. Seven years ago, when Ozempic was first introduced to treat type 2 diabete…

    By: Joe Graedon January 5, 2026 7 Comments
    Will NAC Prevent Overdosing on Acetaminophen in …

    Many over-the-counter medicines marketed for treating colds and flu contain acetaminophen (paracetamol in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand). This non-aspirin pain reliever also helps lower fe…

    By: Joe Graedon January 5, 2026 103 Comments
    Dangers of Drinking Listerine: Alcohol Addiction…

    Most people don’t think of the bathroom as a place where alcohol abuse begins—or returns. Mouthwash seems harmless, even health‑promoting. But for some people, especially those struggling with a…

    By: Joe Graedon January 5, 2026 8 Comments
    When Treating Hyperthyroidism Results in Too Lit…

    An overactive thyroid gland that pumps out too much thyroid hormone can be extremely uncomfortable or even dangerous. When this condition is caused by the immune system attacking the thyroid gland, it…

    By: Joe Graedon December 29, 2025 25 Comments
    Aspirin and Cancer: The Overlooked Protection Hi…

    When you think of aspirin you probably think of 1) a pain reliever, 2) a fever reducer and 3) heart attack protection for high-risk patients. But for more than three decades, we have been talking abou…

    By: Joe Graedon December 29, 2025 69 Comments
    Do Statins Affect Memory or Scramble Your Brain?

    The top five statin-type cholesterol-lowering medications are atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, and lovastatin. Our back of the envelope calculations suggest that roughly 200 milli…

    By: Joe Graedon December 29, 2025 1 Comments
    Our Top 10 Articles of 2025: The People’s …

    This year brought urgent revelations about medication safety, surprising insights into dementia prevention, and practical wisdom about heart health that challenges conventional thinking. From generic …

    By: Joe Graedon December 25, 2025 19 Comments
    The Miracle of Metformin Against Diabetes, Cance…

    One of the cheapest and most effective medicines for controlling blood sugar has been around for decades. In truth, though, herbalists were using goat's rue (French lilac) for hundreds of years before…

    By: Joe Graedon December 25, 2025 5 Comments
    Wegovy Shots vs. Wegovy Pills for Weight Loss an…

    Semaglutide has gotten a lot of attention over the past few years. If you don’t recognize this generic drug name, you probably do recognize the brand names: Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy fo…

    By: Joe Graedon December 25, 2025 74 Comments
    Drug Recalls From India – Can You Trust Fo…

    This has been a landmark year for generic drug stories. Here at The People's Pharmacy we have published over 20 articles about generic drug recalls and quality concerns. That's a record, even for us. …

    By: Joe Graedon December 22, 2025 2 Comments
    When Holiday Cheer Turns Toxic: Dangerous Drug a…

    The holidays are supposed to be joyful. Instead, many of us end up exhausted, overscheduled, and stressed—dealing with traffic jams, juggling shopping lists, family gatherings, and too little sleep.…

    By: Debbie Cenziper December 22, 2025 11 Comments
    The FDA Often Doesn’t Test Generic Drugs for Q…

    by Debbie Cenziper and Megan Rose, ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica. It’s a fundamental tenet of health care in America: Generic drugs are just as safe and effective as b…

    By: Joe Graedon December 22, 2025 116 Comments
    Losartan Side Effects: Tremor and Unbearable Dry…

    Nearly half of all American adults (120 million people) are now labeled hypertensive. That's according to the CDC. For most, that will mean blood pressure medications. One of the most prescribed antih…

    By: Megan Rose December 21, 2025 6 Comments
    How FDA’s Lax Generic Drug Rules Can Put P…

    by Megan Rose and Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica Wrapped in a flashy fur coat she’d found at a thrift store for the occasion, Hannah Goetz blew out the…

    By: Joe Graedon December 21, 2025 26 Comments
    Is There Any Natural Way to Stop Hair Thinning?

    No one welcomes hair thinning, even if they may not be surprised by a receding hairline just like Uncle Charlie's. Women often wear their hair longer than men do and may rely upon it more heavily to e…

    By: Joe Graedon December 15, 2025 4 Comments
    How Can You Trust Incomplete Drug Side Effect In…

    Have you ever left the pharmacy with a new prescription and, before taking the first dose, looked it up online to get some idea about side effects? Many people do. They put the name of their medicine …

    By: Joe Graedon December 15, 2025 13 Comments
    Possible Brain Side Effects of Repatha to Lower …

    In 2015, the FDA approved evolocumab (Repatha) based on its remarkable ability to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. It was initially intended for people with inherited high cholesterol or those at ve…

    By: Joe Graedon December 15, 2025 41 Comments
    Do Statins Cause Nerve Pain (Neuropathy)?

    Statin enthusiasts have a hard time accepting that statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs have side effects. One clinical trial analysis from the UK concluded “At the doses tested in these 83,880 pa…

    By: Terry Graedon December 14, 2025 11 Comments
    Will Tamiflu Side Effects Stop You from Taking I…

    Many people are tired of paying attention to influenza. However, flu season is just getting underway. This viral infection is capable of killing vulnerable individuals and making hundreds of thousands…

    By: Joe Graedon December 14, 2025 39 Comments
    Why Buy Brand Name Drugs from Canada?

    If you have tried to buy brand name medicine in the US, you know that prices can be unbelievable. Most generic drugs are cheap by comparison. Imagine trying to buy a box of Kleenex only to discover th…

    By: Joe Graedon December 11, 2025 8 Comments
    Do Tattoos Induce Inflammation or Increase the R…

    Tattoos have become a popular fashion statement. It is estimated that about 20% of Swedes and 30% of American adults now have tattoos. This body art makes an esthetic statement and often conveys expli…

    By: Joe Graedon December 8, 2025 20 Comments
    Sertraline Withdrawal Symptoms Make Stopping the…

    Antidepressant medications can be very helpful in getting a person through a really difficult time. But are patients warned before they start such medicines, especially SSRI drugs, that they might hav…

    By: Terry Graedon December 8, 2025 23 Comments
    Safe Solution for Dry Nose

    When the weather gets chilly and we turn the heat on, often we find that our noses become uncomfortably dry. Even if we don't suffer frequent nosebleeds, the inside of the nose may hurt. As a result, …

    By: Dennis Miller, RPh December 8, 2025 9 Comments
    Is Pharmacy at War with Human Biology?

    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 …

    By: Joe Graedon December 4, 2025 30 Comments
    GLP-1 Depression Warning: Weight-Loss Drugs May …

    Weight loss drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) continue to set record sales. Most people assume that the side effects of medicines prescribed for weight l…

    By: Joe Graedon December 4, 2025 125 Comments
    Do Tamiflu Side Effects Outweigh Its Benefits?

    Viruses are on the move…though the air and on surfaces. Subclade K type A H3N2 influenza is spreading. People catch it primarily by inhaling invisible viral particles. Public health authorities are …

    By: Joe Graedon December 1, 2025 21 Comments
    Prednisone Withdrawal: Why Stopping Steroids Can…

    Prednisone can feel like a lifesaver when symptoms are spiraling — but stopping it can plunge people into a physical and emotional tailspin. I have often characterized corticosteroids as powerful do…

    By: Joe Graedon December 1, 2025 25 Comments
    What’s the Story on Metformin for Diabetes?

    Metformin has become the go-to drug for type 2 diabetes. It's easy to understand why. The drug works to control blood sugar and it is incredibly inexpensive compared to many of the newer diabetes drug…

    By: Terry Graedon December 1, 2025 58 Comments
    Why Don’t Doctors Like to Prescribe Desicc…

    The thyroid gland is small and unassuming, so it doesn't usually command a lot of attention. When it misbehaves, though, its owner suffers. That happens more often than you might imagine. The American…

    By: Joe Graedon November 26, 2025 6 Comments
    FDA Approves Heart Benefits for Wegovy Weight Lo…

    Obesity is a world-wide problem. It’s no wonder, then, that injectable drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) have become incredibly popular. Last year, Wegovy…

    By: Joe Graedon November 26, 2025 23 Comments
    How Well Does the New Weight Loss Medicine Work?

    When the weight-loss drug Wegovy (pronounced wee-GOH’-vee) became available in the United States a few years ago, it captured plenty of social-media buzz. People like Elon Musk lost weight while sel…

    By: Joe Graedon November 24, 2025 7 Comments
    Bioidentical Hormones: Estrogen, Progesterone &#…

    The FDA is removing the boxed warning from hormone replacement therapy (HRT). What about the bioidentical hormones? Does the green light for HRT include the bioidentical hormones estrogen, progesteron…

    By: Terry Graedon November 23, 2025 22 Comments
    Rosuvastatin Linked to High Blood Sugar

    Statin medications lower cholesterol; doctors prescribe them to lower the risk for a heart attack. While people likely to suffer a heart attack generally welcome the protection, others may weigh the c…

    By: Joe Graedon November 20, 2025 18 Comments
    Can GLP-1 Agonists Fix What Ails You — and War…

    Popular drugs approved for diabetes control and weight loss produce many other effects in the body as well. Drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) have helped some people cut back on alcohol consump…

    By: Joe Graedon November 17, 2025 2 Comments
    Pomegranate Juice and Rosuvastatin…a Surpr…

    Do you know which foods might react badly with your medications? As a graduate student in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan over 50 years ago I was intrigued by food and dru…