Drug Side Effects
Learn what others have experienced when taking medications. Which side effects should you be alert for? Share your own experience so others can learn.
Will a Big Dose of Vitamin D Give You Leg Cramps…
What have you heard about vitamin D? Maybe you recognize this compound by its popular nickname, the "sunshine vitamin." It is called that because human skin makes this hormone when it is exposed to su…
Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) Provides Surprising Pa…
There are two powerful opioid antagonists: 1) naloxone (Narcan) given as an injection or nasal spray in the case of narcotic overdose and 2) naltrexone administered orally in the treatment of alcohol …
Is Fish Oil Linked to Heart Rhythm Changes?
Could a supplement that people take for heart health actually lead to heart rhythm changes? Most people take fish oil with the expectation that it will lower their likelihood of a heart attack or stro…
Will the Antidepressant Fluvoxamine Fight COVID-…
Since the beginning of the pandemic, people have been looking for treatments that might help control the coronavirus. That was well before vaccines took center stage. Now, everyone is waiting for oral…
The Itch That Won’t Quit | Itching After Stopp…
Chances are good that you have seen a Xyzal commercial on TV. You see an animated owl with a distinctive accent. He wears a monocle…presumably to give this wise owl some extra authority. He lets you…
How Can You Avoid Being Harmed in the Hospital?
Hospitals can be dangerous places. That is especially true now with health care workers stretched to their limits because of COVID-19. Headlines in papers across the country proclaim that hospitals ar…
How Can You Ease Heartburn Symptoms?
If you suffer from heartburn, you might describe it as a burning sensation under the breastbone. People with recurrent reflux can usually also talk about the types of foods that trigger their discomfo…
Should the FDA Banish PPIs for Heartburn?
Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are extremely popular. That's partly because they have been widely promoted. Plus doctors routinely prescribe these acid-suppressing drugs because they are great at heali…
St. John’s Wort Can Lift Mood, But May Dam…
About twenty years ago, people who were reluctant to take prescription antidepressants were excited to learn that the herbal medicine St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) could help alleviate mild t…
Can You Trust TV Ads for Cancer Drugs?
If you watch any television at all, you know that prescription drug ads are pervasive. I find commercials that promote Humira for Crohn's disease, Dupixent for atopic dermatitis, Trulicity for type 2 …
Will Low Blood Pressure Increase the Danger of D…
Many physicians believe that a good blood pressure (BP) is right around 120/80, regardless of age. Some aggressively prescribe several blood pressure medicines to achieve that goal. There is, however,…
What Cold Medicine Is Safe for People With High …
If your blood pressure is elevated, there are all sorts of things you are supposed to avoid. Pretzels and potato chips, for example, along with other foods that contain a lot of salt. You may have hea…
Taking Thyroid Medicine at Bedtime Fights Off Fa…
Thyroid problems are extremely common, with about 12 percent of the American population affected by one at some point during their lives (American Thyroid Association). Since an underactive thyroid gl…
Are Heartburn Drugs (PPIs) Linked to Stomach Can…
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as esomeprazole, lansoprazole and omeprazole are extremely popular heartburn medicines. More than 110 million prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors are filled eac…
Meloxicam Raised Blood Pressure Through the Roof…
Tens of millions of people take oral NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) every day. We are talking about celecoxib, diclofenac, ibuprofen, meloxicam and naproxen. Most people realize that su…
Can Sildenafil – Viagra Help Prevent Dementia?
Few drugs have captured the world’s attention like Viagra (sildenafil). It changed the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) and became a household word. Most health professionals attribute sildena…
Alendronate Makes Dental Correction More Difficu…
Are your bones strong and healthy? Or have they begun to weaken? As we age, many of us develop osteoporosis, a condition that leaves our bones porous and at risk of fractures. To address this problem,…
Do Statins Increase the Risk for Diabetes or Not…
The guidelines are crystal clear. According to the American Heart Association, everyone with type 2 diabetes should be taking moderate-intensity statins. As far as we can tell, there are no exceptio…
FDA Warning For Popular Cipro and Levaquin Antib…
They're called fluoroquinolones (FQs) or quinolones for short. Tens of millions of prescriptions have been written for Cipro and Levaquin antibiotics. That's despite FDA warnings that doctors should o…
Taking Prostate Drug Abiraterone (Zytiga) with F…
Should you take your medication with food or on an empty stomach? Many people don’t pay much attention to how they swallow their pills. That could be in part because very few folks ever talk to a ph…
Does Red Yeast Rice Raise Blood Sugar Levels Lik…
Many people are reluctant to take statins because of side effects like muscle pain and weakness. But their doctors are often quite adamant that they need to lower their LDL cholesterol. Sometimes peop…
Does Popular OTC Antihistamine Increase Risk of …
The Food and Drug Administration has been surprisingly silent about the possible risk of dementia associated with anticholinergic drugs. It has been our observation that once this federal agency appro…
Common Medications That Raise Blood Pressure
Have you ever felt as if you were driving with your foot on the brake and the gas at the same time? If you are caught in stop and go traffic, you know how frustrating it can be. It’s hard to get ver…
Doctors Deny That PPIs Can Cause Kidney Damage
It can take years or even decades to discover serious drug side effects. Think of it as a long-running drug experiment. Proton pump inhibitors like esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and o…
Will Certo and Grape Juice Help Your Sore Knees?
People with sore joints face a terrible dilemma. Pain interferes with quality of life. On the other hand, medications like diclofenac and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can make p…
Is Vazalore Safer for the Stomach Than Regular A…
Aspirin can be hard on the digestive tract. Like other NSAIDs such as diclofenac, ibuprofen or naproxen, it may cause indigestion, ulceration, bleeding ulcers or even perforation of the lining of the …
Is Lp(a) the Best Kept Secret in Heart Disease?
Ask most people about their risk factors for heart disease and they will likely mention total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C (“bad”) cholesterol and HDL-C (“good”) cholesterol. Sometimes people even …
Petting the Cat Almost Killed It!
Most people rarely think about the topical medicines they put on their skin. Many folks believe that the skin is a barrier to drug absorption. Nothing could be further from the truth. We now know that…
Valsartan (Diovan) Side Effects Include Terrible…
Sometimes a drug side effect gets overlooked because of ignorance, belief or just wishful thinking. That seems to be what has happened with a category of blood pressure medications called ARBs (angiot…
Show 1278: Evaluating the Benefits and Risks of …
Everyone gets excited about the idea of medical breakthroughs. Fewer of us, if we are honest, are anxious to be the first one to benefit. After all, if you are the first, you know nothing about the po…
COVID-19 Vaccine for Younger Kids Is on the Runw…
Last year at this time, we were all eagerly awaiting emergency use approval of COVID-19 vaccines. After nearly a year of roll-out, controversy and evaluation, the data indicate that every vaccine appr…
15 Ways Pharma Cleverly Manipulates You
You’re probably unaware of the many ways that Big Pharma manipulates you into accepting pills for everything. This discussion will tell you how it does that. [1] The placebo effect manipulates you P…
Lead in Hair Dye Is Finally Coming Out!
Lead is not good for animals or people. This mineral can cause a range of very serious health problems, from depression and memory loss to hypertension and multiple organ damage. That’s why we have …
Do Doctors Hate Stories of Statin Side Effects?
We understand why some doctors dislike hearing complaints from patients about drug side effects. After all, they have promised to “first, do no harm.” That was purportedly the message from the anc…
Glaucoma Patients Should Not Take Blood Pressure…
We sometimes get questions about when to take medicines. Does it matter whether you take them all at once, or do they need to be separated? (The correct answer to this question, unfortunately, depends…
Can Aspirin Help Protect You from COVID-19 Infec…
You may have seen quite a bit about risk factors that make a COVID-19 infection more likely or more dangerous. People with kidney disease, heart problems, COPD, an organ transplant, cancer or diabetes…
If Statins Cause Diabetes, Why Should ALL Diabet…
The guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology are crystal clear. Middle-aged people with diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) should be on a statin-type choles…
OTC Statins? Crestor or Lipitor Without an Rx?
Many years ago, a prominent cardiologist suggested on our public radio show that statins ought to be put in the water supply. His statement was likely tongue in cheek, but some physicians probably did…
Show 1275: The Vicious Cycle of COVID and Diabet…
There are at least two pandemics raging through the world at this time. The first is obesity. The second is, of course, COVID-19. Diabetes sits uncomfortably at their intersection. In a vicious cycle,…
Should You Worry About Myocarditis from COVID Va…
Judging from the comments we have received on our website, millions of Americans are afraid to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because they fear developing serious side effects. One concern centers ar…