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.
Are All Natural Deodorants Free of Aluminum?
People love the word “natural.” You’ll find this word on food, beverages, dietary supplements and cosmetics. People have become justifiably concerned about pesticides, fungicides, plasticizers, …
Is a Loved One Taking Too Many Medicines?
Do you know someone who swallows a handful of pills with breakfast? A parent perhaps, or a good friend? Maybe you worry that you are taking too many medicines. Have you ever bothered to actually count…
Horse Pills Make Her Gag: How to Swallow Big Pil…
It can be hard to swallow big pills such as metformin for diabetes, magnesium oxide, fish oil or some antibiotics like doxycycline. A reader recently offered a simple solution for this problem. How to…
A Lawyer Loves Halcion for Sleep! What Are the D…
Triazolam (Halcion) was first approved in the Netherlands in 1977. Reports of bizarre side effects (anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations and aggression) led Dutch regulators to restrict higher doses of t…
Surprising Ketamine Side Effects and Anti-Suicid…
There is tremendous confusion and controversy surrounding a very old drug called ketamine (Ketalar). The FDA first approved Ketalar in 1970 as an injectable anesthetic. It has advantages over existing…
Are You An Activated Patient? Engage Now!
For far too long the health care system has been out of balance. Physicians have been at the top of the pyramid. Patients were relegated to the bottom. It is time we changed the paradigm! Engaged and …
Will Stopping an Antiperspirant Cause Bad Reboun…
Who would have ever imagined that the antiperspirants we apply to our underarms could change the ecology of the bacteria that live in our armpits? It turns out that antiperspirants can shift the balan…
Ibuprofen and High Blood Pressure: A Dangerous R…
Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is on the rise (Open Heart, April 28, 2017). We're talking about drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen. Such pain relievers are perceived as quite safe…
Coping with Anxiety During Really Stressful Time…
If you aren’t a wee bit anxious, you have either been living in a cave for the last few years or you pay zero attention to the news. An awful lot of your friends, neighbors and family members have b…
New Analysis Disputes Dogma that All Seniors Nee…
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) created a risk calculator that tells physicians and patients when someone should take a statin-type cholesterol-loweri…
How Could Heartburn Drug Help Plantar Warts?
Plantar warts, those that appear on the soles of the feet (and occasionally the palms of the hands), can be devilishly difficult to remove. Doctors sometimes use freezing or laser therapy, but even th…
Can Your Medicines Cause Insomnia?
Tens of millions of people have trouble sleeping every night. Many just can’t fall asleep. Others fall asleep just fine but wake up after a few hours and have a hard time getting back to sleep. What…
NasalCrom (Cromolyn Sodium) Is Surprisingly Help…
It is that time of year: sniffling, sneezing and snorting because of allergies. Such symptoms didn't used to be a big deal. During a time of COVID-19, though, people look at you with anxiety and trepi…
Beware Kidney Injury From the Triple Whammy!
Tens of millions of Americans are at risk for kidney injury. That's because they are taking a combination of drugs that researchers refer to as the "triple whammy" (Mathematical Biosciences, May, 2022…
Should You Take Aspirin for your Heart? Does You…
Aspirin is well over 100 years old, but scientists are still trying to figure out if it should be used to prevent heart attacks and strokes. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) was created …
Have You Had Lasting Pain from a Shot?
Every year, public health experts urge everyone who hasn't already been vaccinated to get a flu shot. People develop immunity within about two weeks of immunization. Most people expect to get the shot…
Tylenol & Alcohol: Acetaminophen Side Effec…
We keep getting questions from readers who want to know about taking Tylenol & alcohol together. You might think that this question would be easily resolved. The various Tylenol labels are a bit c…
Serious Side Effects of Voltaren Gel Are Scary!
Many people, including some health professionals, believe that the skin is a great barrier to topical drugs. They assume that only a little bit of the medicine gets into the blood stream. We have lear…
If Acetaminophen Is Killing People, Why Should Y…
Acetaminophen is considered one of the safest pain relievers in the pharmacy. That's partially because Tylenol is a household brand that most people take for granted. Unlike other over-the-counter pai…
Does Your Medicine Pose a Cancer Risk?
Most people take prescription medications to relieve symptoms or prevent serious health problems. Some of the best sellers include blood pressure medicines, acid-suppressors, diabetes drugs and medica…
Heartburn Drugs like PPIs Are Linked to Dementia
PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) are incredibly popular. Drugs like esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and omeprazole (Prilosec) used to be only available by prescription. Physicians loved th…
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 …
Should You Worry About Vision Loss from Viagra?
Drugs for erectile dysfunction have become very popular. They include avanafil (Stendra), tadalafil (Cialis), vardenafil (Levitra) and the original, sildenafil (Viagra). Such drugs are referred to as …
Reclast Side Effects Incapacitate Patient
Before agreeing to take any medication, people should be aware of the benefits and risks. There are a number of drugs that are used to combat osteoporosis, which is certainly a benefit. But all of the…
Pain Reliever Confusion: Aspirin | Advil | Aleve…
Walk into any pharmacy and you will find an aisle devoted to pain relief. There are so many brands and generic options that it could give you a headache just trying to figure out which of the many pro…
Popular Blood Pressure Pills Under Cancer Cloud
Nearly a decade ago, a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal blew the lid off a highly controversial internal squabble at the FDA involving a popular category of blood pressure medicines. ARBs (…
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,…
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…
PPIs and Kidney Damage | Nephrologist Spanks GI …
Many specialists live in silos. By that we mean they hang out with other experts just like themselves. They reinforce each other’s understanding of the world. These specialists may not spend a lot o…
Statins and Cataracts: Why Did It Take So Long t…
Lovastatin was the first of the new-generation statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs on the market. It was approved by the FDA for sale in 1987. Even before the drug was approved, however, studies in…
Do Statins Save Lives? Doctors Don’t Agree!
Many people wonder how effective statins are for preventing a heart attack in healthy people with high cholesterol. Even more important, do statins save lives in this population? There are few more co…
Is Dupixent a Super Solution for Bad Eczema?
Most people with eczema find it intensely frustrating. They itch, and their skin is often red with swollen patches. Medications may help soothe the irritation, but most patients don't know why they su…
Doctors and Patients Confused About Statins and …
Tens of millions of people take statins such as atorvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin. Most physicians acknowledge that they have patients who complain about muscle pain …
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…
Lisinopril Side Effects Can Be Life Threatening:…
Keeping blood pressure under control is extremely important, since hypertension (high blood pressure) is a risk factor for both stroke and heart disease. Finding the correct blood pressure medication …
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 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…
Xeljanz XR Side Effects and Complications for Tr…
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a challenging autoimmune disease. For reasons that remain mysterious, people with RA are the victims of an assault by their own immune system. Bones and joints are especia…
Amlodipine (Norvasc) Side Effects
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…
Zetia May Cause Muscle Problems
With so many drugs available to lower cholesterol, people naturally would like to know about the benefits and risks of each. We have written quite a bit about the side effects of statins such as atorv…