Q. I have been troubled with "sour stomach" throughout my life. Even the tiniest burp smells like sulfurous rotten eggs and can be smelled across large rooms. I also pass huge amounts of foul-smelling gas. My body has turned into... (Read More)
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Pharmacy Q&A
Q. I'm a 28-year-old male and I've never had much of a sex drive. I recently learned from a family member that my mother, believing it curbed sexual appetite, dosed my brother and me with a spoonful or two of... (Read More)
Q. I take atenolol for high blood pressure. I would like to take something to help me lose weight, and I have seen that I can buy Meridia online. When I looked for more information, I read it should not... (Read More)
Q. I have been haunted with RLS (restless leg syndrome) for years. I took the drug Mirapex, only to get all the side effects: gambling, overeating and obsessing about sex. The drug totally ruined my life. What can you tell... (Read More)
Q. How can I tell if my apartment is infested with bedbugs? A friend has just gone through a nightmare experience trying to get rid of them. She had to throw out her mattress, couch and other furniture, have the... (Read More)
Q. I have been treated for an overactive bladder by two urologists. I took several different prescription medications with no relief but many side effects. I told my doctors that I have noticed (like the runner in your column) that... (Read More)
Q. I've had a cold and have been coughing and stuffed up for days. I have read that using nasal sprays can be addictive. Cough medicines are not helping much either. I would prefer some natural approaches that don't cause... (Read More)
Q. I know there is controversy over the stop-smoking drug called Chantix. I started smoking when I was 11 and just turned 60. Never in a million years did I ever think I would be able to quit smoking, nor... (Read More)
Q. Why don't over-the-counter medications (such as famotidine) have to show who makes them or in what country they are made? Almost any other product, from shoes to bananas, must give this information. Is there a loophole in the law?... (Read More)
Q. Years ago, my cholesterol was in the stratosphere and Lopid (gemfibrozil) was ineffective. When Lipitor (atorvastatin) became available, the doctor prescribed it to be taken as well. It certainly gave amazing results, with the cholesterol count dropping like a... (Read More)
Q. I am a preschool teacher and have to wash my hands dozens of times a day in the attempt to avoid colds and flu. I am suffering the worst case of dried-out winter skin I can remember with deep... (Read More)
Q. You have written about the difficulties some patients have in getting specific doses of Armour Thyroid. Many of these patients might consider having desiccated natural thyroid compounded for them. At our compounding pharmacy, we have been formulating all the... (Read More)
Q. I have just been diagnosed with high blood pressure (145/95). My doctor and I are trying to find a medicine that agrees with me. I'm currently trying the third one. The first was an ACE inhibitor that made me... (Read More)
Q. I started suffering from horrible headaches at climax about seven or eight years ago. I told my doctor, but he had never heard of the problem. He ran some tests that came up negative and prescribed a migraine medication... (Read More)
Q. I wake up slowly in the morning and often take about a half hour before I want to get out of bed. I almost always get eight hours of good sleep. My slow rising irritates my wife, as she... (Read More)
Q. I am 62 years old and just had my second bone density test. I was told I have osteopenia and should take Boniva. I have been lactose intolerant for many years. Consuming milk gives me smelly gas, unbearable constipation... (Read More)
Q. My partner just ate one Brazil nut, and within minutes his tongue swelled to five times its thickness and double its width. He could barely talk. He took an antihistamine (chlorpheniramine) and we called the doctor. The doctor said... (Read More)
Q. My nose gets terribly dry in the winter and I frequently get nosebleeds. I used to use Vicks VapoRub to moisturize it but read in your column this is a bad idea. My doctor told me to use K-Y... (Read More)
Q. I have suffered from acid reflux for about six months, and it kept getting worse and worse. Nothing that I tried was helping. I read some comments on your Web site that Ambien might cause heartburn. The light bulb... (Read More)
Q. I suffered from cluster headaches for 14 years. Some doctors said the pain was psychosomatic. Others told me I was allergic to chocolate. Once I actually put a pistol to my head to kill myself because the pain was... (Read More)
Q. I have GERD and I have been on Nexium for several years. Before Nexium I took Tagamet, Zantac, and Prilosec, in that order. I have tried to get off of this medicine several times, and I have been unsuccessful... (Read More)
Q. I am 23 years old and I just learned I have herpes. I feel like my life is over. I fear no one will ever want to date me again. I'm not promiscuous at all. It only took one... (Read More)
Q. My 31-year-old sister is an alcoholic. She has been to two rehab facilities within the last year. My parents and I have been very supportive and paid her bills for those. She has lived with both of us, but... (Read More)
Q. When Armour thyroid disappeared, my doctor used a conversion chart to try to get the same dose for me as my Armour. So far, my hair is thinning, my fingernails are peeling back layer by layer, and I have... (Read More)
Q. I want to share a remedy for mid-life vaginal dryness. Suddenly last year at 54, I realized that regular lubricants such as KY Jelly were no longer working for me. Then I found Replens at the drugstore. This is... (Read More)
Q. People with high drug bills are sometimes told to seek a "Patient Assistance Program." The drug companies run these to provide free medicine for people who qualify. It sounds great, but for me they have not been so helpful.... (Read More)
Q. Is there a neck and head exercise that helps relieve vertigo? I thought I read something to that effect. Drugs like meclizine do not help. A. A lot depends on the reason for the vertigo. If it is due... (Read More)
Q. Could you please clear something up for once and for all. Is there really a connection between drinking fruit or vegetable juices out of aluminum cans and developing Alzheimer's disease? A. It is unlikely that drinking fruit or vegetable... (Read More)
Q. Is there anything new on the generic version of Wellbutrin XL? My wife had done well on the brand name and then the Watson generic bupropion for several years. She was abruptly switched to Teva Budeprion last spring. Gradually,... (Read More)
Q. I take hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) and lisinopril to control high blood pressure. My doctor says I am pre-diabetic and encouraged me to consult a dietitian for advice on diet to prevent diabetes. The nutritionist warned me that HCTZ could raise... (Read More)