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.
PPIs are Safe! No, PPIs are Dangerous! What to B…
Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are very popular for relieving symptoms of heartburn. That’s because drugs such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and omeprazole (Prilosec) are extremel…
Eye Drop Warning! FDA Lists 27 Worrisome Product…
Here we go again! Last summer dozens of Americans developed eye infections that were traced to contaminated eye drops. Some people suffered permanent loss of vision because of the infections. The FDA …
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…
Do Statins Increase the Risk for Diabetes or Not…
For years, the guidelines have been 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, ther…
25 Things FDA Must Do to Rebuild Its Reputation
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 You Read OTC Medication Labels? You Should!
Americans LOVE Drugs. I am not talking about getting high. I am talking about pills we purchase in pharmacies, convenience stores and online. According to a study published in the journal Demography (…
Can CoQ10 Prevent Statin-Associated Muscle Sympt…
Did you know that doctors have a name for statin-associated muscle symptoms? It’s called SAMS. You would be surprised how much controversy exists around this adverse reaction. Many clinical trials s…
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 …
Do Conflicts of Interest Distort Antidepressant …
How reliable are studies of medicines used to treat psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, panic or depression? A quick count of popular antidepressants reveals that more than 40 million Americans fi…
Can’t Pee (Urinary Retention) Due To Drug …
Have you ever had trouble urinating? If you cannot empty your bladder, the discomfort can quickly become unbearable. Doctors call this condition “urinary retention.” A person experiencing this pro…
How Can You Find a Legitimate Canadian Pharmacy?
The cost of brand name drugs has skyrocketed in the U.S. Many people are finding it hard to afford their medicines. That's especially true if the copay is very high or if an insurance program does not…
Show 1360: The Pros & Perils of OTC Drugs
In this broadcast, we answer listeners’ questions about over-the-counter drugs. If you have bought a medicine without a prescription, how do you use it wisely? Dr. Stefanie Ferreri, Distinguished Pr…
Is Lp(a) Contributing to Unexplained Heart Attac…
Are physicians overlooking a key risk factor for heart disease? Is Lp(a) contributing to unexplained heart attacks? For decades, doctors have focused primarily on LDL cholesterol as a determinant of c…
How Would You Know Whether Your Medicine Works?
The FDA assures Americans that its review process guarantees that “drugs are safe and effective.” But anyone who watches television knows from the drug commercials that the agency approves medic…
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…
Coated Aspirin Is No Guarantee of Safety
Familiarity breeds contempt, as the saying goes. Sometimes we think familiarity simply breeds a lack of caution. How could anything as ubiquitous as plain old aspirin be responsible for serious conse…
Denmark and Novo Nordisk Get Rich Because Americ…
The Danish pharmaceutical manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, has become one of Europe’s most successful companies. That's largely thanks to its diabetes drug Ozempic and its weight loss medication Wegovy. …
What Should You Know about New Antidepressant Sp…
The Food and Drug Administration approved a completely new type of antidepressant on March 4, 2019. The nasal spray called esketamine is supposed to help people who have not responded to standard anti…
Prednisone Side Effects Can Be Disastrous
Prednisone is one of the most prescribed drugs in the country. The last time I checked, more than 10 million people filled at least one prescription for this corticosteroid. Some people take it every …
Can Statins Cause Debilitating Muscle Pain?
At our last review, statins remain among the most prescribed drugs in the United States. Atorvastatin (Lipitor) was big # 1. Over 26 million people take this drug daily. More than 114 million prescrip…
Show 1358: Upsides and Downsides of Immune-Modif…
This week’s radio show features one of our favorite guests, Dr. Robynne Chutkan. She is a gastroenterologist in Washington, DC and is a brilliant communicator. You may want to listen to it through y…
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…
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…
Beware of Sudden and Unexpected Psychiatric Drug…
Times are tough! There is a lot to worry about, from financial challenges and political turmoil to unusual weather patterns and health concerns. It’s hardly any wonder that tens of millions of Ameri…
Where Can I Find a List of Anticholinergic Drugs…
Anything that interferes with the crucial neurotransmitter acetylcholine can be bad for the brain. A great many medications have what has been called "anticholinergic" activity. Research has verified …
Coconut for Crohn’s Supported by Science
In 1998 we received an intriguing letter from a reader of our syndicated newspaper column. Donald Agar, from Pittsfield, MA, contacted us to say he had finally overcome a long-standing battle with inf…
Which Medicines Can Cause Severe Depression? Weg…
Most people experience sadness or depression sometime during their lives. Divorce, the death of a loved one, work-related problems or financial setbacks can all trigger severe depression. Once the cri…
Is Aspirin a Miracle or a Menace?
Here’s a quick drug quiz: How many medicines do you know that are over 120 years old, are readily available and cost a few pennies a pill? And that’s for the brand, not the generic. As far as we c…
What Accounts for Blood Tests Showing Liver Fail…
Liver failure is a frightening situation. This organ protects your body from toxins and provides many enzymes crucial to the digestive process. Consequently, when blood tests show liver failure, patie…
Can Your Medicine Cause Confusion or Memory Loss…
Have you ever experienced trouble finding the right word? What about forgetting someone’s name you should know? How about having a hard time finding your car at the supermarket or airport? Most of t…
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…
Unbearable Itching After Stopping Antihistamines…
This website is devoted to helping people make informed decisions about their health. To do that, people need information from health professionals and other patients. Over the years, more than 30 mil…
Lisinopril and Angioedema: A Life-Threatening Si…
Lisinopril is the most frequently prescribed blood pressure pill in the United States. At last count, about 20 million Americans take this ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitor daily. We estim…
Will Naloxone (Narcan) Really Save Lives?
I first heard about naloxone in graduate school over 50 years ago. It was relatively new, having been granted FDA approval in 1971. The Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical…
Antidepressant Combination (Amitriptyline &…
Mixing and matching medications can lead to pharmaceutical mess ups. This is especially true when the drugs do not go well together. We have been writing about dangerous drug interactions for about 50…
The Fuss Over Amalgam Fillings Intensifies
Several years ago we cited a report from Greg Gordon published by the Tribune News Service. The headline in the Spokesman-Review (July 23, 2015) was "FDA Proposal To Curb Mercury Fillings Killed." Mr.…
Can Raising the Head of the Bed Beat Insomnia?
Most of us have had at least a few nights with insomnia. Too many people have trouble with chronic sleeping problems. Often they rely on pills such as benzodiazepines to put them to sleep. Could they …
Will Asthma Inhalers Weaken Bones?
What should you do if a drug you take for one health problem puts you at risk for another condition? We wish this question were purely hypothetical, but all too often a medicine like prednisone (which…
Is Aspirin Underutilized for Preventing Second H…
Aspirin has a long history, loaded with controversy over its benefits and risks. Chemists originally synthesized the compound, acetylsalicylic acid, in 1899. Very soon thereafter, the Bayer company ma…
Aduhelm for Alzheimer’s: Breakthrough or Boond…
The FDA created a firestorm of controversy on June 7, 2021. That's when it announced it was approving Aduhelm (aducanumab) "...for the treatment of Alzheimer's, a debilitating disease affecting 6.2 mi…