RSSDrugs & Medicines
Full Without Food: Drug Therapy May Someday Replace Obesity Surgery
Claire Ainsworth
We're now starting to realize that the gut plays a bigger role in appetite and blood-sugar regulation than previously thought. Several groups are trying to develop drugs that enable people to get the effects of surgery without having to undergo any operation.
Prescriptions
Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before You Fill That Prescription
Deborah Kotz
Don't just swallow every pill your doctor orders without a second thought. Make an effort to educate yourself by asking about your prescriptions
Managing Pain: How to Use Prescription Drugs Without Becoming Addicted
January W. Payne
Prescription drug abuse has long been a problem for everyday Americans as well as pill-popping celebrities. About 48 million people, or 20 percent of Americans over age 12, have taken prescription medications -- often, the painkillers called opioids -- for nonmedical reasons. Here's how to use prescription drugs without becoming addicted
Be smart if you take prescription opioids or find alternative forms of relief
January W. Payne
Michael Jackson's death has brought renewed attention to prescription drug abuse, which has long been a problem for everyday Americans as well as pill-popping celebrities.
Symptoms From Antidepressant Withdrawal Can Be Reduced By Tapering
Elliott Richelson, M.D., Psychiatry & Pharmacology, Mayo Clinic
I'm taking an antidepressant and am concerned that when my doctor instructs me to quit taking it I'll go through withdrawal. Can this happen? What can I expect?
Gardasil Side Effects Tough to Monitor
Deborah Kotz
Gardasil, the vaccine that protects against the cervical-cancer-causing human papillomavirus, got a bit of a smack-down from two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Associationdetailing safety risks associated with ...
Why You Should Think Twice Before Using Alli or Other Weight Loss Aids
Deborah Kotz
When it comes to losing weight, we'd all love that quick fix: a pill, shake, heck, even surgery to ease our efforts. Unfortunately, weight-loss aids -- even when approved by the Food and Drug Administration -- come with risks as well as benefits.
Ask the Harvard Experts: Pros and Cons of an Insulin Pump
Mary Pickett, M.D.
Advantages and disadvantages of switching to an insulin pump rather than continuing with multiple daily injections
Mayo Clinic: Little Known About Long-Term Antidepressant Use
J. Michael Bostwick, M.D.
Unfortunately, we don't know much about long-term problems that could come from taking antidepressants. In the United States, some antidepressants have been available for more than 50 years. Newer antidepressants -- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac, Lexapro, Luvox, and others -- are around 20 years old
3 Lousy Reasons to Consider an Antidepressant Medication
Lindsay Lyon
New research shows Americans have become increasingly accepting of psychiatric medications such as antidepressants,
the use of which is on the rise. For some people, the drugs are essential. But others appear willing to use antidepressants for reasons
that experts say may be unwise. Antidepressants are the most routinely prescribed class of drugs in
Principles of Conservative Prescribing: Do You Really Need All Those Pills
Harvard Health Letter
People who genuinely need medications should take them; indeed, getting people to take medications as prescribed is a persistent problem. But there's some questioning of prescribing practices these days, much of it inspired by a growing conviction that American health care has become too dependent on expensive medications.
Weight Loss Drugs & Diet Pills Have Many Drawbacks
Mary Pickett, M.D.
I wish we had a diet pill that could help people lose weight easily. None of the medicines on the market are worth using, if you ask me
Does Blood Pressure Medication Cause Weight Gain
Some blood pressure drugs, particularly Cardura and Inderal, can cause weight gain, even up to 10 pounds a month in some susceptible individuals. But there are ways to control it ...
New Guidelines Refine Aspirin Prescription
Aspirin was once used mainly to relieve pain, ease fever, and get rid of hangovers. Today it's best known for its ability to protect hearts. This 100-year-old drug is a mainstay for treating heart attacks, and it also helps ward off heart attacks and the most common kind of stroke. But limited evidence on aspirin's preventive effects has made it difficult for experts to give encompassing recommendations about who benefits from daily aspirin and how much to take.
10 Ways to Get Your Omega-3s Without a Pill
Sarah Baldauf
Omega-3 supplements are everywhere, but do you really need one? You've heard--perhaps many times over--that omega-3 fatty acids are essential to good health, and solid research supports some heart-protective attributes. But it can be a challenge to get enough in one's diet
First international study on the prevention of diabetes; Better and more cost-effective treatment possible. Patients with impaired glucose tolerance who receive treatment with acarbose at an early stage can not only prevent type II (adult-onset) diabetes from developing but can also drastically lower the risk of cardiovascular complications such as myocardial infarction. These findings of the large-scale international STOP-NIDDM Study were recently presented at the 21st International Bayer Pharma Press Seminar in Munich. "The clock starts ticking long before diabetes is diagnosed," warned the Principal Investigator of the Study, Professor Jean-Louis Chiasson from Montreal, Canada. According to Professor Chiasson, the findings of the STOP-NIDDM Study confirm that impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), a condition regarded as a precursor stage to diabetes, has to be treated at an early stage if cardiovascular complications which frequently take a fatal course are to be avoided.
West Nile Virus Underlines Threat From Mosquito-Borne Diseases
West Nile virus is spreading rapidly across the United States and poses a significant threat to human health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
New Tool for Mammography Can Help Detect Breast Cancer More Effectively
The government re-affirmed the importance of early breast cancer detection with its recent update to guidelines recommending that women age 40 and older have mammograms. A new computer-aided tool can make mammograms even better by highlighting potential areas of concern, and ultimately increasing early detection.
Insect Repellent Helps Prevent Insect-Borne Diseases - Naturally
Many people are changing their perceptions about mosquitoes - from an itchy annoyance to a potential health risk. Already this year, reports of mosquito-borne encephalitis (West Nile and St. Louis) have been recorded in central Florida and Louisiana. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 20,000 confirmed cases of insect-related illnesses in humans are reported each year.
Drinking Purple Grape Juice Reduces Breast Cancer Cell Growth in Animal Study
A new study finds that drinking purple grape juice reduces breast cancer cell growth in animal study.
Stress & the Expectant Working Mom
For nearly one million working women who become pregnant each year, juggling stress in the workplace along with stress that comes with being pregnant can be a tall order. First among them is how to work and manage a healthy pregnancy at the same time.
People With Diabetes Fear Disability More Than Death
Singing Artist Gladys Knight Urges Americans with Diabetes to "Know More, Do More" to Reduce Their Risk of Deadly Heart Attacks and Strokes
AdvaMed Highlights How Medical Technologies Play a Key Role in Combating Bioterrorism
New medical technologies are under development to improve detection, prevention, and surveillance of bioterrorist attacks, health care experts reported at a recent meeting of the U.S. House of Representatives Medical Technology Caucus on Capitol Hill.
New Hope for Women with Advanced Breast Cancer
FemaraŽ (letrozole tablets) Data Demonstrate Survival Advantage in First-Line Hormonal Treatment of Post-Menopausal Women with Advanced Breast Cancer
Kids Are Not As Healthy And Fit As They Could Be
Health and Fitness Habits Get Worse As Kids Enter The Teen Years. Are children leading healthy lifestyles? Not always, according to a new survey.
Surgeon General Releases Preliminary Findings On Health Disparities and Mental Retardation
Comments from Surgeon General David Satcher at the conference on Health Disparities and Mental Retardation at a news conference in Washington, D.C.