Category: Medications - Page 3
How to Bring a Caregiver or Advocate to Medication Appointments
Bringing a caregiver or advocate to medication appointments reduces errors, improves understanding, and ensures safer treatment. Learn how to prepare, what to ask, and who can help you stay on track with your meds.
Understanding FDA Generic Approval: An Easy Overview
Learn how the FDA ensures generic drugs are just as safe and effective as brand-name medications. Understand the approval process, why generics cost less, and what you need to know as a patient.
Osteoporosis and Bisphosphonate Therapy: What You Need to Know About Bone Density Loss and Treatment
Osteoporosis causes silent bone loss that leads to fractures. Bisphosphonates are the most common treatment, reducing fracture risk by up to 50%. Learn how they work, their side effects, alternatives, and when to take a drug holiday.
Selegiline Transdermal and Serotonergic Drugs: How to Avoid Dangerous Interactions
Selegiline transdermal (EMSAM) reduces dietary risks but still causes deadly serotonin syndrome when mixed with common antidepressants, painkillers, or OTC cough syrup. Learn the exact drugs to avoid, washout periods, and what to do if you’ve mixed them.
Systemic Antifungals and Statins: What You Need to Know About Dangerous Drug Interactions
Systemic antifungals like azoles can dangerously raise statin levels, leading to muscle damage or rhabdomyolysis. Learn which combinations to avoid, safer alternatives, and what to do if you're on both.
How to Read FDA Safety Communications for Your Medications
Learn how to read FDA safety communications about your medications. Understand Boxed Warnings, labeling changes, and what to do when a drug you take gets a safety update.
NSAID Safety: Understanding GI Risks, Kidney Effects, and Essential Monitoring
NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen are common pain relievers, but they carry serious risks for your stomach and kidneys-often without symptoms. Learn how to use them safely and what monitoring you need.
Bedtime vs Morning Dosing: Reduce Daytime Side Effects of Blood Pressure Meds
Taking blood pressure meds in the morning can cause dizziness and fatigue during the day. Switching to bedtime dosing may reduce these side effects for many people - without increasing nighttime risks. Here’s what the latest research and real patient experiences show.
Compounding Pharmacies: What to Do When Your Medication Is Unavailable
When your medication runs out and no replacement is available, compounding pharmacies can create custom doses tailored to your needs-free of allergens, in easier forms, and precisely dosed. Here’s how they work and when to use them.
Extended-Release vs. Immediate-Release Medications: When Timing Matters for Safety and Effectiveness
Extended-release and immediate-release medications work differently-and mixing them up can be dangerous. Learn when each type is safer, more effective, and what risks to watch for.