In March, the Food and Drug Administration added semaglutide to its drug shortages list. That means the pricey popular prescription drug—sold as Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss—could be purchased from compounding pharmacies. Here’s what to know about buying any medicines from compounding pharmacies...or from websites you find online.
People who take proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Prilosec, Prevacid, or Nexium were no more likely to die of cancer or cardiovascular, respiratory, or digestive disease over 14 years once researchers excluded those who started PPIs within 6 years of dying (since illness, not PPIs, might have raised their risk).
In May, the Food and Drug Administration approved tirzepatide—which patients inject under their skin weekly—to treat type 2 diabetes, because in clinical trials it cut hemoglobin A1c levels (a long-term measure of blood sugar) even more than taking insulin. The FDA has not yet approved tirzepatide for weight loss. But that may soon happen.
Roughly 40 percent of U.S. adults have obesity. Another 30 percent have overweight. Extra pounds raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, several cancers, and more. Here’s the latest on what’s driving weight gain and two new medications that may revolutionize its treatment.
We’ve all been there. A bit too much yard work, lifting, or who-knows-what, and you’re hunched over with pain in your lower back. In most cases, the pain goes away quickly. But sometimes it lingers, often without a cause that anyone can pinpoint. Here’s what to know about back pain.
Roughly a quarter of adults aged 40 and older report taking a low-dose aspirin every day. “A lot of people think of aspirin almost like a vitamin,” says Amit Khera, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “But it’s a medicine with both benefits and side effects.” Here’s what you need to know about aspirin and your heart.
If you don’t need a fever and pain reducer and a cough suppressant and an expectorant and a nasal decongestant, you’re exposing yourself to drugs—and side effects—you may not need if you take a combination cold-and-flu formula like Mucinex All in One.
If every tickle in your throat, slight headache, or mild cough sets off alarm bells these days, you’re not alone. It can be tricky to tell the difference between a cold, the flu, and Covid-19.
The good news: Simple precautions that can curb the spread of Covid-19—like wearing a mask, social distancing, and frequent hand washing—can also lower your risk of catching a cold or the flu. Just don’t put much stock in “immune boosting” claims about foods or supplements.
Can anything soothe symptoms or shorten your illness? Here’s what we know.
