Clear Answers to Your Medication Questions So You Can Take Your Medicine Safely

Tag: FDA

FDA

Q: I take Tylenol® for fever or headaches because it doesn’t upset my stomach like ibuprofen does, but my sister-in-law insists that Tylenol® is dangerous. There is new evidence that Tylenol® is usually very safe to use but CAN cause severe liver damage if you are not careful. Tylenol® was first used as a pain …

The Dangers of Taking Tylenol and How to Avoid Them Read More »

Last year, Clarence, one of my patients asked me, “What do you think about the medicine Metanx®?” “I’m not familiar with it. Is it a supplement?” “No, you need a prescription for it. It helps nerve pain in diabetes.” Metanx®, contains only one ingredient: L-methylfolate, a close cousin to folic acid. Although folic acid is …

What is a Medical Food? Read More »

Q: Why are nicotinamide and niacinamide listed as Vitamin B3 in vitamin supplements instead of niacin? Nicotinamide, niacinamide, niacin and nicotinic acid are all names for vitamin B3. Vitamin B3 is actually two closely related compounds, niacin and niacinamide, with each version having two official names. When vitamin B was first discovered it was thought …

The Many Names for Vitamin B3 Read More »

Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium hosts Super Bowl LIV this weekend, pitting the champions of the American Football Conference Kansas City against the champions of the National Football Conference, the San Francisco 49ers.  It’s been 50 years since the Chiefs have played in the Super Bowl, when they beat the Minnesota Vikings for the Lombardi Trophy. …

Drug Advertising and the Super Bowl Read More »

Q: My insurance company stopped paying for the brand name medicine I have been taking for years because it’s now available as a generic. Within 2 weeks of starting on the generic version of my medicine my old symptoms started coming back. My doctor says that it’s the same medicine, but if that’s true, why …

Brand vs. Generic Medicines: is There Any Difference? Read More »

Q: I’d  like to try taking fish oil, but I get confused with all the different products available. How do I choose a good quality supplement at a reasonable price? With hundreds of plant and animal based products available, not only as individual agents but also in various concentrations and combinations, making a choice among …

Selecting a Supplement Read More »

6 am usually finds me in my kitchen in front of a rectangular appliance 14 inches high, blending hot milk and coffee to jump-start my brain. My brushed nickel Gaggio Classic espresso maker is my go-to kitchen appliance every morning, to help me create my favorite form of caffeine: a 16-ounce hazelnut flavored latte, extra …

When Caffeine Kills Read More »

Do you prefer to use an ATM machine instead of parking your car, walking into the bank and standing in line to get cash? Would you rather push a couple buttons on your cell phone or go looking for a pay phone to put a couple of quarters into? Yeah, me too. These are examples …

Hydrocodone and The Hassle Factor Read More »

Q: I always get a couple of pages of printed information about my medicine every time I get it refilled, but the print is so tiny I can barely make out the name of my pills at the top. There’s so many side effects listed, if I read them all I would be too scared …

The Fine Print Read More »

One of my friends swears that Bag Balm® is great for cuts, abrasions and dry skin on humans, not just in animals. Does it actually contain an antibiotic? Five years ago, my parents were forced to downsize, and I was assigned the job of cleaning out their medicine cabinet. Picking up a faded green square …

What’s in Bag Balm, Anyway? Read More »

Q: My husband doesn’t get a flu vaccine because he swears, “it gives me the flu”. Can the flu vaccine actually give you the flu? My husband believes this, too.  His memory of “getting the flu from the flu vaccine” is from getting the “swine flu” vaccine back in 1976. Because he remembers feeling sick …

Can The Flu Vaccine Give You The Flu? Read More »

A “flu shot” is different than other vaccines because the influenza virus is different. Vaccines against other viruses like measles, mumps, and chicken pox have stayed pretty much the same over the decades they have been in use. Influenza is different because it changes its shape almost continuously, and when it does, the vaccine against …

What Goes Into the Flu Vaccine? Read More »

ABOUT DR. LOUISE

Dr. Achey graduated from Washington State University’s school of pharmacy in 1979, and completed her Doctor of Pharmacy from Idaho State University in 1994.

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