GoodRx • April 18, 2024

What is GABA? 6 Things to Know About This Calming Chemical Messenger

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a chemical in your body that helps nerves communicate. It’s best known for playing a calming role in the brain and body. But low GABA levels are associated with several health conditions. Some medications can affect GABA levels or mimic its calming effects. You may even see GABA supplements on the shelves of your local pharmacy. But what exactly is GABA? And how does it affect your health? Here, we’ll cover six things to know about this important chemical messenger.

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Medical News Today • April 17, 2024

Vowst: Dosage, side effects, uses, interactions, and more

Vowst is a brand-name biologic drug. The active ingredient is fecal microbiota spores, live-brpk. (The reason “-brpk” appears at the end of the drug’s name is to show that the drug is distinct from similar medications that may be created in the future.) Vowst is not currently available in a version. Biologic drugs are made from living cells. Traditional (nonbiologic) drugs are usually made from chemicals. A generic is an exact copy of the active ingredient in a traditional brand-name medication.

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Rite Aid • April 4, 2024

How Often Do You Need to Get the Shingles Vaccine?

How long does the shingles vaccine last — and do you need it? This article addresses frequently asked questions if you get the shingles vaccine.

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Healthline • March 31, 2024

Duopa and Dosage: Form, Strength, How It's Given, and More

Duopa (carbidopa/levodopa) is a prescription drug used to treat advanced Parkinson’s disease. The drug comes as a liquid suspension. It’s given over 16 hours each day through a tube that goes into your small intestine. Specifically, Duopa is used to treat motor fluctuations in adults with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). Duopa contains two active ingredients* that work together to increase dopamine levels in the brain: • levodopa, which belongs to a group of drugs called dopamine precursors • carbidopa, which belongs to a group of drugs called decarboxylase inhibitors This article describes the dosages of Duopa, as well as its strength and how to take it. To learn more about this medication, see this in-depth article.

GoodRx • March 14, 2024

8 Famciclovir (Famvir) Side Effects You Should Know About

Famciclovir (Famvir) is an antiviral medication used to treat herpes virus infections, such as genital herpes, cold sores, and shingles in adults. You’ll usually take a short course of famciclovir to treat herpes infections. But you can also take it daily to prevent future outbreaks. Whether you’re taking famciclovir short or long term, it’s helpful to know about its possible side effects. Keep in mind that brand-name Famvir is no longer available. So we’ll refer to it as famciclovir, the available generic form.

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Medical News Today • February 21, 2024

Augtyro: Cost, dosage, side effects, uses, interactions, and more

Augtyro is a brand-name oral capsule that’s prescribed for a specific type of lung cancer. Augtyro contains the active ingredient repotrectinib. Augtyro is FDA-approved to treat non-small cell lung cancer in adults in certain situations. Specifically, the cancer must be advanced or metastatic and have a specific genetic mutation. For more details, see the “Augtyro’s uses” section below. The Augtyro dosage your doctor prescribes will depend on several factors. These include: • other medical cond

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Managed Healthcare Executive • February 14, 2024

Mouse Model Sheds Light on How Lung Adenocarcinoma Can Transform into a More Aggressive Type of Lung Cancer

Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for 40% of cases. It's a form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that can occur in people with or without a history of smoking. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are the most common oncogenes in NSCLC, which drive cancer growth. Initial treatments for lung adenocarcinomas may be effective at first, but sometimes these tumors can respond by turning into small cell lung cancer (SCLC), a more aggressive and d

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US News & World Report • February 6, 2024

8 Best Motion Sickness Medicines: Pharmacist Picks 2023

Dimenhydrinate, the ingredient in products like Dramamine Original, is similar to the antihistamine diphenhydramine. In fact, your body converts dimenhydrinate into diphenhydramine after you take it. Common side effects include sleepiness, dry mouth, fatigue and blurred vision. Older adults should avoid dimenhydrinate due to the risk of drowsiness and increased risk of falling. You’ll need to take dimenhydrinate at least 30 minutes before travel for it to work effectively to prevent or minimize

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Verywell Health • January 17, 2024

Suboxone for Opioid Addiction: How It Works

When someone uses opioids in a problematic or addictive pattern that impacts their daily life, it's called opioid use disorder (OUD), otherwise known as opioid dependence. In the worst of scenarios, OUD may lead to an opioid overdose, which can be fatal. Healthcare providers diagnose this disorder based on specific criteria, such as unsuccessful attempts to reduce or quit opioid use and social problems or difficulties at work, school, or home. Suboxone is a medication prescribed to treat OUD

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Healthline • January 11, 2024

Eligard Dosage: Form, Strengths, How it's Given, and More

Eligard (leuprolide acetate) is a drug prescribed to treat advanced prostate cancer. It’s given as an injection under the skin by a healthcare professional. How often you receive Eligard depends on the dosage you’re prescribed.

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Managed Healthcare Executive • January 3, 2024

Promising Trial Results for New Drug Under Investigation for Small Cell Lung Cancer

The FDA has granted priority review to Amgen's application for tarlatamab, an investigational therapy for advanced small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The FDA's priority review designation indicates the need for new treatment options in this patient population. SCLC is a particularly aggressive form of lung cancer with a 5-year relative survival rate of 7%. Current treatments have limited success in advanced stages of the disease. Tarlatamab is a type of immunotherapy drug called a bispecific T-cel

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Medical News Today • December 14, 2023

Bimzelx: Dosage, side effects, uses, cost, interactions, and more

The following information describes Bimzelx dosages that are commonly prescribed or recommended. However, be sure to follow the dosage your doctor prescribes for you. Your doctor will determine the best dosage for your needs, which may depend on your body weight. Bimzelx comes in the following forms and strengths: • single-dose prefilled syringe in one strength of 160 milligrams in 1 milliliter (mg/mL) • single-dose prefilled auto-injector in one strength of 160 mg/mL Both forms of Bimzelx come

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Verywell Health • October 19, 2023

How Long Will Amoxicillin Last?

Amoxicillin is a commonly prescribed antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. Amoxicillin is a generic medication taken by mouth, either as a capsule, tablet, chewable tablet, or liquid suspension. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved amoxicillin to treat specific bacterial infection of the ears, nose, throat, the urinary tract, the skin, and the lower respiratory tract. The drug is also approved to treat gonorrhea in certain situations. If a healthcare provider gives you

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US News & World Report • October 12, 2023

10 Best Cough Drops & Lozenges: Pharmacist Picks 2023

A cough is your body’s natural way of clearing your airways and throat. Coughing has many possible triggers, such as pollen and other allergens, smoking, certain medications or short-term respiratory tract infections, like the flu or common cold. Everyone coughs sometimes. Coughing leads to up to 30 million clinical visits per year, making it one of the most common medical complaints, according to the National Library of Medicine. An acute cough – a cough lasting less than three weeks – usually

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Healthy Hearing • August 9, 2023

Caffeine and hearing loss

What the research says about caffeine, hearing loss and tinnitus Wondering how caffeine intake might affect your hearing, especially when it comes to hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears)? What about Meniere's disease? This isn't a heavily studied topic of research, and for the most part, it does not seem that caffeine intake plays a big role in hearing health overall. Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in coffee, tea and chocolate. It's also an added ingredient to energy drinks as

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Verywell Health • August 9, 2023

Rybelsus vs. Ozempic: What's the Difference?

As a byproduct of increased marketing and a social media presence, more people are becoming interested in a class of prescription drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, non-insulin type 2 diabetes medications that help to lower blood sugar and expedite weight loss. Some of the medicines in this group are very similar, such as Rybelsus (semaglutide) and Ozempic (semaglutide), making it difficult to know which one might be right for you. A healthcare provider can help you determ

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Health Guide • August 8, 2023

How To Inject Wegovy: Tips To Take Wegovy From a Pharmacist

is a once-weekly injection healthcare providers can prescribe to help people with . The thought of injecting yourself can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before, but there are ways to make the process quick and easy. Keep reading to learn more about Wegovy (semaglutide) and how to administer it safely and effectively. Wegovy is a brand-name prescription drug. It contains the active ingredient semaglutide. Wegovy belongs to a popular class of medications known as . To take W

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Health Guide • August 8, 2023

Can Ozempic Cause Headaches?

is an injectable prescription medication that treats type 2 diabetes and can be prescribed off-label for . But like many medications, Ozempic can have possible side effects but is a headache one of them? The answer is, not directly. However, some of Ozempic’s known side effects can lead to headaches. Keep reading to learn more about headaches as a potential side effect of Ozempic and what to do about them. Ozempic is a brand-name prescription drug. It contains the active ingredient and belongs

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Drug Topics • July 6, 2023

How Well Does Disease-Modifying Therapy Work for Older Adults with MS?

Discontinuation of disease-modifying therapy leads to only minimally increased risk of disease progression in older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study published in Lancet Neurology1. There is no known cure for MS, but numerous disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are available that are proven to significantly reduce the risks of recurrent attacks and MRI changes associated with progressive disease. Onset and progression of MS occurs primarily in young and middle-aged

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Verywell Health • July 5, 2023

Comparing Pregabalin vs. Gabapentin

Gabapentin and pregabalin are similar drugs but differ in several distinct ways. The main differences are their indications—specific uses that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved them to treat—and their dosages. Gabapentin and pregabalin are FDA-approved to treat some of the same conditions, including postherpetic neuralgia in adults. Both drugs are also indicated to treat partial seizures in adults and certain children with epilepsy (a seizure disorder) when taken along with o