Medications and treatments Archive

A 2024 analysis of 137 studies involving almost 90,000 people found that older drugs called triptans are more effective at stopping migraine pain in a moment of agony, compared with newer medications such as ditans and gepants.

The two main side effects caused by statins are muscle aches (which disappear once the drug is stopped) and a higher risk of diabetes (which is most common in people with obesity and prediabetes).

Problems with attention and focus, impulsivity, and constant motion are possible symptoms of ADHD.

Most men over 50 will develop an enlarged prostate. Many different therapies are available, including medications and various types of surgery. Aquablation is gaining in popularity, and a recent study showed that improvements in urinary function from aquablation were still holding up after five years.

Almost anyone who's bothered by the function or appearance of falling upper eyelids is a candidate for a surgery called upper blepharoplasty. It takes place in an outpatient surgery center. During the procedure, a surgeon makes incisions along the upper eyelid's natural folds, removes excess skin (and sometimes underlying fat) from the upper eyelids, and then closes the incisions with stitches. Recovery lasts two to four weeks. The procedure might be covered by insurance if sagging eyelids interfere with vision.

The FDA has approved three GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs for weight loss. The drugs not only lower blood sugar and weight, but also quiet inflammation, stimulate the production of antioxidants, help repair damaged DNA, and slow the aging of the body's cells. Evidence suggests that among people who use the drugs for diabetes and obesity, the drugs reduce the risks of kidney disease progression, heart attack, death from heart disease, death from COVID-19, and death from all causes by 15% to 35%.

A small randomized trial in 2024 found that both self-adjustment and in-situ audiometry were effective strategies to match self-fitting hearing aids to personal hearing needs. However, self-adjustment devices had the best satisfaction rates and consistent use.

Treatments for severe carotid stenosis include a catheter-based procedure to insert a stent inside the carotid (carotid artery stenting) or surgery to remove the plaque inside the artery (carotid endarterectomy).

At some point, most older adults experience the occasional "senior moment" where they misplace an everyday object, lose their train of thought during a conversation, or forget why they walked into a room. Memory lapses like this are part of normal aging, but the problem can be exacerbated by issues like depression, stress, poor sleep, and medication side effects. If these episodes become so frequent or substantial that they interfere with a person's daily life or safety, it's time to see a doctor.