Medications and treatments Archive

Antidepressants are used to treat chronic pain even in people who do not have depression. A 2023 study found that serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors were the most effective and treated the largest number of pain conditions.

Otherwise healthy men treated with prescription drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction had a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes, or death from heart-related causes.

A 2023 study found that cannabis-related visits to hospital emergency departments skyrocketed among adults ages 65 and older from 2005 through 2019.

Prehabilitation, or prehab, involves a wide range of steps to take before surgery to maximize recovery afterward. Prehab components include nutritional support, strength and fitness, blood sugar control, medication management, smoking cessation, pain management, and delirium prevention. Research suggests prehab can increase the odds people will heal faster, experience fewer complications, and recover more smoothly over all.

By age 75, about half of all Americans develop at least one cataract, a cloudy area in the eye's lens that can make it harder to read, do handiwork, golf, or drive. Stopgap measures—such as using brighter lights, avoiding nighttime driving, or wearing tinted glasses to reduce glare—can delay the need for cataract surgery. Cataract surgery has evolved to offer a variety of artificial lens options to replace the natural lens removed. Most lenses can reduce the need for glasses or contact lenses. People should check their health insurance coverage since most advanced lenses aren't covered.

Ovarian cancer, which claims about 13,000 lives each year, is hard to detect in early stages. Recent guidance from professional groups recommends removing fallopian tubes to help prevent ovarian cancer if women are undergoing gynecologic surgery and are finished with childbearing.

Coronary artery calcium scans tend to be quite accurate. Unlike some other imaging tests, the results are unlikely to be either falsely negative or falsely positive because the results are literally black and white (the calcium shows up as white on the scan).

Sinus problems are common, especially those caused by allergies, which affect some 40% of American adults. They often manifest as stuffiness, congestion, or a reduced sense of smell. Sinus problems most commonly fall into three categories: acute viral infections, allergy triggered inflammation, and chronic sinus infections.

In people with obesity, a high-dose weekly injection of the diabetes drug semaglutide caused a 15% weight loss and improved other heart-related risk factors. Semaglutide works by mimicking a substance called GLP-1, which is made naturally by the gut and the brain. It prods the pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar rises too high, reduces appetite, and makes people feel full following a meal.

A 2022 study found that among adults 65 and older who undergo major surgery, nearly one in seven dies within a year. Dementia or frailty greatly increase the odds of postoperative death.