Our offices are packed with folks “getting things done” before the end of the year because they’ve met their deductible and things are “free” now. Here’s what you can think about cramming in before 2019 starts. 1) Take a shot! Immunizations. Make sure your vaccines are up to date. That means Tdap, Shingrix, Pneumovax 23,…

Everyone agrees that more transparency on drug prices is a good idea. Who’d argue against letting the public know what a drug costs? But nothing is simple when it comes to prescription medication prices, starting with the most basic question: What, exactly, is a drug’s price? In recent weeks, the Trump Administration has pushed to…

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can be caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi. Symptoms include a high fever, respiratory issues and chest pain, making this infection especially dangerous for young children and older adults. Currently, there are two vaccines approved by the FDA for the prevention of pneumonia caused by pneumococcal bacteria: Pneumovax 23…

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories just voluntarily recalled over 35,000 tubes of nystatin/triamcinolone after it failed a routine manufacturing test. Nystatin/triamcinolone cream is used to treat a common skin infection known as cutaneous candidiasis. This is a class II recall, the most common type of recall, which means that the recalled tubes of nystatin/triamcinolone may cause a…

Let’s start with the fact that Marinol is FDA approved for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and anorexia from AIDS. Currently, there is no FDA approved medical indication for prescribing marijuana. So, why is one approved and not the other? Do they work? And what are their differences? What is Marinol? Marinol is an FDA-approved medication…

Over the past year, both Cialis and Viagra went generic, making erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs less expensive. This got us wondering, as more men are able to afford their ED drugs, which states are filling the most prescriptions for them? As it turns out, since January 2018, 0.24% of all prescription fills nationwide have been…

Lisa dedicated her life to being a registered nurse, up until she had to abruptly quit last December to take care of her father, who had become very ill. Since she is an only child and her parents lived halfway across the country, she decided to leave her job behind—along with her health insurance. The…

Deciding whether to wait out a sickness or head to the doctor’s office for antibiotics can be a tough choice to make. Untreated bacterial infections can have serious and deadly consequences, but side effects of antibiotics are no fun either. This post will give you an idea of what types of infections usually do—or don’t—require…

We have good news for you: generic Cialis, used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) and enlarged prostates, just hit pharmacies. Prices for the generic, known as tadalafil, are more than 50% less than those of brand-name Cialis. And that’s a welcome update considering higher doses of Cialis can cost almost $2000 for 30 tablets. As…

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide and is a major risk factor for not only lung cancer but heart disease and stroke. But how risky is it, really? Current smokers are two to three times more likely to die from heart disease and two times more likely to die from stroke…