Medications

In a just-released study in the New England Journal of Medicine, New Zealand researchers published a provocative conclusion: For older women who have moderate bone loss (known as osteopenia), as opposed to full-blown osteoporosis, treatment with an osteoporosis drug (zoledronate) can sharply reduce the risk of bone fractures. Previously, there…

Aspirin, or its earlier incarnations, has been around for thousands of years as an effective pain management remedy. And it’s been prescribed in a low-dose baby aspirin formula for decades as an effective preventive strategy for people who are at risk for a 2nd heart attack or stroke, or for people at high risk for…

The statistics are stark: It’s estimated that 40% of older Americans take 5 or more prescription drugs. Even if you manage to figure out which medication to take when, and with or without food, you could be putting yourself at risk for side-effects or drug interactions, especially when a new medication…

For those of us lucky enough to have insurance coverage for medication costs, we assume that no matter what our co-pay, we must be saving money over the “actual” cost of the medications. But it turns out that may not be a correct assumption. Reporter Susan Jaffe, in a post…

If you’ve reached a certain age, chances are you have some caregiving responsibilities for an older relative, often an aging parent. And if you’ve taken on that role, there are moments, some common and others more serious, for which it’s valuable to be prepared ahead of time. So, for example, as…

It’s been estimated that over 80% of people 65 years and older take at least one prescription medication on a regular basis. That’s a lot of drugs being consumed and, likely, a lot of side effects being experienced. For every benefit a drug may provide, there is often a risk associated…