Patricia Weiser, PharmD

Medical News Today

Medical News Today •

Praluent dosage: Form, strengths, how to use, and more

Praluent (alirocumab) is a prescription brand-name medication. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it for the following uses: • To reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and unstable angina (a type of chest pain) that requires hospitalization in adults with heart disease. • To lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in adults with hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol). This includes adults with heterozygous or homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Praluent
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Prolia side effects: What they are and how to manage them

Prolia (denosumab) is a prescription brand-name medication. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the following uses in certain adults: • to treat osteoporosis in females* who have gone through menopause • to treat osteoporosis in females and males due to drugs called glucocorticoids • to stop bone thinning in females who have had breast cancer and are taking drugs that lower estrogen levels • to stop bone thinning in males with nonmetastatic prostate cancer† who are taking
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Tagrisso side effects: What they are and how to manage them

Tagrisso (osimertinib) is a prescription brand-name medication. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat certain types of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in adults. NSCLC can have a type of mutation (abnormal change) in a gene called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Your doctor will have you take a blood test to check if your cancer cells have this mutation. If so, the cancer is called EFGR-positive (EGFR+) NSCLC. Tagrisso is usually prescribed as a long-term t
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Humira for plaque psoriasis: Dosage, how it works, and more

Humira (adalimumab) is a prescription brand-name medication. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat moderate to severe chronic (long-term) plaque psoriasis in certain adults. With plaque psoriasis, your immune system mistakenly attacks your body’s skin cells. This causes your body to rapidly make new skin cells. These cells pile up on the surface of your skin, forming scaly patches called plaques. Here are the basics on Humira: • Drug form: liquid solution that’s given
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Apriso side effects: Common, mild, and serious, plus how to manage the

Apriso is a brand-name prescription drug. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to maintain remission of ulcerative colitis (UC) in adults. With UC, you have swelling or ulcers in your large intestine. During remission, you don’t have symptoms of UC. If Apriso works for your UC, your doctor will likely recommend that you take it long term. Here are some fast facts on Apriso: • Drug form: extended-release oral capsules that are taken by mouth Like other drugs, Apriso can cause s

Glipizide oral tablets: Side effects, dosage, and more

Glipizide IR and ER oral tablets are generic prescription drugs. They’re FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes in adults. Glipizide is used along with diet and exercise to help manage blood sugar levels. This drug’s use has certain limitations. For details, see the “Glipizide oral tablets uses” section below. Glipizide belongs to a drug class called sulfonylureas. (A drug class is a group of medications that work in a similar way.) This drug class is used to lower blood sugar levels in people wi

Klonopin: Dosage, side effects, how it works, and more

Klonopin is a prescription brand-name medication. It’s FDA-approved to treat the following conditions: • Certain seizure disorders in adults and children of all ages. A seizure disorder is a condition in which you have several seizures. Klonopin treats: • some absence seizures (which used to be called petit mal seizures) • Panic disorder with or without agoraphobia in adults. Panic disorder is a type of mental health condition that causes repeated panic attacks. Agoraphobia is a fear of being in

Mavenclad for MS: Side effects, dosage, and more

Mavenclad (cladribine) is a prescription brand-name medication. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the following forms of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in certain adults: With MS, your immune system mistakenly attacks your healthy nerve tissue. This causes inflammation (swelling and damage) and leads to symptoms such as pain and muscle weakness. “Relapsing” means there are times when you develop new MS symptoms, or your symptoms become more severe. Here are the

Venclexta for AML: How well it works, taking the drug, and more

Venclexta (venetoclax) is a prescription brand-name medication. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in certain adults. AML is a type of cancer that affects your blood cells. Venclexta is a type of targeted therapy for AML. It works by targeting and blocking the action of a specific protein within leukemia cells. Here are the basics about Venclexta: • Available as generic: no Keep reading for more information about Venclext
Healthline •

Gilenya for MS: How it works, side effects, and more

Gilenya (fingolimod) is a prescription brand-name medication. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the following relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS): With MS, your immune system attacks a protective layer that surrounds your nerves. This causes inflammation (swelling and damage) and leads to various symptoms, such as pain and muscle weakness. Gilenya is also used to treat clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). This is a period of one or more MS-like symptoms, whic

Fycompa: Side effects, dosage, how it works, and more

Fycompa is a brand-name prescription medication. It’s FDA-approved to treat the following types of epilepsy (a brain condition that causes periodic seizures): • Partial-onset seizures that may or may not develop into generalized seizures. For this condition, Fycompa is approved for adults and for children ages 4 years and older. Fycompa may be used by itself or with other medications to treat this condition. • Generalized tonic-clonic seizures. For this condition, Fycompa is used with other medi

Allopurinol oral tablet: Side effects, uses, dosage, and more

• manage certain types of kidney stones that come back • reduce levels of uric acid during the treatment of certain cancers The drug is approved for use in adults, and rarely, in some children. Allopurinol oral tablets are available in two strengths: 100 milligrams (mg) and 300 mg. Note: Allopurinol is also given as an intravenous (IV) infusion. This article addresses only allopurinol oral tablets. For information on allopurinol’s other form, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Allopurinol ora

Aricept: Side effects, dosage, uses, alternatives, and more

Aricept is a brand-name prescription drug. The FDA has approved it to treat dementia due to mild, moderate, or severe Alzheimer’s disease in adults. Dementia is a decline in cognitive (brain) function. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition that affects the brain. It’s called a progressive condition because the symptoms, usually mild at first, get worse over time. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But Aricept may help slow progression of dementia symptoms in some peopl

Montelukast oral tablet: Side effects, dosage, uses, and more

Montelukast oral tablet is a generic prescription drug. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to: • reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis in people who can’t use other treatments or have tried other treatments that didn’t work well enough See the “Montelukast oral tablet uses” section below for details about how this drug is used. Montelukast belongs to a class of drugs called leukotriene receptor antagonists. Another term for this drug class is leukotriene modifiers. (A drug cl

Montelukast oral tablet: Side effects, dosage, uses, and more

Montelukast oral tablet is a generic prescription drug. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to: • reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis in people who can’t use other treatments or have tried other treatments that didn’t work well enough See the “Montelukast oral tablet uses” section below for details about how this drug is used. Montelukast belongs to a class of drugs called leukotriene receptor antagonists. Another term for this drug class is leukotriene modifiers. (A drug cl

Xulane: Side effects, how to use, uses, and more

Xulane (norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol) is a generic prescription birth control patch. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent pregnancy in females* who can become pregnant. It’s used in females with a body mass index (BMI)† of under 30. Note: Xulane has a limitation of use. To learn more, see the “Xulane for birth control” section below. * Sex and gender exist on spectrums. Use of the term “female” in this article refers to sex assigned at birth. † BMI is used to

Keytruda side effects: What they are and how to manage them

Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is a prescription brand-name medication. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat many types of cancer in adults and certain children. It may be used to treat lung cancer, melanoma, and bladder cancer, as well as other types of cancer. Here are some fast facts on Keytruda treatment: Like other drugs, Keytruda can cause side effects. Read on to learn about potential common, mild, and serious side effects. For a general overview of Keytruda, includi

Imvexxy: Side effects, alternatives, dosage, uses, and more

As with all medications, the cost of Imvexxy can vary. To find current prices for Imvexxy in your area, check out GoodRx.com. The cost you find on GoodRx.com is what you may pay without insurance. The actual price you’ll pay depends on your insurance plan, your location, and the pharmacy you use. Keep in mind that you may be able to get a 90-day supply of Imvexxy. If approved by your insurance company, getting a 90-day supply of the drug could reduce your number of trips to the pharmacy and help
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Humalog and dosage: Strengths, forms, when to use, and more

Humalog (insulin lispro) is a prescription brand-name medication. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it to help manage blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. This includes type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Humalog is given as an injection, and there are two types of the drug: • Humalog contains a type of insulin called insulin lispro, which is a rapid-acting insulin analog. An insulin analog is an artificial version of the insulin that’s naturally made by your body. • Humalog Mix
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Trulicity and dosage: Strengths, form, when to use, and more

Trulicity (dulaglutide) is a prescription brand-name medication. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it for the following uses in adults with type 2 diabetes: • to reduce the risk of certain cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) problems such as heart attack and stroke* Trulicity contains the active drug dulaglutide. It belongs to a drug class called glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists. (A drug class is a group of medications that work in a similar way.) Trulicity comes as a liqui
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