Medications Archive

News briefs

Dietary supplements marketed for sexual function — which are supposed to be free of conventional drugs — may contain hidden pharmaceutical ingredients. A study published online Oct. 12, 2018, by JAMA Network Open analyzed almost 800 supplements. Most were for sexual enhancement, weight loss, or muscle building. About 80% of the supplements contained one pharmaceutical ingredient, 20% contained more than one pharmaceutical ingredient, and some (33 products) contained three or more pharmaceutical ingredients. The most common hidden pharmaceuticals: erectile dysfunction drugs, weight-loss medications, antidepressants, anabolic steroids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Some of the hidden drugs have never been approved by the FDA; others have been removed from the market. And all, say the authors, have the potential to cause severe harm from accidental misuse, overuse, or interaction with other medications, underlying health conditions, or other drugs within the same dietary supplement. Talk to your doctor first before taking any dietary supplement.

New guidelines refine the recommendations for treating the leading causes of death and disability.

 Image: © Bill Oxford/Getty Images

Cholesterol, the waxy, fatlike substance that contributes to heart attacks and strokes, is among the best-known contributors to cardiovascular disease — and with good reason. For decades, doctors have recommended blood cholesterol testing, often during annual checkups. Nearly one in three American adults has high levels of LDL, the most harmful type of cholesterol. Expert advice on managing this common problem now takes a more personalized approach, according to updated guidelines released by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association last November.

"The new guidelines really codify and support what many preventive cardiologists already do," says Dr. Jorge Plutzky, director of preventive cardiology at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. They tailor treatment based not just on LDL values but also a person's overall risk, he explains.

A drug made from a highly purified fat from fish reduced cardiovascular events in people with heart disease or diabetes.

 Image: © ksbank/Getty Images

Some people at high risk for a heart attack or stroke now have a new option to help them dodge those dangerous events: a prescription drug that contains large doses of EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil.

In a recent study, the drug, icosapent ethyl (Vascepa), led to dramatic drops in heart attacks, strokes, and deaths from cardiovascular disease in people with high triglycerides (see "What is the REDUCE-IT trial?"). Triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, have been getting more attention of late for their role in heart disease.