Author: Beth Skwarecki

There’s been a push for psoriasis drugs, and now that there are more choices on the shelves — and in TV ads — the options can be a bit overwhelming. Which ones work? Which ones have the fewest side effects? We have some answers. Common Names Methotrexate, Cyclosporine, Soriatane (Retinoids), Humira, Enbrel, Remicade (TNF-Alpha Biologics), Taltz, Cosentyx (IL-17A Biologics), Stelara (IL-12/13 Biologics), Otezla, bimekizumab Side Effects and What to Do About Them Methotrexate is one of the oldest psoriasis drugs, in regular use since the 1960s, and is the least costly. It can be taken orally or you can inject…

If you have psoriasis, you’re not alone — even social media queen Kim Kardashian admits to the occasional outbreak. And TV audiences are barraged with ads for 2 new drugs for psoriasis to win as top psoriasis drug — not to be the most effective or the safe drug, but the most sold in order to be the most profitable. Sales have increased dramatically for both drugs, but are they the best choice for your psoriasis? Psoriasis has been managed with a variety of drugs in the past, but the flurry of ads for Cosentyx vs. Taltz is doing its…

You may not have even thought about it, but some drugs may actually cause you to have depression as a side effect. Depression can be a complex disorder with many causes, but depressive feelings can also result as a side effect of medication. For most medications, the risk is small, but if you have experienced depression in the past, you may be more likely to develop depression again when you take one of these drugs. It can be difficult to tell whether depression is due to a drug, says Linda Lang, MD, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Christiana…

Depression can be a complex disorder with many causes, but depressive feelings can also result as a side effect of medication. For most medications, the risk is small, but if you have experienced depression in the past, you may be more likely to develop depression again when you take one of these drugs. It can be difficult to tell whether depression is due to a drug, says Linda Lang, MD, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Christiana Care Health System in Delaware, especially if a person also has an illness that itself can lead to depression. “We have to…

When the days get shorter, some of us begin to feel gloomy. If that feeling deepens into a depression that interferes with your daily life, you may have seasonal affective disorder. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a depression that may begin almost any time in the fall. For some people it begins when the summer months are over, and for others it may not start until daylight savings time ends in early November. It also tends to recur every year, or most years. “When working with patients, this may be their first presentation for a mood problem, but when…

Echinacea, vitamin c, zinc tablets, garlic and neti pots are all considered treatments for flu symptoms. But which ones do the best job? When we start to feel sniffly, achy or feverish, it’s tempting to reach for supplements like echinacea and vitamin C, or other home remedies like nasal irrigation, to help keep flu-like symptoms under control. In studies, cold and flu symptom treatments tend to show small effects, or sometimes none at all. That doesn’t mean they don’t work, says Reid Blackwelder, MD, FAAFP, professor and interim chair of the Department of Family Medicine at East Tennessee State University.…