When you buy a dietary supplement, you never know quite what you’re getting, because supplement manufacturers don’t have to prove to the Food and Drug Administration that their products work — or are even safe — before putting them on the market. GNC, the world’s largest dietary supplement retailer, has now agreed to try to ramp up efforts to ensure that the products it sells are safe and legal. [More]
pills
5 Things We Learned About The $300 Billion Painkiller Industry
By 4.28.16
Relieving pain isn’t a simple issue of taking a pill and feeling better. It’s a complicated cornucopia of treatments ranging from over-the-counter remedies to holistic healing to prescription medications, with some $300 billion a year spent each year on painkillers in the U.S. alone. [More]
7 Things You Need To Know From Frontline’s Investigation On Supplements & Safety
By 1.20.16
They look like drugs, they’re regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, but Frontline‘s new investigation found that supplements are very, very different. [More]
You Can Never Truly Vanquish Sweater Lint Pills
By 1.29.14
If you like to wear sweaters, you’ve noticed the problem: pilling. I’ve lost some beautiful articles of clothing over the years to excess pilling, all of which I miss dearly. The problem is that there’s no way to prevent it, other than leaving all of your clothes on the shelf. Which is impractical. [More]
ID An Unknown Pill
By 10.18.10
Ever find a pill in your medicine cabinet and forget what it is and how it got there? To the rescue comes Pillbox, a site that helps you identify unknown pills. Just select a few criteria, like shape, size, scoring and marking, and it tells you what kind of pill it is. Neat! [More]
Drug Rep Accidentally Emails Consumer Truth About Overpriced Pills
By 9.23.10
Reddit user TheKarateKid says he emailed a major drug company asking why their $500 version of a $10 generic is worth the $490 markup. The drug company rep accidentally emailed the customer back this message intended for her colleague. [More]
Medicare Donut Hole Checks Being Sent Out This Week
By 6.8.10
Hey people with Medicare, you’re about to become a little more attractive to scammers. That’s because this week the government will start sending out its one-time tax free rebate checks to those of you who have already hit the donut hole gap in your Medicare coverage. The main thing to know, advises Medicare, is that you don’t need to provide any information to anyone to get the rebate–it’s automatic. [More]
Oprah's Dr. Oz Sues Resveratrol Anti-Aging Scam Companies
By 10.8.09
Amazing pills that will make me look younger and lose weight? And it comes as a free trial, you say? Of course I’ll try it! Here’s my credit card number. What could possibly go wrong?
Keep Track Of Your Prescriptions With This Free App
By 9.10.09
If you have to take meds, you know that one of the big issues is watching out for potential drug interactions—the last thing you want is to pass out at the supermarket from uncontrollable flatulence and a sudden onset of glaucoma. Consumer Reports has developed My Medication Tracker, a free desktop app that lets you privately keep a record of your medication history (and related costs), as well as watch out for potential interactions.
Got Side Effects From Drugs? Report Them To the FDA
By 9.8.09
Over the past few years, the numbers of recalled pharmaceuticals has grown as new drugs are rushed to market before their safety is proven. Want to help improve drug safety? If you experience any serious side-effects from pharmaceutical or suspect drug interactions be sure to report these instances to the FDA. Here’s how:
Sam's Club Apologizes For Candy-In-Prescription-Bottles Promo
By 6.25.09
We have also shared with all of our pharmacy departments that this is an unacceptable practice and should not be repeated. At Sam’s Club we always have the health and welfare of our customers and members in mind with everything we do and we deeply regret that this incident occurred.
Sams Club Giving Kids Candy In Pill Bottles
By 6.24.09
The Sam’s Club in Salisbury, Maryland, is promoting its pharmacy by handing out pill bottles filled with candy to kids. I guess that’s better than filling Dots boxes with Vicodin. Or handing out gallon-sized jugs of Nerds. Update: Sam’s Club has ended the promotion and apologized for it.
Bizarre Pet Products: Feces-Eating Prevention Pills
By 5.15.09
One of the problems with dog ownership* is having to reconcile the concepts of “best friend” and “eats her own poop.” My late cocker spaniel, Lady, treated the front lawn as her personal snack bar, and was particularly fond of the gifts the local rabbits left there for her. I never realized that there were products designed specifically to stop this behavior.
CVS Gave Me The Wrong Pills! Is This Common?
By 4.6.09
Reader Pattie got the wrong pills from CVS and luckily, she noticed before taking them. She has no idea what they were, but is wondering if this sort of mistake is common.
Medicare Costs Going Up In 2009, So Be Ready To Compare Plans
By 9.27.08
If there’s one group of Americans who don’t carry their weight and need to pay more money to the healthcare industry, it’s those layabout senior citizens! That’s why their Medicare drug premiums are increasing by an average of 31% for the 10 most popular plans beginning in 2009. If you were with Humana, formerly the cheapest Medicare drug plan you could get (its premium was $9.51 in 2006), you can expect to pay $40.83 per month in 2009, an increase of 60% over this year’s rate. As you would expect, Humana is no longer the cheapest option—so it may be time to shop around for a new plan.
Target Generic Costs Less, But It's 1/2 Strength
By 8.25.08
Conventional thinking says that you should buy based on better unit price, but Target knows this and has figured out a way to trick you. On the left is a name brand joint-strengthener, on the right, Target’s generic. Going just by unit price, Target looks like the better deal. But let’s see what’s going on on the back label…
Why Is The New Centrum Advanced Formula Causing Stomach Pains?
By 4.29.08
“>nearly everyone reporting stomach pains. However, there are only eleven reviews for the product, so we’re wondering how many people have actually tried the new Centrum and suffered for it. Anyone here?
Walgreens Fills High Blood Pressure Prescription With Generic Allergy Pills
By 3.24.08
Tina claims that last December she had her prescription filled at a Dallas Walgreens store, and was surprised to see that the pills had changed.
