天博体育

Aspirin therapy can help prevent a second heart attack and stroke, but for otherwise healthy older men, its use depends on their 10-year risk for a heart attack or stroke as determined by their doctor. 

Prescription drug ads are a multibillion-dollar industry that promotes treatments you may or may not need. Here's how to use that information to your advantage.

Ads for prescription drugs are everywhere. You can't watch a sporting event without seeing an ad touting a treatment for erectile dysfunction, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or joint pain.

Drug marketing is a big business, and companies are willing to spend a lot of money to offer you an easy solution to a health problem you may or may not have. From 2012 to 2015, yearly spending on prescription drug advertising in all media outlets (except digital) rose from $3.2 billion to $5.2 billion, and that figure is expected to only go up.

Denosumab (Prolia) is recommended for people at high risk for fractures for whom other bone-loss treatments were ineffective or had intolerable side effects.

When the risks of medication outweigh the benefits.

听Image: 漏 iStock

Taking over-the-counter or prescription painkillers may seem like a simple solution for chronic pain. It's actually a bit more complicated, yet many older adults aren't aware of potential problems. "They think that if it doesn't require a prescription, it's safe. But there are some long-term health risks," says Dr. Edgar Ross, director of the Pain Management Center at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Here's what you should know about some commonly used pain relievers.

Take control by using helpful gadgets and talking to your doctor about reducing your medications.

听Image: 漏 Wavebreakmedia/Thinkstock

There are many reasons why people are unable to stick to a medication regimen prescribed by a doctor, such as high costs or drug side effects. Often, those issues can be resolved by asking your doctor if a switch to another drug will help.

Another reason for what doctors call "non-adherence": too many pills and confusion about taking them. "It is a bigger problem than organization, and not always the patient's fault. Often providers write too many prescriptions without explaining them, or create a complicated schedule," says Dr. Sarah Berry, a geriatrician and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

It appears that adverse drug events that lead to visits to the emergency department are increasing among older adults.

A conversation with this health professional can help you avoid making harmful mistakes.

听Image: wavebreakmedia/Thinkstock

When your pharmacist hands you your pills, he or she is likely to ask, "Any questions?" This is an invitation to tap into a vast store of knowledge鈥攁nd one you should accept. A few minutes with your pharmacist may spare you some serious health consequences.

"People are often in the dark regarding the purpose of their medication," says Dr. Gordon Schiff, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Although prescriptions come with a lengthy package insert containing detailed information about the drug, the information is often written in technical terms and printed in microscopic type. The lack of clear information and the confusion and misunderstandings that result figure into more than a million preventable medical complications annually.

Intrarosa, a vaginal insert containing dehydroepiandosterone (DHEA), improves vaginal lubrication to alleviate pain during intercourse.

In a large, long-term clinical trial, people taking the diuretic chlorthalidone had significantly fewer hip fractures than those taking the calcium-channel blocker amlodipine or the ACE inhibitor lisinopril.

Despite new research, the answer is unclear. Use caution when taking any pain medication on a routine basis.

Image: iStock

People with aching joints from arthritis鈥攚hich affects nearly one in four adults鈥攐ften rely on drugs known as NSAIDs to ease the pain of this often-debilitating condition. These popular medications also relieve headaches, cool fevers, and dampen inflammation. But with the exception of aspirin, most NSAIDs pose a risk to the cardiovascular system, notes Harvard professor Dr. Elliott Antman, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

"Taking NSAIDs routinely over a long time period can raise the risk of blood clots, increase blood pressure, and accelerate cardiovascular disease," says Dr. Antman. While the danger is greatest in people with heart disease, it's also present in people without any signs of the disease.