Looking for some info on drugs and medication? We’re not dispensing medical advice, but rather providing answers to some common questions about prescription medication, vitamins, and over-the-counter remedies.
Chemists have streamlined the process over time of making a synthetic version of medication so that it is not accompanied by the nasty side effects of, say, eating ground-up bark from a willow tree for pain. Today, the world is overpopulated with people who are plagued with daily aches and pains, and there simply aren’t...
Doctors had no idea the effects aspirin would have on the future when German research chemist Felix Hoffman created it on October 10, 1897. The medication, which is made of acetyl salicylic acid, not only relieves minor aches and pains, but it can be life-saving in some medical conditions. The synthetic version of salicin, acetyl...
Dr. Stewart Adams spent five years experimenting with different chemical compounds in order to come up with a non-steroid alternative to treat rheumatoid arthritis. As he toiled away in the 1950s alongside his colleague, John Nicholson, in the UK, the compounds they found the most interesting were actually made of the weed killer they used...
Naproxen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is one of the most common over-the-counter purchases for anyone suffering from a headache or a swollen ankle. If you’re someone who is plagued by frequent migraines, you’ll be interested to know taking naproxen has actually been shown to lessen the severity of the pain. In fact, you’re less...
The pounding starts behind your eyes and slowly leads up to your forehead until the throbbing is too much to handle. It’s been too many hours since you’ve downed an iced coffee, and sitting in that morning meeting didn’t help. So what do you do for caffeine pain relief? And what exactly causes a caffeine...
Ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen are all popular over-the-counter pain relievers on the Food and Drug Administration. They’re all most people need to relieve aches and pains. So what exactly are the differences between the three drugs? They’re all NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, that reliever pain and swelling. They work on things like backaches, migraines,...
Unlike other long-lived pain relievers, ibuprofen wasn’t discovered by accident. Scientists spent many hours in a chemistry lab trying to create a synthetic drug to help alleviate the pain of arthritis. What they created in the 1950s actually turned out to be an excellent pain reliever for menstrual cramps, toothaches, arthritis, headaches, and other minor...
A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID, naproxen is a common over-the-counter painkiller used mostly to treat headaches and arthritis. Because it reduces the hormones that cause pain and inflammation, the medicine is often recommended for menstrual cramps, bursitis, tendinitis, gout, and others minor pains in the body. Studies that have been done showed naproxen to...
The different types of pain medications can be confusing. How do you know which one to take? Is ibuprofen the same as aspirin? Can you combine two pain medications? Aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen are three of the most common over-the-counter pain relievers in the world. Ibuprofen is also known by brand names Advil and Motrin,...
With some types of vaccines, an additional dose is needed periodically in order to boost the immune system and ensure that the immunity to that particular disease is maintained. The bottom line is, protection from some childhood vaccines can wear off over time, making boosters necessary. In addition, sometimes as an adult your job, lifestyle,...