Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [medications]

Use this tag for medical drugs, medications, pharmaceuticals etc. For other questions about drugs, use [recreational-drugs].

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Do coca leaves help relieve symptoms of altitude sickness?

Coca leaves are widely used to relieve symptoms of altitude sickness in some South American countries, either chewed or brewed into a tea. Wikipedia says that no study has studied their effectiveness for this purpose, citing this as a source:…
EM0
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Does inserting soap into the rectum relieve constipation?

There is an old wive's tale (mostly among parents with constipated babies) that you can temporarily relieve constipation by inserting a small piece of soap into the sufferer's rectum to prompt a bowel movement. Here is an excerpt of the instructions…
NotMyName
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Does sweating help to cure the flu

Many people advise you to put some warm clothes on, get under the blankets and sweat a lot to help cure flu/fever. On one hand there is a lot of opinion on the Internet saying that it does not work, on the other I heard this advice from medical…
bjedrzejewski
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Would Mefloquine be approved under today's regulations?

The anti-malarial drug Mefloquine (aka Lariam, Mephaquin or Mefliam) is known to frequently induce strong neurologic side effects. I have heard a number of times that this drug would fail to get regulatory approval, if it were introduced today. For…
Hepedza
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Has the primary benefit of statins in reducing early deaths never been fully tested in comparative trials?

Ben Goldacre, in his sustained critique of the way the pharmaceutical industry and its regulators fall far from the standards of reliable evidence (Bad Pharma), makes an astounding claim (p193 of the paperback, my emphasis): Trials have been done…
matt_black
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Methadone - remedy that cures or drug that kills?

Methadone is a synthetic opioid. It is prescribed to dependent users of heroin and other opioids as a substitute for these drugs. Methadone is approved for different indications in different countries. Common is approval as an analgesic and approval…
Egle
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Is Oxycontin pharmaceutical-grade heroin?

I was watching a documentary about the Oxy pipeline from Florida to Kentucky this weekend where a sheriff made the claim that Oxycontin was pharmaceutical-grade heroin. This is not the first time I had heard this claim but I assumed they were just…
Chad
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Does the US no longer make antibiotics?

On June 25th, 2020 Tucker Carlson claimed during his show: The most powerful nation on earth no longer makes antibiotics. He's obviously referring to the USA. Is the USA no longer manufacturing antibiotics? And is that absolutely true or just the…
Fizz
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Do anti-pregnancy pills have a negative effect on health?

Is it true that women who 'go on the pill' experience effects like vomiting, head-aches, skin-problems more than women who don't? Are these pills actually bad for health?
Thursagen
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Have statins been responsible for a major reduction in cardiovascular disease?

Statins are a range of pharmaceuticals that inhibit the body's ability to produce "bad" cholesterol thereby reducing the amount in the blood. Lower LDL levels in the blood are known to be associated with lower levels of cardiovascular events such as…
matt_black
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Does Finasteride reduce hair loss?

Several doctors told me by that taking Finasteride (AKA Proscar or Propecia), I have a better-than-even chance of reducing hair loss. This Wikipedia article cites one study the corroborates this claim, but it leaves some important questions…
user7658
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What is a Nosode?

Homeopathy literature likes to compare Nosode remedies with traditional vaccinations, does this have any validity?
Richard Stelling
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Can 7-Keto DHEA permanently increase the resting metabolic rate in humans?

The latest fad weight loss pill is 7-Keto DHEA. It's been featured and recommended on the show "Dr. Oz", and their website claims: 7-Keto works to counter this [dropping DHEA levels] by stimulating the thyroid to permanently raise your metabolism’s…
John Lyon
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Were South Korean workers forcibly injected with amphetamines?

In a biographical article about the life of Jeon Tae-il, Wikipedia states that As a tailor, Jeon witnessed the horrendous working conditions in the Seoul Peace Market... Such conditions included rampant tuberculosis... and the enforced injections…
Reubend
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Do the recent changes in US drug policy correlate with an increase in people moving from prescribed opioids to heroin?

I was reading about the price of heroin on The Recovery Village and they say: Heroin pricing varies a lot depending on the region where it’s sold, and as drug cartels have seen people become addicted to expensive opiate pills, they’ve spoken to…
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