Metformin vs. Insulin Metformin and insulin are used to treat diabetes. A difference is metformin is used to treat only type 2 diabetes, while insulin may be used to treat both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Metformin is also used to treat polycystic ovaries and weight gain due to medications used for treating psychoses....
What is Xofigo? What is Xofigo used for? Radium Ra 223 (Xofigo) is a radioactive medicine (radiotherapeutic drug) that is used to treat male patients with symptoms of advanced prostate cancer that has spread to the bones, but not to other parts of the body. The radioactive particles emitted by radium Ra 223 helps kill...
What is pertuzumab? What is pertuzumab used for? Pertuzumab is an intravenous drug that is used to treat breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast (metastasized). It belongs to a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies. Other monoclonal antibodies used for treating breast cancer include trastuzumab (Herceptin) and ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla). The cells of...
What is dabigatran? How does dabigatran work? Dabigatran is an oral drug used to treat and prevent blood clots (an anticoagulant or blood thinner) in the hearts of patients with atrial fibrillation. These clots are likely to break into pieces and travel to the brain to cause strokes. Similarly, it is used to treat and...
What is diclofenac, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Diclofenac belongs to a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are used for the treatment of mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. Other members of this class include ibuprofen (Motrin), indomethacin (Indocin), nabumetone (Relafen), naproxen (Aleve) and several others. NSAIDs...
What is Gardasil Vaccine (HPV), and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Gardasil is a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Gardasil is a sterile preparation for intramuscular injection and contains purified inactive proteins from HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18. The proteins in Gardasil are structural, virus-like proteins (VLP) that resemble the HPV virus....
What is cimetidine, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Cimetidine is a drug that blocks the production of acid by acid-producing cells in the stomach and can be administered orally, IM or IV. It belongs to a class of drugs called H2 (histamine-2) blockers that also includes ranitidine (Zantac), nizatidine (Axid), and famotidine...
What is fluoxetine? What are the uses for fluoxetine? Fluoxetine is an oral drug that is used primarily for treating depression. Fluoxetine is also used to treat depression, bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). It is also prescribed in combination with olanzapine (Zyprexa) to treat resistant depression and depression associated...
What is lamotrigine, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Lamotrigine is an oral drug that is used primarily for treating seizures. It is chemically unrelated to other anti-seizure drugs. The precise mechanism by which lamotrigine exerts its anti-seizure action is not known. The FDA approved lamotrigine in December 1974. What brand names are...
What is metformin and sitagliptin? What is Janumet used for? Janumet is a combination of two drugs, metformin and sitagliptin, that are used for reducing blood glucose (sugar) levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes. The FDA approved Janumet in March 2007. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. It limits blood glucose levels...