What is ipilimumab (Yervoy), and how is it used? Yervoy is a prescription medicine used: to treat a kind of skin cancer called melanoma. Yervoy may be used: in adults and children 12 years of age and older when melanoma has spread or cannot be removed by surgery to help prevent melanoma from coming back after it and lymph nodes...
Lupkynis (voclosporin): Lupus Nephritis Drug Side Effects & Dosage
What is Lupkynis (voclosporin), and how is it used? Lupkynis is a prescription medicine used with other medicines to treat adults with active lupus nephritis. Lupkynis should not be taken with a medicine called cyclophosphamide. Talk with your healthcare provider if you are not sure if you take this medicine. How does Lupkynis work? Lupkynis is a calcineurin-inhibitor immunosuppressant. The...
Ketorolac vs. naproxen (Aleve): Uses, Dosage, Side Effects
Ketorolac vs. naproxen (Aleve): What’s the difference? Ketorolac and naproxen are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) used to treat varying levels of pain. Ketorolac is used for short-term management (up to 5 days) of moderately severe acute pain that otherwise would require narcotics. Naproxen is used to treat mild to moderate pain, inflammation, and fever. Brand names for ketorolac include Acuvail,...
Lucentis (ranibizumab) for Macular Degeneration: Side Effects
What is Lucentis, and how does it work? Generic drug: ranibizumab Brand name: Lucentis Lucentis (ranibizumab) Injection is a monoclonal antibody that works by slowing the growth of abnormal new blood vessels in the eye and decreasing leakage from these blood vessels used to treat the wet form of age-related macular degeneration. It is also used to treat diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetic...
Lexapro vs. Prozac: Side Effects, Dosage, Withdrawal, Drug Interactions
What are the differences between Lexapro and Prozac? Lexapro (escitalopram) and Prozac (fluoxetine) are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants used to treat depression. Lexapro is also used to treat generalized anxiety disorder. Prozac is also used to treat bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Prozac is also prescribed in combination with Zyprexa (olanzapine) to...
isoniazid (Nydrazid, Laniazid) Drug Side Effects & Dosage
What is isoniazid, INH, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Isoniazid is an anti-bacterial drug that has been used to prevent and to treat tuberculosis since 1952. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium. Once the infection is acquired, it usually remains dormant in the lungs for up to many years. Later, the infection may become...
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum): Side Effects & Dosage
What is St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)-oral, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? St. John's wort is a commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) dietary supplement that is used to treat mild depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. St. John's wort is a plant that has bright yellow flowers. A number of compounds that have pharmacological activity including naphthodianthrones (hypericin, pseudohypericin,...
ketoprofen (Orudis) Uses, Side Effects & Dosage
What is ketoprofen, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Ketoprofen is an oral drug that belongs to a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Other members of this class include ibuprofen (Motrin), indomethacin (Indocin), naproxen (Aleve) and many others. These drugs are used for the management of mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. They work...
Hepatitis A & B Vaccine (Twinrix) Side Effects & Dosage
What is the hepatitis B/hepatitis A vaccine? What is it for? Hepatitis A/B vaccine is a man-made combination vaccine containing inactivated hepatitis A virus strain and non-infectious hepatitis B virus surface antigen. Inactive Hepatitis A virus combined with hepatitis B antigens stimulates the immune system to develop immunity against hepatitis A and B virus infections. The FDA approved hepatitis A/B...
Haldol (haloperidol) vs. Zyprexa (olanzapine): Antipsychotic Side Effects
Haldol (haloperidol) vs. Zyprexa (olanzapine): What’s the difference? Haloperidol and olanzapine are different types of antipsychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia Haloperidol is also used to treat acute psychosis and for tics and vocal utterances of Tourette's syndrome. Olanzapine is also used to treat acute manic episodes associated with bipolar I disorder and some types of depression. A brand name...