Rx to OTC switch

I’ve read that the FDA is considering broadening the types of dugs that can be sold without a prescription—that is, making them available “over the counter.”  FDA commissioner Martin Makary told CNBC that “everything should be over the counter” except drugs that are deemed unsafe or addictive or that require clinical monitoring.

Over the years, plenty of drugs have migrated from Rx to OTC, including those that treat allergies, joint pain, heartburn, overactive bladder, and acne, as well as those used for birth control. Examples include:

Nasonex—a steroid nasal spray.
Lastacaft, Pataday—eye drops to relieve itchy eyes.
Astepro—an antihistamine nasal spray.
Voltaren Gel—a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory topical gel.
Plan B—a form of emergency contraception.
Opill—a once-daily birth control pill.
Xyzal, Claritin and Zyrtec—antihistamines.
Differin Gel—acne treatment.
Prilosec and Nexium—for heartburn.
Oxytrol—for overactive bladder.
Narcan—to reverse an opioid overdose.

Note that OTC versions aren’t always the same as their Rx versions.

It will be interesting to see what, if any, previously prescribed medications will soon be available over the counter.

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A doctor’s advice on consulting AI

Over a third of Americans use AI for health advice. In 2025, 66 percent of physicians also used it.

Dr. Adam Rodman, director of AI programs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston says, “I believe that when used appropriately, these large language models [AI chatbots] are the greatest tool for empowering patients since the invention of the internet.”

He recommends using chatbots, such as ChatGPT, to enhance, not replace, your medical appointments. To do this, he suggests first pulling up your doctor’s medical notes (they should be available online). After removing all your identifiable information, copy those notes into a chatbot. Next, give the chatbot an update of your condition, then ask it to concisely summarize all this information. Finally, ask the chatbot: “Given this context about my health, please give me three questions I should ask my doctor about [insert health concern here] during my upcoming visit.”

Because chatbots depend on having a full picture of your health and medical conditions, Dr. Rodman says you can learn how to describe your symptoms by asking the chatbot to “interview me as if you’re a doctor.” Such a question-and-answer session can lead to a clearer explanation of your condition and help to exclude other conditions that might cause unnecessary alarm.

Chatbots try to please their users by adding layers of information. For this reason, you need to be aware they may lead you down a rabbit hole of scary possibilities. To avoid this, you need to tell the chatbot explicitly why you are asking a question. For example, “I am having a bad headache today. Here is my last note from my primary care doctor. What are some strategies to make it better?”

Diagnostic errors cause almost 800,000 deaths or permanent disabilities in the United States each year. For this reason, Dr. Rodman believes that AI can be one of our best tools for saving patients’ lives. At the same time, he advises that you need to be cautious about seeking second opinions from chatbots or rely on it for advice on treatment plans. Just use what you’ve learned as a conversation starter with your doctor.

I've never tried any of these suggestions.

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Tests for aging well: Fourth test

This post is the last of the tests described in The New York Times article, “Are You Aging Well? Try These Simple Tests to Find Out.” Here’s the fourth test:

Single-leg stand

Stand on one leg for a minimum of 10 seconds on at least one side. As an added challenge, the article says, try it with your eyes closed.

I found that I could stand on my left leg for significantly more than 10 seconds (I stopped after 20) but couldn’t make it to 10 on my right leg. What’s with that? Maybe if I practiced.

Like everything else, balance declines with age, raising the risk of falls—a major cause of injury and death for old people. One study found that 20 percent of people aged 51 to 75 were unable to make it to 10 seconds. Experts say that those individuals had an 84 percent higher chance of dying in the next seven years, possibly because they were unhealthier at the start of the study.

I didn’t try standing on one leg with my eyes closed. I’m not going to push my luck.

Update: I have trained myself to get up off the floor using just one knee instead of two (plus both hands), which gives me another point, as described in an earlier blog. I used the technique suggested by alert reader, Jocelyn. You can see it on this video she sent to me.

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Tests for aging well: Third test

This post is the third installment of the four tests described in The New York Times article, “Are You Aging Well? Try These Simple Tests to Find Out.” Here’s the third test:

Grip strength test

Doctors use a gadget called a dynamometer to test grip strength. Assuming you don’t have a dynamometer, you can test yourself at home by walking for 60 seconds while holding heavy weights, such as dumbbells, in each hand. A 45-year-old-man should aim to carry two 60-pound dumbbells, a 65-year-old two 40-pound dumbbells, and an 85-year-old two 25-pounders. For a woman at those ages the weights are 40 pounds, 25 pounds and 15 pounds, respectively, in each hand.

Walking with weights in each hand is called a “farmer's carry.” Assuming you also don’t have dumbbells of appropriate weight, I got to thinking about what a farmer might carry and came up with the idea of filling two buckets with as much water required to get the amount of weight you want, weighing them on a bathroom scale. Or maybe just fill two totes with appropriately heavy items.

Luckily, I don’t have to do that, although I might try it. As I wrote in an earlier post, I had my grip strength measured a year or so ago by a doctor using a dynamometer. My reading was 50, which I discovered was rated between normal and strong for my age group.

Like the other tests, grip strength is related to mortality, serving as an indicator for how active you are in your daily life. As one physical therapist noted, “When you’re using your hands more, it’s probably because you’re doing things more.”

I wonder what I might have kicking around the house that weighs 15 pounds, the proper weight for my sex and age.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.