From Memios
The Longevity Letter
Practical writing and video on living strong and active into your 90s. No hype, no supplements to sell. Just what the evidence supports and what it looks like on an ordinary Tuesday.
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MedicationsEthinyl Estradiol; Norgestrel
It prevents pregnancy, mainly by stopping ovulation. In real use about 7% of pill users become pregnant within a year; with perfect use the estimate is about 0.3%.
2026-10-10 · 40 min read
MedicationsFluorouracil
Well established. The evidence for fluorouracil is strong but use-specific.
2026-10-10 · 33 min read
MedicationsGuanfacine
For ADHD, the evidence is reasonably strong but modest in size: pooled randomised trials put the extended-release drug's effect on ADHD symptoms at about half a standard deviation.
2026-10-10 · 24 min read
MedicationsHydroquinone
The evidence for hydroquinone is moderate for lightening melasma and weak for everything else.
2026-10-10 · 22 min read
MedicationsIndomethacin
For the conditions it is approved for, the evidence is strongest for short-term symptom relief rather than for changing the course of disease.
2026-10-10 · 35 min read
MedicationsLactate
The lactate in these fluids does two separate jobs: it is an alkalinising agent, because the body converts it to bicarbonate.
2026-10-10 · 30 min read
MedicationsLevalbuterol
As a bronchodilator it works: in randomised trials against placebo it improved FEV1 in adults and in children. What is disputed is the marketing premise behind it.
2026-10-10 · 23 min read
MedicationsLevmetamfetamine
The honest state of the evidence is that almost nothing has been published on whether it relieves a blocked nose.
2026-10-10 · 25 min read
MedicationsLidocaine
As a local anaesthetic it reliably blocks nerve conduction, and that use is not in dispute.
2026-10-10 · 21 min read
MedicationsLiraglutide
Well established. For type 2 diabetes the evidence is strong and includes hard outcomes.
2026-10-10 · 34 min read
MedicationsLoratadine with pseudoephedrine
The combination is well supported for one thing: seasonal allergic rhinitis where blocked nose is part of the problem.
2026-10-10 · 35 min read
MedicationsMagnesium hydroxide
The evidence is strongest for short-term, symptomatic use, and it is thin. As a laxative it has a human dose-response trial in six volunteers with normal bowel habits showing more bowel movements.
2026-10-10 · 37 min read
MedicationsMagnesium salicylate
Limited evidence. The evidence base here is remarkably thin for a drug sold on open shelves.
2026-10-10 · 27 min read
MedicationsMenthol
Menthol's best-documented effect is on sensation rather than on airflow: the human studies here found it made the nose feel clearer while measured nasal airflow.
2026-10-10 · 34 min read
MedicationsMometasone
Well established. The evidence is route-specific.
2026-10-10 · 30 min read
MedicationsMycophenolate mofetil
Well established. Its approved job is preventing rejection after a kidney, heart or liver transplant.
2026-10-10 · 29 min read
MedicationsNabumetone
It relieves the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis apparently by inhibiting prostaglandin production, as other NSAIDs do (the label states that its exact mode of action is not known).
2026-10-10 · 19 min read
MedicationsNaphazoline hydrochloride
Limited evidence. The evidence for naphazoline is thin and old.
2026-10-10 · 31 min read
MedicationsOlopatadine
Well established. It blocks histamine at the H1 receptor, which is what stops the itch.
2026-10-10 · 25 min read
MedicationsOxymetazoline hydrochloride
It tightens blood vessels wherever it is put, and the three uses are simply three consequences of that.
2026-10-10 · 40 min read
MedicationsPenicillin V
It kills bacteria that have no penicillinase, chiefly group A, C, G, H, L and M streptococci and pneumococci, by stopping them building a cell wall.
2026-10-10 · 28 min read
MedicationsPhenazopyridine hydrochloride
The trial evidence behind it is thin. The only placebo-controlled randomised trial we could reach enrolled 60 women with acute cystitis and gave a single 200 mg dose.
2026-10-10 · 31 min read
MedicationsPheniramine maleate
Limited evidence. The evidence base is thin and narrow, and it should be reported that way.
2026-10-10 · 32 min read
MedicationsPhenylephrine hydrochloride
For the oral route, this is one of the clearest negative evidence bases in over-the-counter medicine.
2026-10-10 · 29 min read