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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MedicationsDexmethylphenidate
Short-term randomised trials show a clear reduction in ADHD symptom scores against placebo.
2026-10-03 · 35 min read
MedicationsDextroamphetamine
The evidence for dextroamphetamine and the wider amphetamine class is strongest, and almost entirely confined to.
2026-10-03 · 40 min read
MedicationsDextromethorphan hydrobromide with promethazine hydrochloride
It is sold to quieten a cough and dry up cold and allergy symptoms. The evidence for the cough-suppressing part is weak and, in children.
2026-10-03 · 35 min read
MedicationsDiazepam
Well established. The evidence is strongest and shortest-term.
2026-10-03 · 23 min read
MedicationsDicyclomine
Dicyclomine is approved in the United States for one thing only: functional bowel or irritable bowel syndrome.
2026-10-03 · 29 min read
MedicationsDocusate
The claim is that it draws water and fat into the stool so the stool softens and straining eases.
2026-10-03 · 39 min read
MedicationsDonepezil
Donepezil produces small, measurable improvements in cognition and day-to-day function in Alzheimer's dementia that do not change the course of the disease.
2026-10-03 · 29 min read
MedicationsDorzolamide
Dorzolamide reliably lowers eye pressure, and the question the literature actually answers is by how much and whether that translates into saved sight.
2026-10-03 · 27 min read
MedicationsDorzolamide; Timolol
The evidence that this drop lowers intraocular pressure is strong and consistent; the evidence that lowering pressure with these particular drugs preserves vision is weaker and partly negative.
2026-10-03 · 30 min read
MedicationsDoxazosin
Doxazosin works for prostate symptoms and lowers blood pressure, but the outcome evidence splits sharply between those two uses.
2026-10-03 · 24 min read
MedicationsDrospirenone and ethinyl estradiol
The evidence that it prevents pregnancy is strong, and the trial Pearl Index for the 3 mg/0.02 mg product was 1.41 pregnancies per 100 woman-years.
2026-10-03 · 44 min read
MedicationsDupilumab
Dupilumab has unusually consistent placebo-controlled evidence across several conditions, each with its own pivotal trial.
2026-10-03 · 31 min read
MedicationsEmtricitabine; Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate
For treatment, this backbone outperformed the older zidovudine-lamivudine backbone: 84% versus 73% reached viral suppression below 400 copies/mL at 48 weeks.
2026-10-03 · 25 min read
MedicationsEnalapril
Well established. The evidence for enalapril is unusually strong in one setting and weak in another.
2026-10-03 · 20 min read
MedicationsEpinephrine
For anaphylaxis, the evidence base is almost entirely observational and the sources say so plainly.
2026-10-03 · 35 min read
MedicationsEsomeprazole
The strongest evidence is for healing acid-damaged oesophagus: in randomised endoscopy-controlled trials about 93 out of 100 people with erosive oesophagitis have their erosions healed after 8 weeks on esomeprazole 40 mg daily.
2026-10-03 · 26 min read
MedicationsEthinyl estradiol with etonogestrel
Well established. It prevents pregnancy.
2026-10-03 · 25 min read
MedicationsEthinyl estradiol with levonorgestrel
Its approved job is to prevent pregnancy, mainly by stopping ovulation. Perfect use is very effective and typical use much less so: Trussell's US estimates put first-year pregnancy at 0.3% with perfect use and 9% with typical use.
2026-10-03 · 32 min read
MedicationsEthinyl Estradiol; Norelgestromin
Well established. As contraception it works about as well as a pill when used as directed.
2026-10-03 · 25 min read
MedicationsEvolocumab
It lowers LDL cholesterol by around 59 to 63% on top of a statin. In FOURIER, the 27,564-patient outcome trial.
2026-10-03 · 23 min read
MedicationsFexofenadine
The evidence that fexofenadine relieves hay fever symptoms is solid: a meta-analysis of eight placebo-controlled trials in over 3,500 people found a significant reduction in total symptom scores with no excess of side effects.
2026-10-03 · 33 min read
MedicationsFlecainide acetate
Disputed. For rhythm control it works.
2026-10-03 · 29 min read
MedicationsFluconazole
Well established. Fluconazole treats infections caused by yeasts, mainly Candida and Cryptococcus.
2026-10-03 · 35 min read
MedicationsFluticasone furoate with vilanterol
For COPD with a history of exacerbations the pragmatic Salford Lung Study found an 8.4% lower exacerbation rate than continuing usual care over a year.
2026-10-03 · 39 min read