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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MedicationsSodium Salts
Disputed. What the evidence shows depends entirely on which salt and which use.
2026-10-03 · 41 min read
MedicationsSolifenacin succinate
Well established. The randomised evidence shows a real but modest effect.
2026-10-03 · 34 min read
MedicationsSulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim
Well established. It kills bacteria by blocking two consecutive steps in folate synthesis.
2026-10-03 · 33 min read
MedicationsTacrolimus
For transplantation, the evidence is strong: a meta-analysis of 30 randomised trials in 4,102 kidney transplant recipients found tacrolimus better than ciclosporin at preventing graft loss and acute rejection.
2026-10-03 · 28 min read
MedicationsTadalafil
Tadalafil does not create arousal; it amplifies a signal that only appears when nitric oxide is already being released.
2026-10-03 · 23 min read
MedicationsTelmisartan
The evidence is strongest for what telmisartan does to blood pressure: placebo-controlled trials show falls of roughly 6 to 13 mmHg systolic depending on dose.
2026-10-03 · 29 min read
MedicationsTerazosin
For urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate the evidence is solid and the effect is symptomatic, not disease-modifying.
2026-10-03 · 39 min read
MedicationsTerbinafine
For nail infection, Cochrane rates the evidence as high quality: oral terbinafine was six times more likely than placebo to achieve clinical cure, and it probably beats the azoles with the same risk of side effects.
2026-10-03 · 25 min read
MedicationsTicagrelor
Well established. The evidence for ticagrelor is unusually large and splits sharply by who is taking it.
2026-10-03 · 51 min read
MedicationsTimolol
For the eye, the evidence is strongest for what timolol measurably does - it lowers intraocular pressure - and much weaker for the outcome people care about, preserved sight.
2026-10-03 · 27 min read
MedicationsTiotropium
It opens the airways by blocking muscarinic receptors on airway smooth muscle, and the block lasts more than 24 hours, which is why it is a once-daily drug.
2026-10-03 · 36 min read
MedicationsTorsemide
The evidence is strongest for what torsemide does to the kidney and weakest for whether choosing it over the older loop diuretic furosemide changes how long people live.
2026-10-03 · 28 min read
MedicationsTretinoin
For topical use the evidence is good that tretinoin clears acne: a network meta-analysis of 35 trials in 33,472 people found every single topical agent except tazarotene beat placebo for lesion counts.
2026-10-03 · 30 min read
MedicationsUbrogepant
For the one thing it is approved for — stopping an individual migraine attack in adults — two large randomised placebo-controlled trials show a real but modest effect: roughly 7 extra people in 100 pain-free at two hours compared with placebo, and roughly 11 extra per 100 free of their most troublesome symptom.
2026-10-03 · 30 min read
MedicationsValproate
Well established. The evidence is good that it works and equally good that it is dangerous in pregnancy.
2026-10-03 · 27 min read
MedicationsVerapamil
It lowers blood pressure, relieves angina and slows a fast heart rhythm; what the outcome trials add is how that compares with alternatives.
2026-10-03 · 25 min read
MedicationsAcetaminophen and Oxycodone
For a single dose of acute pain after surgery, the combination is genuinely effective and better than oxycodone alone: a Cochrane review put the number needed to treat for at least half pain relief at 2.7 for oxycodone 10 mg plus paracetamol 650 mg, against 4.6 for oxycodone 15 mg alone.
2026-09-30 · 21 min read
MedicationsAlendronate
Well established. For postmenopausal women who already have low bone density or a previous fracture.
2026-09-30 · 25 min read
MedicationsAlprazolam
Cochrane's review of benzodiazepines against placebo in panic disorder found a clear short-term advantage (response RR 1.65) but rated the evidence low quality.
2026-09-30 · 25 min read
MedicationsApixaban
Large randomised trials show apixaban lowers stroke and systemic embolism in atrial fibrillation compared with warfarin (ARISTOTLE) and aspirin (AVERROES).
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
MedicationsAripiprazole
Well established. Aripiprazole reduces psychotic and manic symptoms and adds modestly to antidepressants.
2026-09-30 · 22 min read
MedicationsBudesonide; Formoterol
The evidence supports real reductions in asthma and COPD flare-ups (exacerbations) when budesonide/formoterol is used as directed.
2026-09-30 · 15 min read
MedicationsCitalopram
For acute major depression in adults the randomised evidence does show an effect over placebo, but the effect is modest and the trial base is mostly industry-sponsored and at high risk of selective reporting.
2026-09-30 · 26 min read
MedicationsCyclobenzaprine
The best evidence is a meta-analysis of 14 placebo-controlled back pain trials: cyclobenzaprine beat placebo for global improvement (odds ratio 4.7, 95% CI 2.7 to 8.1).
2026-09-30 · 23 min read