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.
579 items
MedicationsCholine salicylate
It is a salicylate, so it blocks cyclo-oxygenase and the prostaglandins that carry pain and inflammation signals.
2026-10-10 · 29 min read
MedicationsCiprofloxacin 0.3% / dexamethasone 0.1% otic suspension
The evidence for this product is a set of randomised trials in children with discharging ears through tympanostomy tubes and in adults and children with outer-ear infection. In those trials it cleared discharge faster than ofloxacin drops, faster than ciprofloxacin drops without the steroid, and faster than oral amoxicillin/clavulanate.
2026-10-10 · 37 min read
MedicationsCodeine; Guaifenesin
Codeine has been the standard cough medicine for decades, and the trial evidence does not support it.
2026-10-10 · 30 min read
MedicationsDexamethasone; Neomycin; Polymyxin B
The combination exists for the situation where an eye needs a steroid and there is infection or a risk of infection. The pieces have decent evidence separately and poor evidence together.
2026-10-10 · 24 min read
MedicationsDextromethorphan hydrobromide
Lead with the awkward part: the use most people know it for is the one with the weakest evidence.
2026-10-10 · 38 min read
MedicationsDiphenhydramine citrate
The evidence for what this drug does is lopsided: the efficacy base is old and small, and the harm base is recent and large.
2026-10-10 · 41 min read
MedicationsDiphenhydramine hydrochloride
The honest summary is that diphenhydramine does several things reliably and few of them are the things it is most used for.
2026-10-10 · 61 min read
MedicationsDiphenhydramine
It blocks histamine H1 receptors, which relieves itching, weals and nasal allergy symptoms.
2026-10-10 · 32 min read
MedicationsDoxylamine succinate
Disputed. The evidence is mixed and use-specific.
2026-10-10 · 53 min read
MedicationsEpinephrine, over-the-counter inhaled bronchodilator
Inhaled epinephrine does open the airways: the sponsor's own dose-ranging trials showed a measurable rise in FEV1 against placebo at doses above 125 mcg.
2026-10-10 · 30 min read
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