DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 83-year-old man who, like most men my age, has benign prostatic hypertrophy causing frequent urination. Tamsulosin, which was prescribed by my doctor, is of questionable help. I see hordes of ads for supplements claiming the ability to shrink the prostate. Do any of them really work? Is there anything […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: For two weeks, I have had double vision when I look down to the lower side. Each eye is individually normal, but I have double vision when using both eyes. An MRI was done by my doctor and was normal. Now my doctor suspects myasthenia gravis. Please let me know whether it […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 73-year-old male and have been diagnosed with a number of different medical conditions. I have one kidney (stage 4) and have had atrial fibrillation since 2008. Recently my nephrologist said I have high potassium levels. In order to treat this, he has prescribed a medicine called Veltassa. I started […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 68-year-old male and have been very athletic my entire life. I never took any meds. I developed arthritis in both knees and had one set of cortisone injections. About a month later, I was diagnosed with a blood clot behind my right knee, along with cellulitis in my right […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Four years ago, I was treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. One year later my tongue was removed. The chief surgeon told me the cancer had HPV “markers,” which I guess spread cancer throughout the tongue? Is this a common occurrence with SCC of the tongue? Also, how does one […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: Many members of my family and I have protein S deficiency and are prescribed warfarin. We are aware of the effects that food, exercise and medicines have in reaction to warfarin. Several of us have INR meters and do our testing at home. I have been on warfarin since 1991, with only […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m the only person in the history of mankind whose blood pressure goes up when I sleep. There seems to be no cause. In addition, I’m resistant to medication; I’ve tried 21 different kinds. All give me terrible side effects and don’t bring my blood pressure down. The only one that works […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 68 years old and in good shape. I work out at the gym or do other activities every day. I use the elliptical and/or treadmill an hour each day. Besides the gym workout, I take 8,000 to 10,000 daily steps. I am 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weigh 125 […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 68 years old and in good shape. I work out at the gym or do other activities every day. I use the elliptical and/or treadmill an hour each day. Besides the gym workout, I take 8,000 to 10,000 daily steps. I am 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weigh 125 […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In these days of quickly rising drug costs, some companies lose their patents, allowing for generic versions, but others do not. I use a brand-name HFA inhaler for my COPD, and it should have gone off patent eight years ago. What change could possibly keep it under patent two times? — J.C.A. […]