DEAR DR. DONOHUE: For more than a year I’ve been taking Bactrim to control acne. I recently went to the doctor with unexplained stomach pains. He told me to stop taking Bactrim. Not long after, acne reappeared on my back, chest and face. Does taking Bactrim for such a long period of time make my […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have been on Paxil for a number of years due to an unfortunate happening in my life. It has now been more than 15 years. I’m an elderly person. I take other prescription drugs for high blood pressure and gastric reflux, and aspirin for my heart. Would it be safe for […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 69-year-old woman and hope you have an answer for me. My doctor checked me for vertigo and then gave me a prescription of meclizine (Antivert). It didn’t help me. I am on no medicines and have no other medical problems. My problem is lightheadedness. Once, I fell when I […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Will you please write about sleep apnea? What are its causes? What can be done for it in natural ways, if anything? — Anon. ANSWER: The meaning of “apnea” (AP-knee-uh) is “no breathing.” Sleep apnea is defined by 10-second-or-longer periods of no breathing during the night. To qualify as true sleep apnea, […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’m a high-school pitcher. Sometimes I play other positions, but most of the time I pitch. My coach has told me to start doing strength work on my legs. He says it will increase the speed of my pitches. He didn’t say how. Can you tell me how? It sounds like hogwash […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: About three weeks ago, something happened to me that so scared my husband, he called 911 for an ambulance. The paramedics took me to the nearest emergency room, where they determined I’d had a TIA. I was discharged the next day. No one explained what this was or told us what we […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Do you think that someone who was operated on several years ago for hydrocephalus and has been diagnosed with dementia suddenly can regain enough cognitive function to make decisions regarding her health care? Where can I get information on hydrocephalus? — E.T. ANSWER: You’re talking about normal pressure hydrocephalus, right? Hydrocephalus (water […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My son died suddenly at age 45. An autopsy found that he had aortic valve stenosis. Two years previous, his doctor had him take a transesophageal echocardiogram because he had a heart murmur. The cardiologist told my son to come back in three years. He said he might need a valve replacement […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 70-year-old woman recently diagnosed with lichen sclerosus et atrophicus. Will you please provide information on this disease? Is it an autoimmune disease? If not, then how does one get it? Is it more prevalent in menopausal women? I was told to restrict carbohydrates, sugars and wine almost to their […]

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Help us raise polycystic kidney disease awareness. March is National Kidney Month! Polycystic kidney disease is not known by many people, even doctors. It is not a rare disease. Do the research. Since there is no cure at this time, it is important for people to know about it so we can […]