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Q. What is a good, reliable pill for losing weight?
A. The landscape for weight loss has shifted dramatically in the last several years. The buzz around self-injected semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) for Type 2 diabetes and obesity demonstrated a highly effective strategy for weight loss utilizing the GLP-1 agonist pathway.
There are now two GLP-1 prescription pills that can help people shed pounds.
Wegovy is available as a weekly injection or a daily pill. The oral form of this medication must be taken with 4 ounces of water at least 30 minutes before eating food or drinking other beverages.
The other weight loss pill is Foundayo (orforglipron). It is newer and can be taken once daily, with or without food.
Both oral medications are effective for weight loss, and both tend to produce gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomachache, constipation and heartburn. There are less common but serious side effects that you will want to discuss with your health care provider.
Q. I once picked up a prescription and was told that not all the tablets looked the same because they had switched vendors. When I got home, I went to a website that identifies pills by the size, shape and markings and found that it was a completely different drug with a similar name.
I suspect a pharmacy tech was responsible for this mistake. I am disappointed that the prescription was not double-checked. If you don't want to hold up the line at the pharmacy to check the medication before you leave, then at least check it when you get home before you take any.
A. Thank you for reminding us that pharmacies make mistakes. One study found that sound-alike or look-alike drugs were involved in the vast majority of errors (Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management, Feb. 12, 2023).
Dispensing the wrong drug can cause serious harm. In some cases, patients have died.
We have been concerned about such errors for many years. One study reported a 22% dispensing error rate (Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, March-April 2009).
Extrapolating to 5 billion prescriptions filled in the U.S. annually, you get as many as a billion pharmacy mistakes each year. Fortunately, most are not serious.
We included a section on pharmacy mistakes and how patients can protect themselves in our book "Top Screwups." You can find it in the books section of the store at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
Q. I have to use sunblock (rated 70) whenever I go outside here in Southern California. That doesn't inhibit mosquitoes.
If I use a separate mosquito repellent, would that interfere with the sunblock?
A. Applying insect repellent at the same time as sunscreen can significantly decrease the effectiveness of the sunscreen (Parasites & Vectors, March 4, 2025). The insect repellent used in this study contained IR3535. DEET apparently has a similar impact on sunscreen effectiveness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends applying sunscreen first and insect repellent second if both are needed. Consumer Reports (CR) suggests waiting until the sunscreen is completely dry before applying bug repellent. CR also reminds us to reapply sun protection every two hours. The organization advises avoiding products that combine both repellent and sunblock.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 300 W. 57th Street, 41st Floor, New York, NY 10019, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is "Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them."