Health and advice
Here you can find a variety of articles covering common health conditions, how we can help in treating them and answers to common questions we frequently get asked by our patients.
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Try a condition name such as thrush, migraine or hair loss, or browse the topics alongside.Hair loss
What kind of hair loss you have, which treatments have trial evidence behind them, and what the numbers actually show.
Different Types of Hair Loss: How to Tell Them Apart
Receding hairline, sudden shedding, bald patches or a sore scalp? Learn what different hair-loss patterns may mean and when to speak to your GP.
Dutasteride vs Finasteride for Hair Loss
Dutasteride blocks more DHT, but does it grow more hair? Compare results, side effects, half-lives and when it may be worth switching from finasteride.
Minoxidil and finasteride or dutasteride: How Much Does Adding the Second One Actually Get You?
Combining them works, but the interesting question is how much the second drug adds and which one to start first. A UK pharmacist goes through the numbers.
Can You Use Oral and Topical Minoxidil Together? What the Evidence Shows
Only one study has looked at combining them and it found no significant extra benefit. A UK pharmacist explains the evidence, the risks, and what to do instead.
Erectile dysfunction
How the tablets work, why they appear to fail, and when an erection problem is worth investigating further.
Sildenafil: how it works, and why it doesn't work for some men
Most men who say sildenafil didn't work took it wrong. A UK pharmacist on how it works, how long it really takes, and what to change before you give up.
Which ED Tablet, and What to Do When It Doesn't Work
Most men who say their ED tablet didn't work were taking it wrongly. A UK pharmacist on picking between the four, and fixing what went wrong.
Is Too Much Porn Causing Your Erectile Dysfunction?
Can too much porn cause erectile dysfunction? See what the research shows, how problematic use may affect erections, and when to seek medical help.
Testosterone and TRT
What testosterone replacement reliably improves, what it doesn't, and the risks worth understanding before starting.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy Benefits: What Can TRT Actually Improve?
Sexual desire, energy, bone health: the evidence behind TRT is stronger for some benefits than others. What the two largest trials found, and where they disagreed.
7 TRT myths debunked
Does TRT cause prostate cancer, heart attacks or infertility? We break down 7 common testosterone replacement therapy myths using the latest evidence.
Weight loss
How the GLP-1 medicines compare, what the side effects are actually like, and what happens when you stop.
Women's health
Getting the diagnosis right first, from thrush and bacterial vaginosis to recurrent UTIs and period timing.
Vaginal Thrush: How to Tell Whether That's Actually What You've Got
Two thirds of women who buy a thrush treatment don't have thrush. How to tell whether it's thrush, which treatment to use, and what to do when it keeps returning.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
A pharmacist's guide to UTIs. Which antibiotic you should get, why three days is enough, and what the evidence says about cranberry, D-mannose and preventing recurrent infections
How to Delay Your Period: What Works and When to Start
Learn how to delay your period with norethisterone, Provera or the combined pill, when to start, what happens if you start late, and who may not be suitable.
Digestion and bowel
Constipation, piles and threadworms, including the standard advice that turns out to be weakly evidenced.
How to relieve constipation
Constipated? Learn which laxative suits hard stools, slow bowels or stool that feels stuck, how quickly each works and when to seek medical advice.
Piles (haemorrhoids): what actually helps, and when it isn't piles at all
Bleeding that hurts is often a fissure, not piles. What the evidence supports, how long to treat, and when rectal bleeding needs checking. Written by a UK pharmacist.
Threadworms: why they keep coming back
Threadworms usually come back because of reinfection, not because the treatment failed. A UK pharmacist discuss what treats and causes threadworms.
Pain and migraine
Which painkiller suits which situation, and the safety trade-offs between the anti-inflammatories.
Is Naproxen Safe?
Is naproxen safe? Learn how your stomach, kidneys, heart, other medicines, dose and treatment length affect whether naproxen is suitable for you.
What is Sumatriptan?
How sumatriptan works, the right dose, and why a second tablet won't help if the first did nothing. A UK pharmacist explains the interactions that matter.
Paramol vs Codeine: Is Dihydrocodeine Really Stronger?
Is Paramol stronger than co-codamol or Solpadeine? A pharmacist compares codeine and dihydrocodeine, the doses and what the evidence actually shows.
Everyday health
Head lice, generics, and the questions we get asked most often across the counter.
Head lice treatment: what works, what doesn't, and why it failed last time
Most head lice treatments fail because of how they're used, not resistance. A UK pharmacist on what the trials show, how much product you need, and when to treat.
Generic vs Branded Medications
We get asked for specific manufacturers constantly. A UK pharmacist explains why it usually makes no difference when it does, and how to check the box yourself.