Reality Checks
22 medicines
Contested claims and popular myths, checked against the actual evidence in both directions.
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Antibiotics and Antimalarials Without a Prescription in Africa: The Real Cost of the Counter
Across much of sub-Saharan Africa, antibiotics and malaria treatments are sold without a prescription or a diagnosis. It solves a real access problem and creates a bigger one. An honest look at both sides.
Antidepressant Withdrawal and Hyperbolic Tapering: The Method Most People Were Never Taught
Coming off antidepressants is harder for some people than they were led to believe. A slower, curved approach called hyperbolic tapering is now in official guidelines. Here is how and why it works.
Are Indian Generics Safe? The Honest Answer About the World's Pharmacy
India manufactures a huge share of the world's generic medicines, including much of what Western pharmacies dispense daily. The honest safety answer is mostly yes, with real exceptions worth understanding rather than fearing.
Compounded GLP-1s and Microdosing in 2026: What Actually Changed
The Ozempic and Wegovy shortage is over, and that quietly changed the rules for compounded semaglutide and the microdosing trend built on it. Here is where things stand in 2026 and what it means for you.
DoxyPEP: The Morning-After Antibiotic for STIs, and What the WHO Actually Endorsed
A single dose of doxycycline after sex cuts the risk of syphilis and chlamydia, and in 2026 the WHO backed it for the first time. Here is who it is for, how well it works, and the resistance trade-off nobody advertises.
Expired Medications: What the Military's Own Data Shows About Old Pills
The date on the box is a legal minimum, not a cliff. A decades-long government study found most drugs stay potent for years past it, with a short list of dangerous exceptions. Here is what actually happens to old medicine, and when to bin it.
Is Berberine Really 'Nature's Ozempic'? The Honest Answer
Social media calls berberine a natural version of Ozempic. The comparison is catchy and mostly wrong. Here is what berberine actually does, how it stacks up against the real drugs, and where it might genuinely fit.
Is Your Medicine Real? Spotting Falsified Drugs in Nigeria and West Africa
Falsified antimalarials and antibiotics circulate widely in West Africa, and the estimates of how many range from 13 to 70 percent. Here is how fakes reach the market, and the checks that actually catch them.
Leftover and Shared Antibiotics: Why the Thing Almost Everyone Does Backfires
Keeping the last few antibiotics for next time, or borrowing a friend's, feels harmless and practical. It is one of the most common ways antibiotics fail. Here is honestly why, without the lecture.
Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN): The Cheap Off-Label Drug People Swear By, and What the Evidence Says
A tiny dose of an old addiction drug has a devoted following for fibromyalgia, long COVID and autoimmune conditions. The stories are compelling and the science is early. Here is an honest reading of both.
Melatonin: Why a Smaller Dose Works Better, and the Jet-Lag Trick Nobody Explains
The gummy aisle sells melatonin in 5 and 10 mg doses, but the evidence points to a fraction of that, and to timing over quantity. Here is how melatonin actually works, the dose that suits most people, and how to beat jet lag with it.
Metformin for Longevity: What the 2026 Data Actually Changed
A cheap diabetes drug became the longevity world's favourite pill. Then a 21-year study found it did not lower the burden of chronic disease. Here is what metformin really does, what it does not, and who it is honestly for.
Modafinil for Healthy People: An Honest Look at the 'Smart Drug'
Silicon Valley and the study-forum crowd treat modafinil as a focus superpower. The research on non-sleep-deprived people is far more mixed, and includes a few catches the hype skips. Here is what it does, and does not, do for a normal brain.
Pill Splitting: The Honest Guide to Halving Your Medicine Bill
A higher-strength tablet often costs about the same as a lower one, so splitting can halve the price per dose. It is a real saving for some drugs and a genuine danger for others. Here is which pills you can cut, and which you must never touch.
Post-Finasteride Syndrome and PSSD: What the Evidence Actually Shows
Some men report sexual and mental side effects that persist after stopping finasteride, and some report the same after antidepressants. The science is genuinely unsettled. Here is an honest look at both sides.
Propranolol for Performance Anxiety: The Pill That Steadies Your Hands but Not Your Thoughts
A beta blocker taken an hour before a speech, audition or exam can stop the shaking, racing heart and cracking voice. Here is what propranolol actually controls, what it leaves untouched, and who should not take it.
Sleeping Pills You Can't Stop: Z-Drugs, Rebound Insomnia and the Slow Taper
Z-drugs like zopiclone and eszopiclone were sold as the safer alternative to benzodiazepines, but people get hooked on them the same way. Here is why stopping backfires, what rebound insomnia really is, and how a slow taper actually works.
Starting HRT After 60: What the Timing Hypothesis Really Says
A generation was scared off hormone therapy, then the science shifted again. The honest answer to 'is it too late at 62?' is more nuanced than either the old fear or the new online optimism. Here is what the timing actually means.
Still Tired on Levothyroxine? The T3 and Natural Thyroid Debate, Fairly Explained
Your thyroid blood tests are normal but you still feel exhausted. You are not imagining it, and you are not alone. Here is why levothyroxine leaves some people flat, and what the T3 and NDT debate is really about.
The ADHD Stimulant Shortage: Surviving It, the Alternatives, and the Overdiagnosis Debate
Years into the stimulant shortage, generic Adderall is still patchy and pharmacy roulette is a monthly ritual. Here is why supply stays broken, what the non-stimulant options offer, and an honest look at the overdiagnosis argument.
The Heartburn Pill That Is Hard to Quit: PPI Rebound, and How to Come Off Safely
Proton pump inhibitors are not addictive in the usual sense, but stopping one can trigger a wave of acid that feels exactly like the reflux coming back. In healthy volunteers who never had heartburn, about 44 percent got symptoms after stopping. Here is why that happens, and how to come off without the rebound trapping you.
Unfunded in New Zealand: Why Pharmac Says No, and What It Costs Patients
New Zealand funds medicines through a single capped budget, and around 300 funding applications sit waiting. Here is how Pharmac decides, why effective medicines stay unfunded, and the options people actually have.
The Reality Check series takes questions where hype, fear or folklore has outrun the science, from natural Ozempic claims to post-finasteride syndrome, and lays out honestly what is known, what is not, and where the debate genuinely stands.