FDA Consumer Health Information Updates

Head lice affect millions of children every year. Although head lice are a year-round problem, cases usually peak during back-to-school time. FDA-approved treatments for head lice include over-the-counter and prescription drugs.

Social media trends and peer pressure can be a dangerous combination to children, especially when involving misusing medicines. Nonprescription drugs are readily available in many homes, making these challenges even riskier. Warn your children about the dangers of misusing medicines.

Targeting teenagers and young adults, videos on social media platforms promote the unsafe use of SARMs to improve physical appearance, gain muscle mass, or increase athletic performance.

Whether at your local pharmacy or the FDA, pharmacists help patients achieve the best possible outcome when taking drugs. Pharmacists are a bridge between the patient and their prescriber. They are experts at interpreting information for patients.

Unfortunately, when faced with a serious health issue, even the most rational person can be led to believe implausible Alzheimer cure claims.

Eating raw (uncooked) flour, dough or batter could make you sick. Most flour is raw and is not treated to kill germs. Never eat or taste raw flour, dough or batter.

From tinsel to table scraps, holiday hazards for pets abound. Here are some tips to help you keep them safe.

Consumers with diabetes risk serious health complications by choosing illegally marketed diabetes products, which also may be dangerous in and of themselves. Learn about the unapproved products found in the marketplace and what the FDA is doing to counter diabetes products that violate federal law.

The FDA works to ensure the safety of millions of units of blood and blood components donated in the U.S. each year. Learn how the FDA helps safeguard the blood supply and how you can donate blood.

The FDA advises parents and caregivers to not make or feed homemade infant formula to infants. Homemade infant formula recipes have not been evaluated by the FDA and may lack nutrients vital to an infant’s growth.

Reducing your salt intake is one way to improve your health. Here are four steps to help you cut back gradually.

As we age, physical changes can affect the way our body handles medications and how medicines work, which can lead to complications. Even if your medications have worked well for you over the years, they might need to be adjusted or changed later in life. Here are some important safety tips.

If you’re lying awake night after night, unable to sleep, you may want to talk to your health care professional about it. They may prescribe insomnia medicines approved by the FDA. Sometimes known as “Z-drugs,” they might help you get a good night’s sleep. But as with any medicine, there are risks.

Fluorouracil, used to treat a variety of conditions, is deadly if ingested by your pet. Store this common medication where pets cannot access it.

Cardiovascular devices (or heart devices) such as pacemakers and defibrillators have extended and improved the lives of millions of people worldwide. Learn how the FDA regulates these devices, when to seek medical attention for potential heart issues, and how to report problems.

If you feel tired and exhausted when you wake up every morning you may have sleep apnea. Find out more about the different types of FDA-cleared and FDA-approved obstructive sleep apnea or OSA treatments that work and help you get restful and restorative sleep.

Doctors recommend most people start screening for colorectal cancer at age 45, and before age 45 for some people at higher risk. There are several FDA-reviewed and approved or cleared choices for colorectal cancer screening. Find out which one is best for you.

Check out the FDA's tips to safely use dermal fillers and learn the difference between dermal fillers and injectable botulinum toxin products.

Assessing the safety of additives and other chemicals in food includes scientific study of how much of a chemical is in a food and how much we're likely to eat.

There continues to be interest in a drug called ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans. The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals.