In addition to surgery and radiation therapy, a variety of drugs are used both singly and in combination to treat breast cancer. This article summarizes the principles of adjuvant therapy and treatment for metastatic disease. A summary of individual drugs and their adverse effects begins on page 3.

Two types of oral contraceptives are available in the USA: combination oral contraceptives that contain both an estrogen and a progestin, and progestin-only contraceptives, or "mini-pills."Used as directed, all oral contraceptives marketed in the USA are similarly effective in preventing pregnancy.

Many commonly used drugs can interfere with sexual function in both men and women, causing loss of libido, interfering with erection or ejaculation in men, and delaying or preventing orgasm in women. Drug-related effects on sexual function may be difficult to distinguish from the effects of depression or disease, but most are reversible when drug use is stopped and sometimes when dosage is decreased. Since many patients are reluctant to talk about sexual difficulties, physicians may wish to ask about the possibility of drug-induced sexual dysfunction, particularly when they have...

Acute toxic reactions to drugs of abuse continue to be important problems. Some patients may have mixed intoxications with complex combinations of signs and symptoms.

Among patients with chronic heart failure, those with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40% are considered to have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Patients with a LVEF ≥50% are considered to have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Those with a LVEF of 41-49% are an intermediate group more similar to patients with HFpEF.

In June 2021, the FDA approved the IV amyloid beta-directed monoclonal antibody aducanumab (Aduhelm) for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The approval did not restrict use of the drug to patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, which was the population enrolled in the clinical trials. Now, Biogen, with the permission of the FDA, has made an addition to the labeling of the drug that says: Treatment with Aduhelm should be initiated in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia stage of disease, the population in which treatment was initiated in clinical...

The primary symptoms of menopause are genitourinary and vasomotor. The genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) includes symptoms such as burning, irritation, dryness, dyspareunia, dysuria, and recurrent urinary tract infection. Vasomotor symptoms (VMS; hot flashes, night sweats) often disrupt sleep.

View the Comparison Table: Some Drugs for HFrEF

View the Comparison Table: Some Oral Antiseizure Medications