The Health Shopper

A New York Times editorial notes that two recent studies have found that older anti-psychotic drugs-used to treat schizophrenia and other mental health concerns-are just as effective as newer and far more expensive drugs in children ages 8 to 19.  The studies, which looked at Zyprexa, Risperdal and an older generic drug, "found no clear difference… in relieving the symptoms of schizophrenia." There was one major difference, however: Side effects. On average, children taking Zyprexa and Risperdal gained anywhere from eight to 13 pounds along with "changes in cholesterol and insulin levels that can increase the risk of diabetes."

So, to recap: The newer drugs are far more expensive, no more helpful, and more likely to cause detrimental side effects.

Los Angeles Times consumer affairs reporter David Lazarus has written an informative primer on some of the key differences between drugs and dietary supplements such as vitamins. The key difference: Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, which must go through rigorous testing to prove their safety and effectiveness, supplements don't undergo any scrutiny unless complaints about their safety start to pile up. 

And pile up they have, at least in a couple cases. In the past month, the CEO of Enzyte-which offered "natural enhancement for men"-was sentenced to 25 years in prison "for bilking customers out of $100 million." The manufacturer of Airborne-a common herbal supplement that individuals take to ward off colds-has paid $30 million in fines for making unsubstantiated claims.  And a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that supplements with the chemical Ayurvedic can lead to dangerously high levels of metals in the bloodstream.

A good suggestion from the New York Times: Call your doctor's office for your test results. The Times cites a study published in the journal Quality and Safety in Health Care that finds that errors occurs in about one in four lab tests, and in 7 percent of tests, or about one out of 14 cases, doctors and labs fail to notify patients of their test results. Although many patients assume that no news is good news, that isn't necessarily the case. Many of the patients who didn't get their test results-approximately 75 percent of them-had to pay more, suffered from poorer health, or were otherwise adversely affected by not receiving their test results.  So call your doctor.

Via The Health Care Blog comes news that Take Care Clinics will be offering $25 back to school physicals at their nearly 200 retail clinics. Although Take Care Clinics notes that the back to school physicals should not take the place of a traditional physical, the clinics will certify that students are up to date on immunizations-offering a nice savings opportunity for folks who would prefer not to spend more money on asking their doctors to fill out some paperwork.  

Via Jason Kottke comes news of ultra cheap, over the counter generic drugs available at Amazon. The online retailing giant offers over the counter drugs in bulk at a fraction of the price of Wal-Mart, Target and other large retail stores. For example, according to some numbers from Matt Thompson, regular Benadryl costs $0.22 a pill, the Wal-Mart equivalent costs $0.16 a pill, while the Amazon generic costs just $.02 a pill. 

A new clinical trial has found that Vytorin, a cholesterol drug with $5 billion in annual revenue taken by 3 million Americans, doesn't lower heart disease risk but may increase cancer risk. The limited good news from the trial is that, according to Business Week, is that the increase in cancer risk has not been proven conclusively, and since there is no clear cause for an increase in cancer risk and other trials have not shown similar results, it is possible that the results were ultimately a fluke.

Still, not good news.  A few months ago, the leading professional group for cardiologists recommended against prescribing Vytorin, though some patients are still on the drug.  Definitive proof about the drug's effectiveness is expected in 2012.

The Environmental Working Group has released a study finding that only a small percentage of commonly used sunscreens adequately protect consumers from sun exposure and potential skin cancers.  According to the study, just 15 percent of available sunscreens meet the group's standards for adequate protection against UVA and UVB rays.  As the San Francisco Chronicle notes, sunscreens that offer inadequate protection can give people a false sense of security against skin cancer-including serious skin cancers such as melanoma-and provoke them to spend more time exposed to sun than they otherwise should.

For the organization's list of the most protective sunscreens, see here.

Medtral, a New Zealand based hospital, is one of the latest entrants into the growing medical tourism market, where officials hope that U.S. consumers will be attracted to low prices despite the country's higher standard of living. According to the Washington Post, patients at the privately owned hospital receive greater privacy and improved care coordination from nurses, along with follow-up care that is often superior to American follow-up care. Although prices are higher than in common medical tourism destinations such as India, hospital officials say that prices are still below costs in Europe and the United States and that they hope patients will be attracted to the higher standard of living and opportunities to see the country.

Over at Freakonomics, health writer Julie Salamon tells the story of a college student who, in response to a high fever, went to an emergency room, was given some Tylenol and charged $1,089.50. Naturally, Salamon points out that $1,000 for a Tylenol seems a bit excessive. In defense of the hospital, prominent doctor and medical blogger Kevin, M.D. argues that the patient wasn't just paying for the Tylenol, but for the doctor's opinion and space in the hospital itself, and that the charge for the space and labor was fair.

Regardless of one's feelings on the matter, it's important to remember that hospitals-particularly emergency room visits-are expensive. As Consumer Reports points out in a new article on managing hospital visits: Save the ER for emergencies. For minor aches and illnesses, it's a better idea to look for an urgent care facility or call the family doctor first.

On the other hand, in a true emergency-such as sudden, severe chest pain, shortness of breath dizzying headaches, major blood loss-get to the hospital as soon as possible.  And don't drive yourself.

Check out the rest of Consumer Reports' advice here.

Via Consumerist comes a list of supermarkets, pharmacies and other retailers who have begun offering customers low-cost generic drugs. At the moment, in addition to Target and Wal-Mart, the following pharmacies offer low-cost-in the neighborhood of $4 for a month's prescription-drugs:

• Safeway
• Kroger
• Fred Meyer
• Giant Foods
• Ralph's
• QFC
• Meijer
• K-Mart
• Walgreens

According to commenters on the website, several other regional chains offer similar programs including:

• Wegman's Stores
• HEB
• Hannaford Supermarkets
• Publix

Something to keep in mind with these programs: Some insurance plans have set co-pays, even for generic drugs, that are actually higher than the out-of-pocket costs on drugs at these stores. If, for example, you have a $10 co-pay for a month's generic drug supply, you'll end up saving by buying the drugs independent of your insurance.