Treatment and medication – articles and advice
End of life care
Features on treatments and medicines, with advice on choices and patient experiences. For detailed reference, see our Patient Information Leaflets on treatment and medications.
End of life care
End of life care is about comfort and dignity. Discover how services support patients and families through symptom control, emotional care, and decision making.
- End of life care: medical, emotional and spiritual support
- LGBTQI+: what are the barriers and challenges in end of life care?
- How to cope with a terminal illness at Christmas
- What are the options for end of life care?
- How to talk about your end of life care wishes
- What not to say to someone who is dying
- What you need to know about end of life care
First aid
Accidents happen anywhere. Learn essential first aid skills that can help you treat common injuries and potentially save a life in an emergency.
- Empowering the next generation: St John Ambulance and the Young Responders campaign
- The importance of learning CPR: Emma tells her story
- The importance of learning CPR
- What should you do if someone goes into cardiac arrest?
- How to teach yourself first aid
- Holiday first aid kit essentials
- Essential first aid items for your home
- What supplies do you need for a sports first aid kit?
Medicine information
Medicines help manage or cure many conditions. Learn about how they work, common side effects, and why taking them as prescribed matters.
- What to do if your medication isn't available
- Antibiotic resistance: a hidden health crisis
- Making sure your medicine is safe at home
- What is #MedSafetyWeek and MHRA Yellow Card scheme?
- Should you worry about painkiller addiction?
- Practical ways to manage your medicines at home
- Earache relief: medicine and remedies
- Do beta blockers help with anxiety symptoms?
- Are you too reliant on painkillers?
- What factors are causing antimicrobial resistance?
- How does paracetamol know where our pain is?
- Prescriptions: your questions answered
- Where to get medication in an emergency
- What you need to know about stopping medication
- The dangers of fake drugs
- One in four adults prescribed addictive medications
- Chemical found in cannabis could be more effective than painkillers
- Should you give painkillers to children?
- What you need to know before you take erectile dysfunction medication
- Is it safe to take opioid painkillers?
- Should you worry about side effects with malaria tablets?
- Should you worry about steroids and their side effects?
- Does herbal medicine really work?
- Can your skin really get addicted to steroid creams?
- What happens when medicines interact
- Why antibiotics shouldn't be overused
- Why wasn't I prescribed antibiotics?
Mental health medicines
Antidepressants are medications that treat symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other conditions by affecting brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and norepinephrine.
- What is serotonin syndrome and what causes it?
- How to switch antidepressants safely
- Should I switch antidepressants?
- Can antidepressants cause vivid dreams?
- How to avoid antidepressant withdrawal symptoms
- Will taking antidepressants really lead to weight gain?
- What is CBD oil and does it work?
- Why is there still stigma around antidepressants?
- When should you stop taking antidepressants?
Pharmacy services
Pharmacies provide services such as dispensing prescription and over-the-counter medications, offering clinical advice for minor illnesses, and conducting health checks like blood sugar and blood pressure testing.
- How social media helps you stay connected to your GP Practice or Pharmacy
- What to expect from your pharmacy consultation
- Book a Pharmacy First online consultation
- Can a pharmacist prescribe antibiotics?
- Pharmacy First - getting the most from your pharmacist
- Hay fever: how your pharmacist can help
- Can your pharmacist help you with your sexual health?
- Health problems you don't need to see your doctor about
- Getting malaria tablets from your pharmacist
Surgery and procedures
Surgery can range from minor outpatient procedures to major operations. Learn what to expect, how to prepare, and what recovery involves.
- What are the risks of a lung transplant?
- Labiaplasties – what are they and are they ever medically necessary?
- What you need to know before having surgery
- What it's like to have a vasectomy
- The best things you can to do to prepare for an operation
- What it's like to be on the organ transplant waiting list
- Should vaginal mesh surgery be banned?
- Video: Hip replacement recovery exercises
- Having sex after a vasectomy
- The experiences of a vasectomised vasectomy surgeon
Therapy
Therapies include physical, psychological, and occupational approaches. Learn how therapy can help you recover, manage pain, or improve mental wellbeing.
In this topic:TherapyMental health therapyPhysiotherapyHypnotherapy
- The power of nostalgia: what is Reminiscence Therapy?
- Are facial workouts good for sleep, speech and oral health?
- Don't sweat it: 5 sauna health benefits in the hot seat
- What is peer support and how can it help you?
- Which therapies can ease Parkinson's disease symptoms?
- LGBTQ+ people share their personal conversion therapy stories
- What harm can conversion therapy cause and why isn't it banned?
- Is retail therapy actually a thing?
Mental health therapy
- NewArt therapy: creative ways to boost your mental health
- Is ASMR the secret to sensory bliss?
- Unconventional healing: the rise of alternative therapies
- Pets as therapy: benefits for all ages
- How remote mental health services have helped the LGBTQ+ community
- CBT for insomnia: how does it work?
- Could you benefit from music therapy?
- Can you have therapy if you don't have a mental health problem?
- What is transactional analysis therapy?
- What is psychodynamic therapy?
- Can deaf people have therapy?
- What therapies can treat PTSD?
- How to decide between different types of therapy
- Why is therapy so exhausting?
- What is dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT)?
- What to expect when your child starts talking therapy
- How to choose a therapist
- Why do so many of us struggle with meditation?
- Do mental health apps really work?
Physiotherapy
- Is getting a massage a substitute for physiotherapy?
- What is video physiotherapy and who can it help?
- How to get the most out of video physiotherapy
- Do you need physiotherapy after joint replacement?
- Signs you might need physiotherapy
- Can physiotherapy prevent falls in older people?
- How physiotherapy can help people with lung conditions
- What does a women's health physiotherapist do?
Hypnotherapy
- Hypnotherapy for IBS: the gut-brain axis
- Can hypnotherapy help insomnia?
- Does hypnotherapy work for anxiety?
Weight loss treatments and surgery
When diet and exercise aren’t enough, treatments or surgery may help. Learn about weight loss options and what to expect from each approach.
- What is bariatric surgery?
- How weight loss surgery changed my life: Gemma's story
- How to stop taking Mounjaro or switch to an alternative
- What happens when you stop taking weight loss injections?
- Who is eligible for weight loss injections?
- What are weight loss injections and are they safe?
- What is gastric sleeve surgery?
- Are protein shakes good for weight loss?
- Do diet pills really work – and are they safe?
- Orlistat healthy eating guide
- Can hypnotherapy help you lose weight?