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Metformin, a common prescription drug that&rsquo;s used to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/diabetes/article/how-develop-diabetes-action-plan">treat type 2 diabetes</a>, is making headlines worldwide&mdash;but the big news has nothing to do with diabetes. Some experts believe that metformin may be the key to a longer life, boosting potential life span up to an incredible 120 years.

While that sounds too good to be true, the drug caught the attention of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which approved the first human clinical trials&mdash;called Targeting Aging with Metformin, or TAME&mdash;to test the use of metformin in people who already have or who are at risk for cancer, heart disease or cognitive impairment. The goal: to see if the drug can actually help delay the onset of such illnesses and increase longevity.

Have scientists really stumbled upon the Fountain of Youth? We talked to Keith Roach, MD, Associate Professor in Clinical Medicine in the division of general medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital to separate fact from fiction.

Sharecare: What&rsquo;s the background on metformin? 
Dr. Roach: Metformin&rsquo;s been around for decades and is one of the most widely used drugs for diabetes. And while it&rsquo;s very effective for diabetes, for the past 40 or so years, some have also thought that medications in the class of metformin&mdash;called <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/diabetes/article/medications-for-diabetes">biguanides</a>&mdash;might have anti-aging properties.

Sharecare: What&#39;s behind the anti-aging claim? 
Dr. Roach: Metformin inhibits a protein called IGF1. This protein is associated with a lot of bad things that happen in the body. And there&rsquo;s a fairly large amount of evidence that giving animals&mdash;from worms to mice&mdash;metformin and drugs like it, tends to decrease some of the changes in the cell that we associate with aging. This in turn may lead to a greater degree of longevity.

Sharecare: Metformin working for mice and worms is one thing, but does it have the same effect on humans? 
Dr. Roach: It&rsquo;s unclear. So far, the only thing that&rsquo;s been proven in humans to reliably decrease disease and slow aging is extreme calorie restriction. One of the things you see in extreme calorie restriction is a decrease in IGF1. So, the idea is that maybe we can give this drug, which does the same thing, and get the benefit that&rsquo;s associated with extreme calorie restriction without the health risks.

Sharecare: But what about people with diabetes who seem to be living longer on metformin? Can you explain that? 
Dr. Roach: In long-term studies that have been done in people with diabetes, it&rsquo;s pretty clear that metformin works better than insulin or other oral drugs. But people who take metformin for their diabetes don&rsquo;t just magically live forever&mdash;it&rsquo;s just that they may live longer than if they had been put on insulin or not been taking it all.

Sharecare: What&rsquo;s your take on metformin for longevity? 
Dr. Roach: I&rsquo;m really happy that we&rsquo;re doing this research, and I can&rsquo;t wait to see the results. I think this is brilliant. But I&rsquo;m skeptical. The clinical trial is trying to replicate the longevity benefits that are associated with extreme calorie restriction&mdash;but the data in humans that this type of calorie restriction leads to longer life just isn&rsquo;t there. Look at it this way: there have been people living in monasteries for thousands of years who practice extreme calorie restriction, and they don&rsquo;t live to 120 years. Plus, if you look at people who do make it to very old age, extreme calorie restriction isn&rsquo;t something that we universally see. Also, this isn&rsquo;t a benign drug&mdash;it&rsquo;s not without its side effects. For example, metformin can lead to serious 24/7 diarrhea symptoms and may even be fatal for those with kidney problems.

Sharecare: So, what do you think of all the hype?&nbsp; 
Dr. Roach: This should be an exciting time as a clinical trial, but it&rsquo;s not a license to beg physicians for a metformin prescription in order to live forever. Nobody should take metformin yet, just for the purpose of trying to live longer. And that&rsquo;s really my take-home point: If you want to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/live-to-one-hundred/slideshow/things-you-need-know-aging">boost longevity</a> and reduce your risk of chronic disease, try these top three tips: get regular exercise, eat smart and manage stress.

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When it comes to a lingering case of the sniffles, your first instinct may still be to run to the family doctor for an antibiotic to knock them out.

The truth is, though, antibiotics aren&rsquo;t a one-size-fits-all solution when you aren&rsquo;t feeling well. And when you take them for the wrong reason, they can actually do more harm than good.

What Happens When I Take an Antibiotic I Don&rsquo;t Need? 
A doctor prescribes an antibiotic when bacteria, rather than a virus, causes the illness in question. This means if you&rsquo;ve got a cold, the flu, or even something like mono, an antibiotic isn&rsquo;t going to make you feel better.

They could also bring on some not-so-pleasant side effects, like an allergic reaction or upset stomach. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics also contribute to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/superbugs/article/have-antibiotics-reached-their-expiration-date" style="line-height: 1.6em;">antibiotic resistance</a>, which is what happens when the bacteria adapt and make the medication ineffective. This means longer, more severe infections.

When Are Antibiotics the Right Choice? 
There are times when an antibiotic is still the best bet for getting you back on your feet, though, and if you have symptoms of these six illnesses, it could be time to head to your doctor for a prescription.

Bacterial sinus infection - may set in after a cold, but also can be hard to distinguish from a cold

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: Cloudy or discolored nasal drainage is the big clue, along with headaches, facial tenderness, congestion, bad breath, fever and fatigue. Symptoms that last more than 10 days, or get better then worse again, suggest a bacterial infection.</li>
</ul>

Whooping cough - a serious bacterial respiratory infection that mainly affects infants younger than six months old, kids who haven&rsquo;t been immunized and older children and adults whose immunity is wearing off&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: Early symptoms include runny nose, mild cough, low-grade fever and sneezing. After one to two weeks, severe coughing fits often appear. They can last over a minute, followed by a &ldquo;whooping&rdquo; sound, vomiting and exhaustion.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Strep throat -&nbsp;a contagious sore throat infection caused by Streptococcus bacteria, more common in children than adults

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: A severe sore throat may be accompanied by a fever of 101&deg;F or above, swollen tonsils (sometimes with white patches), red spots on the roof of the mouth, headache, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes and a rash.</li>
</ul>

Bacterial ear infection - occurs when germs cause fluid buildup in the middle ear; it can also cause the tubes in the ear to become blocked or swollen

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: Most ear infections, viral and bacterial, share common symptoms such as fever, headaches, ear pain, pressure in the ear, drainage, reduced hearing and dizziness.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Urinary tract infection (UTI) - an infection of the urinary tract&mdash;including the urethra, bladder and kidneys&mdash;most commonly caused by bacteria; affects more women than men.

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: Symptoms of a UTI vary by age, but most commonly include an intense need to use the restroom, burning or pain during urination and cloudy or dark urine. In older adults, symptoms can be vague and include weakness, fatigue, muscle aches and abdominal pain.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Bacterial pneumonia - A serious bacterial infection in the lungs; often a complication of the flu

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: Bacterial pneumonia often causes very high fever, sweating, increased heart rate and rapid breathing, along with a cough, shortness of breath, sharp chest pain, headache, loss of appetite and, in older adults, confusion.</li>
</ul>

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Drug information