People's Pharmacy: Relief for bra itch

Q: I have been suffering with a rash under my breasts. Every morning, I use antiperspirant under my breasts. Although it does seem to help, the itching and discomfort have never gone away.

Underwire bras are iffy, and lace is out of the question. I itch like crazy, and I have red marks, so at the end of the day I can't wait to get my bra off. What can you recommend?

A: We don't know what is causing your itchy rash, but many women develop a fungal infection in those warm, moist areas under the breasts. Keeping the area dry can be crucial. Although an antiperspirant may reduce sweating, another reader has a different suggestion:

"I had bra itch for months and was unsuccessful in treating it until I tried Zeasorb-AF. I can't believe the difference. In just over a week, it has dried up the rash and stopped the itching. It takes some getting used to the medicinal aroma. They market it for athlete's foot, and it has an antifungal drug called miconazole in it. It's worth a try!"

We hope the Zeasorb-AF will help you, too. Another approach that may be worthwhile would be a spray-on athlete's foot treatment to provide antifungal action without the moisture that could be created by an ointment or cream.

Q: I have a friend who was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment last year. Several years ago, she began having trouble with numbers and simple math, so she retired from teaching but took a position as an administrator. She did fine with that until her retirement a couple of years ago.

She takes several drugs, including Detrol, atorvastatin, lisinopril, Namenda, levothyroxine, Aricept and sertraline. She also likes grapefruit juice with breakfast. Could any of these drugs together with the juice be contributing to her cognitive impairment? I'd be grateful for any information you can send.

A: Drugs for bladder control such as tolterodine (Detrol) and oxybutynin (Ditropan) can cause confusion and interfere with memory. Grapefruit can raise blood levels of the cholesterol-lowering drugs atorvastatin, simvastatin and lovastatin. This may lead to overdosing and impaired mental function.

The combination of sertraline, atorvastatin, grapefruit and Detrol could be contributing to your friend's mental difficulties (International Journal of Clinical Practice, July 2009).

Q: I use lip balm year-round several times a day. During the past few years, my lips have become redder than normal. They often are itchy and are more sensitive to the touch.

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People's Pharmacy: Relief for bra itch