Q: I am past 60 and have tried numerous supplements to keep from having to get up several times a night. During the winter, I had occasion to take a shot of NyQuil or something similar. I find when I do that, I don’t get up.

I am somewhat leery of taking it too often. Do you have an opinion or a solution? I do not use sleep aids, and I wonder if the cold medicine is acting as a sleep aid.

A: NyQuil liquid contains a sedating antihistamine called doxylamine. It is the same ingredient found in Unisom Sleep Tabs. In addition, NyQuil contains 10 percent alcohol as an “inactive” ingredient. For comparison, beer is about 4 to 6 percent alcohol, and wine averages about 12 percent.

Many sleep experts caution against using alcohol as a sleep aid. While it may help people fall asleep a little faster, it can disrupt normal sleep patterns (Alcohol, June 2015). Occasional use of NyQuil when you have a cold should not pose a problem, though regular use to stay asleep is not advisable.

Daytime sun exposure, acupuncture, magnesium or cognitive behavioral therapy might be helpful.

Q: I experienced a pain in my chest last week that I initially thought was indigestion. I ended up in the emergency room with the worst pain I’ve ever had in my life. They did all sorts of tests thinking it might be a heart attack or gastrointestinal problem. Everything came back near perfect, except that they found portal hypertension of the liver.

That indicates chronic liver failure consistent with early cirrhosis. I may have two or three drinks a year, so it isn’t due to alcohol abuse. I have never had hepatitis, but I have been taking Adderall XR for six years to deal with my foggy brain. This is the ONLY medication I take.

I’ll have to get off the Adderall now and wonder how I am going to be able to function mentally. I wish I had known earlier that such stimulants may affect the liver.

A: There is no way you could have known of this danger, since liver damage is not listed in the prescribing information for Adderall XR. However, there is a case report of a 55-year-old woman who developed acute liver injury as a result of taking Adderall at the prescribed dose (Case Reports in Gastrointestinal Medicine, online, June 23, 2013). The authors point out that this reaction is rare, but they conclude, “Clinicians need to be alert to possible liver injury when using Adderall.”

Q: I have used gentian violet for my toenail fungus with great success. You can get this online or at most pharmacies.

A: Gentian or crystal violet is a bright-blue-violet dye that was synthesized in the 19th century. It was derived from plants in the genus Gentiana. This compound has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic and anti-fungal activity.

Dermatologists have reported benefit using this old-fashioned topical medication for treating toenail fungus (Experimental Dermatology, December 2013).

Q: Have there been any studies on the use of cannabis cream to relieve the burning and tingling of neuropathy in one’s feet?

A: There is limited evidence to support topical cannabis for neuropathy (Deutsches Arzteblatt, Sept. 22, 2017). There are, however, several studies suggesting that inhaled marijuana may offer relief for some people with this painful condition (Journal of Pain, December 2015 and June 2016).

A recent overview of research points out that long-term risks of such “treatment” have not been well-studied (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, March 7, 2018).

Q: My teenage daughter swam competitively for several years. This led to constant problems with broken nails, until she took gelatin capsules. The gelatin pretty much cured the problem.

A: Gelatin has had a reputation for building stronger nails for decades. What little research has been carried out, however, was done long ago.

The best study we could find was published in the AMA Archives of Dermatology (September 1957). The researchers reported that “43 of 50 patients with brittle nails who ingested gelatin daily for three months showed improvement in their nail structure.”

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Send questions to them via www .peoplespharmacy.com.