Timely and important studies are reviewed and commentaries provided by leading palliative care clinicians. Symptoms and treatment side effects addressed in this issue are: cardiovascular risk due to NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors; prolongation of the QT interval due to methadone use; depression and its treatment with scopolamine; adverse drug reactions related to cardiovascular medications, and their association with ethnicity; and medication nonadherence in Medicare enrollees due to cost considerations.