In "Alice in Wonderland," when Alice comes across a cake marked "Eat Me," she does, thinking it may help her negotiate the challenge she is facing. Instead, it makes her grow to such an enormous size that she can't get out of the room she's in. 

New medicines can sometimes have bewildering effects. Take ritonavir-nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid), the new antiviral pill for treating COVID-19.

The medication got emergency approval this past December for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in patients at high risk of severe illness.

In a clinical trial, unvaccinated participants who hadn't been previously infected with COVID-19 and came down with it saw an 88% reduction in their risk of hospitalization or death if they took the new medication.

That sounds outstanding.

However, as cardiologist Dr. Anthony Pearson pointed out in a MedPage Today article, Paxlovid comes with serious warnings about a slew of drug interactions. Anyone taking medications for high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, or elevated cholesterol (that's millions of people) may need to stop or modify their cardiac medications and monitor their blood pressure and heart rate closely while taking Paxlovid. The potential risks are serious.

If this describes you, print out the Food and Drug Administration Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers: Emergency Use Authorization for Paxlovid (type that into Google search), and talk with your doctor about whether or how you might take Paxlovid if you get COVID-19.

Also get the vaccine/booster, if you haven't. You want to be prepared to make the right decision quickly if it becomes necessary.