Author: Emma Yasinski

Emma Yasinski

I am a freelance science and medical journalist, fascinated by how the scientific process leads to incredible discoveries, but also can lead to publication bias leaning toward positive findings and minimizing negatives. With a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Lafayette College and a Master’s in Science and Medical Journalism from Boston University, I’ve written about clinical trial transparency, organ donation, and basic molecular biology for publications like The Scientist, The Atlantic, Undark.org, Kaiser Health News, and more. At MedShadow, I research and write about the sometimes unexpected ways that medicines can affect us, and what we can do if and when it does.

When pregnant, chances are you will have a lot of questions. One of them shouldn’t be “can I take this drug while pregnant,” but sadly research is often lacking in this topic. Tylenol While Pregnant In the last week of September 2021, a group of more than 90 doctors and researchers published a call to action, cautioning against the liberal use of Tylenol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy. The studies suggested that exposure to the drug could increase the risk of a baby having neurodevelopmental, reproductive, and urogenital disorders. The authors added, however, that Tylenol has long been considered one of the…

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Yes, scientists test drugs in clinical trials before they come to market so we can have a pretty good idea of the risks and benefits, but once they’re prescribed widely throughout the population, new risks inevitably emerge. For medications that treat uncommon conditions, it can take many years for us to gain a true understanding of the drug’s risks, but for medications like COVID vaccines and weight loss drugs that have been prescribed to millions of people within months of FDA approval, the information comes at us much faster. Not to mention, the manufacturers are currently testing them on a…

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You have cancer. If that wasn’t terrifying enough, you now face a litany of medical choices, treatments, and drugs. As you try to educate yourself about those options, you also have to weigh the unpredictable nature of their side effects. Unfortunately, the side effects listed on the drug’s label don’t tell us much about what it’s really like to take a drug. A new article published in Undark explains how and why the information patients get on side effects often seems to minimize that challenge that side effects can pose. The article uses cancer drugs as an example and is…

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David Smith was starting to notice his hair thinning, and started talking about it with a friend who was also lamenting his newfound lack of hair. Shortly after that, Smith’s friend seemed to have solved the problem. He’d asked his healthcare provider for a prescription for Propecia (finasteride). “I was hesitant to try [finasteride] because I was unsure about the potential side effects of propecia. However, after seeing some great results he had, I decided to go for it,” says Smith. A few months after starting the prescription, he started to appreciate a little more hair on his head. He…

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Adam is the youngest of three children. His older brother and sister came down with a cough and fever when Adam was nearly a month old. A week or so later, Adam was coughing as well, but his cough was phlegmy, and he started vomiting after each feeding. He tested positive for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).  After 12 hours, he hadn’t wet his diaper at all. His mother had to rush him to the hospital, where he spent four days and three nights. He got oxygen, IV fluids, and antibiotics. Still, since there are no antiviral drugs specifically to fight…

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After decades of clinical trial failures, two new Alzheimer’s drug approvals by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have thrilled many healthcare providers and advocacy groups. Others warn that the two new drugs, Aduhelm (aducanumab) and Leqembi (lecanemab-irmb), may not be the medical miracles they seem to be.   Doctors have been using the same drugs and lifestyle adjustments to treat Alzheimer’s for years with modest benefits at best. None of these drugs can stop, slow, or reverse the seemingly inevitable progression of Alzheimer’s disease. They may temporarily reduce the condition’s symptoms. To learn about the efficacy of older Alzheimer’s drugs…

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It is difficult to know what medicine you can take while breastfeeding. Studies tend to be lacking. Advice can be confusing. Let’s dive into medication while breastfeeding. Two years ago, a researcher who specializes in the safety of breast milk was in the midst of breastfeeding her own child when she experienced a serious bout of postpartum depression. She had a televisit with her doctor, who refused to write her a prescription for antidepressant medications as long as she was still breastfeeding, even though the drugs are often considered safe to take during pregnancy and breastfeeding.  “A lot of times,…

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a drug called Inpefa to reduce the risk of heart failure in people with Type 2 diabetes. The drug took a long and winding road to get its regulatory approval. That “road” gives us a glimpse, not only at the approval process, but how regulators considered concerns about the compound’s safety. Understanding how the trials were designed and how regulators considered the risks and benefits of the drug can help us evaluate whether or not we want to take it. “I generally am relatively enthusiastic about this new medication to be…

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Margie Minkler started getting hot flashes in her early 40s.  “It feels like a cartoon of somebody who is turning red from their toes up to their forehead, and then bursts out in sweat,” she says. “My face would be red as a tomato.” These hot flashes kept her up at night for years. Her primary care doctor told her she should “grin and bear it” for the next 10 years.  At first, she did just that. But after three years of struggling, she mentioned her hot flashes to her gynecologist who prescribed a hormone-replacement lotion she could rub on…

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