Author: Kimberly Bliss

“There is no way to put a shine on my circumstance, as I have so many times in the past, publicly and privately. Positivism is a state of mind one achieves, and I am presently an underachiever.”                                                                                                   –  Michael J. Fox  In 1991, Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s…

“Insomnia is a 24-hour disorder. And the daytime component of insomnia is more than half the puzzle. To overcome insomnia, almost all the changes you will need to make will happen when you’re awake.” – Jade Wu, PH.D. Dr. Jade Wu not only knows what’s keeping you awake, she is a doctor with over a decade’s-worth of experience in helping patients achieve an ever elusive goal: sleep. Hello Sleep is both a how-to book for insomniacs looking to end their misery and a layperson’s guide to the scientific studies that support rethinking our relationship with sleep. Dr. Wu is convinced…

“The loneliness, sadness, and melancholic hum of my life all validated by 10,000 antidepressants. I don’t think about them when they get delivered to my door or when they slide down my throat. No doctor ever questions their use. No pharmacist refuses a refill.” In Reno, Nevada in 2001, Brooke Siem emerged from a child psychiatrist’s office with a prescription for antidepressants at age 15. Her father had just died, and her struggle with depression began down a medicated path.  She was among the first wave of adolescents given these drugs. Years later, nearing her 30th birthday and plagued with…

“It took years before I realized that the illness was not just my own; the silence around suffering was our society’s pathology.” – Meghan O’Rourke Meghan O’Rourke tackles her chronic illness with the imagination of what could be possible in healthcare and medicine, and with her conversational breakdown of research and science in her New York Times’ bestselling The Invisible Kingdom. Readers will be taken with her personal story as their guide. While those with chronic disease will find power and resources in these pages, it is a story with such heartbreak and hope that it’s likely that most readers…

MedShadow has reached more people than ever this year — more than 3 times as many in fact — with articles and news on the side effects and long-term effects of prescription medication. Looking at the pros and cons, we continuously break down the reality behind the labels. In 2015, we tackled controversial topics and explained complicated ones. One highlight: Our FDA Watch blogger Sarah Smedley took on the agency’s approval of a drug to improve women’s libido despite a list of problems and minimal upside. Here’s a look at our Top 10 of 2015! [metaslider id=9907] 1: Do Statins…

Before we say goodbye to 2014, we’d like to ring in the new year with 5 important stories in case you missed them. These articles go to the heart of our mission to change the conversation about side effects. [metaslider id=5816] In the past year, we looked at long- and short-term side effects of many kinds of prescription drugs, and at ways to lessen those side effects, from finding alternative medications to making lifestyle changes. We published First Person accounts about finding the right pharmaceuticals for bipolar disorder and learning how important it is to get all the information you…

By Kimberly Bliss This past winter break, my partner and I are drove up to the Berkshires for vacation with our 5-year-old son. As I packed for his first ski camp and yet another snowstorm, I also made sure I packed individual packets of single dose children’s Benadryl. Not for its medical intent, but for its unintended use: its side effect. Our son gets motion sickness when we travel, and a pharmacist once told us to give him children’s Benadryl, and we haven’t looked back. Benadryl is the brand name of diphenhydramine, an antihistamine that is most commonly used to…

This past spring my family and I took a trip to Santiago, Chile. As I packed for the wide range of temperatures and overstuffed my carryon, I also made sure I packed individual packets of single dose children’s Benadryl. Not for its medical intent, but for its unintended use: its side effect. Our 4-year-old son gets motion sickness when we travel, and a pharmacist once told us to give him children’s Benadryl, and we haven’t looked back. Benadryl is the brand name of diphenhydramine, an antihistamine that is most commonly used to treat allergies. One of the side effects is…