Author: Suzanne B. Robotti

Suzanne B. Robotti

Suzanne is the President and Founder of MedShadow, and the Executive Director of DES Action USA.  MedShadow’s mission is to preserve quality of life by ensuring everyone has access to the risks, benefits and alternates to using drugs to manage healthcare. Read More

As an independent health-driven nonprofit, MedShadow’s mission is to ensure that all people have information on the risks and benefits of medicines and treatments, so they can make the best health care choices for themselves and their families. Separate from any personal, political or religious beliefs, the ruling from the Supreme Court on June 24, 2022 overturning Roe v. Wade has far-reaching health implications.   MedShadow considers pregnancy and abortion solely from the perspective of health care. Pregnancy is not a benign process. It changes every system in the body from circulatory (the amount of blood in your body increases by…

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Pregnant mothers have so many considerations to weigh. Recent studies show the impacts that both Vitamin D and Antibiotics may have on the pregnancy. What effects are noted when studying Vitamin D and Antibiotics in pregnancy? Many side effects can impact both mother and baby. A new study came out today on just that topic: Vitamin D and pregnancy while two more studies released have shown how drugs and supplements given to pregnant women affect the fetus and the offspring for years to come.  Be well. Bone Density Taking higher doses of Vitamin D during pregnancy showed a correlation with…

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Supplements are sold without review or approval of the FDA. They are not allowed to make specific health claims, but general ones, such as “improves well-being” and “boosts energy” are legal.  That leaves the door open for unscrupulous, or careless, manufacturers. The FDA also does not regulate the manufacturers recommended dosage or even if the supplement contains the products on the label.  Be well  Nootropics, Piracetam A new study looking at one of the popular “nootropic” drugs, piracetam, found dangerous variances between recommended dosages on competing product labels. From the report, “Following the manufacturers’ recommendations on the labels, consumers…

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The safety of medicines in pregnancy hinges on factors such as the specific drug, the timing within the pregnancy, and your personal criteria for deeming it safe. Are you pregnant (or considering getting pregnant) and taking a medicines in pregnancy regularly? If you have severe asthma, are diabetic, suffer from a mood disorder or any one of a number of chronic health challenges, you take probably take medicine for it. And you certainly worry about how that might affect your fetus. I was asked to sit on a panel the FDA called to consider how to best help doctors explain…

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The tragedy of DES began 60 years ago as pregnant women took the synthetic estrogen that had dangerous side effects. But lessons have been learned. Sixty years ago, obstetricians were busy prescribing a damaging synthetic estrogen drug to pregnant women called DES (diethylstilbestrol). It was on the market for 31 years before the FDA told doctors to stop prescribing it to them. It was causing rare vaginal and cervical cancers in some of the teenaged daughters of those pregnant women. Soon it would be discovered that it deformed reproductive organs and caused infertility in many of the daughters and sons.…

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Concerns that labeling changes on anesthesia might discourage pregnant women from getting medical procedures are unwarranted. Flash advice from the FDA! Avoid putting your infant under sedation for 3 hours or more. But if medically necessary, go right ahead. Question: Who is going to put a child younger than 3 years old under a lengthy surgical procedure without medical necessity? Answer: Doctors everyone should avoid. The FDA is alerting parents and doctors that more than 3 hours of anesthesia can “cause widespread loss of nerve cells in the developing brain; and studies in young animals suggested these changes resulted in…

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Pregnant women are understandably concerned about the threat of the Zika virus. But everyday pregnancy medicines and behaviors can also threaten a developing fetus. With the threat of Zika — the mosquito-borne virus that causes grave birth defects — literally hanging in the air, pregnancy is understandably concerned. So much is out of an expectant mother’s control — and Zika is only the latest threat. But it’s important to remember that anything you take or consume that can get into your bloodstream may also cross the placenta into your fetus’ bloodstream too. Here are 5 that, fortunately, can be fairly easily avoided:…

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One person demanding proof from drug companies saved millions of US babies. Don’t forget her lesson. Morning sickness can be debilitating. It’s certainly uncomfortable. And for most pregnant women it’s a rite of passage. Very occasionally morning sickness causes so much nausea that the pregnant woman becomes dehydrated causing risk to the pregnant woman and fetus. In those cases women generally go to the hospital. Most other pregnant women have varying degrees of discomfort and interruptions to their lives. Recently Kim Kardashian (I don’t really have to explain who she is, right?) claimed to use Diclegis for relief from morning sickness.…

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