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

ired of promising yourself that, this year, you’ll really go to the gym? Or stop eating desserts? Or any of the other actions you should do or not do? Here’s a new one for you — you’ll feel better, and it’s easy!! Clean out your medicine cabinet! Really. Right now. Pull out those “nearly finished” prescriptions, that partially-unwrapped roll of Tums, those multi-symptom cold and flu meds, an almost-empty bottle of Pepto-Bismol, and the multiple boxes of Lactaid. Consider these your ghosts of Christmas Past. These are the indicators of how well you are taking care of yourself and your…

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Every drug has side effects, so it’s important to ask a few questions before taking it. The side effects can be mild (nausea, headache) or life threatening. You want to know what the known side effects are of a drug so you can prepare for it, even if only to not be surprised.  Use medicines wisely — for the shortest duration and at the lowest dosage that’s effective. Clinical trials done prior to market release can identify many common, and even some not-so-common, side effects of drugs, but many more are discovered years after a drug makes it to market.…

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Like you, I’ve heard a lot about the Frontline Doctors organization that materialized, seemingly, out of nowhere to stand on the Supreme Court steps in July and declare that much of the COVID-19 information that the CDC (Centers for Disease Prevention and Treatment), the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and individual state authorities were giving out was a lie. While garnering headlines, the Frontline Doctors produced its breakout star, emergency room physician and attorney Simone Gold, MD. Because a good friend asked my opinion of Gold’s recent video, I spent an hour watching her YouTube lecture. Although the video has…

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Q. A visitor to www.MedShadow.org asked: “I’ve used Retin-A daily as an anti-aging cream for 15 or more years. Is this safe?” A: Probably yes. Remember, we at MedShadow are not doctors. We are a group of consumers and patients who sift through the internet and talk to doctors and other healthcare providers to dig a little deeper and uncover more information than what is commonly known about a prescription drug. The FDA has approved Retin-A, generic name tretinoin, for “acne vulgaris” and nothing else. On the Retin-A label it states: “The safety and efficacy of the long-term use of…

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Abilify and Abilify MyCite are prescribed for bi-polar, depression, ADHD, autism, schizophrenia and more. For some it’s a life saver, but for others Abilify’s side effects can include diabetes, suicidal thoughts, sexual dysfunction and more. Read this 2-part series on the pros and cons of Abilify.

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When you need treatment, how do you choose between 2 drugs each with its own set of side effects? This morning, an older friend told me that her doctor had presented her with a difficult choice and told him about some side effects of his drugs. She had a condition that needed treating and there were 2 medicines to choose between: One would increase her risk of skin cancer; the other would increase her risk of heart attack. “Which would you choose?” she asked me. I waffled a bit. A heart attack can often be survived without too much damage.…

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The Link Between Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Common Meds If you are 60+, stop taking these drugs now The evidence is piling up that many common meds can increase or possibly cause dementia and Alzheimer’s (a type of dementia) in those who are 60+. Generally, these are OTC drugs used for sleep, allergies, motion sickness and diarrhea and some prescription anxiety drugs. A list is below. What do they have in common? They are all anticholinergic medicines (pronounced “an-ti-koh-luh-nur-jik”, hear it here. Multiple studies have identified this problem with anticholinergic medicines, but they were small studies. The latest study, in JAMA…

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