Nonhormonal Options for Perimenopause Symptoms
New FDA-approved medications and older repurposed drugs are expanding treatment choices for women seeking relief from hot flashes, sleep problems, mood changes, and other symptoms
Jul 15, 2026Menu
Shedding Light on the Risks
& Benefits of Medications
Shedding Light on the Risks
& Benefits of Medications Conditions & Treatments
COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effect Tracker
We've created the MedShadow Vaccine Tracker, the only tracker focused on side effects and adverse events of COVID-19 Vaccines in progress.
May 17, 2024
Arm Pain After COVID-19 Vaccine Is Common
March 4 update: Allergy researchers at Mass General Hospital created a registry for healthcare professionals to report immediate and delayed reactions to COVID-19 vaccinations. On March 3, the researchers published a letter in the New…
Mar 4, 2021
Feeling Anxious? Depressed? Check Your Meds
Df you find yourself feeling anxious or on edge for no apparent reason while taking a cold medicine or diuretic, you most likely wouldn’t connect the two.
May 7, 2019
Treating Osteoporosis and Bone Loss Without Medication
Lara Pizzorno minces no words when explaining why she didn’t want to take a class of drugs called bisphosphonates when she got a surprising diagnosis of osteopenia – weak bones, but not osteoporosis – at…
Apr 15, 2019
Edible Marijuana Risks for People with Heart Conditions
That’s a warning from researchers, based on the case of a 70-year-old man with stable heart disease who ate a marijuana edibles, one of the main compounds found in marijuana, because he thought it would…
Feb 13, 2019
5 Non-Pharmacological Treatments for Depression
An estimated 17% of Americans will experience depression at some point in their lives. Antidepressant medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the most commonly used drugs for depression, are usually the first-line treatment,…
Jan 14, 2019
What Are the Best Treatments for Bug Bites?
Outdoor parties, barbecues, picnics, hiking and camping trips are all great ways to celebrate summer with family and friends. And it’s all well and good until the bugs begin bugging you.
Aug 22, 2018
10 Tips to Aid Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Patients
As physicians, we are experts at prescribing medications. However, we often fail miserably when it comes to recognizing adverse reactions and tapering medications. It’s something that is simply lacking in our medical training.
May 17, 2018
Floxed! The Painful, Life-Lasting Effects of Some Antibiotics
Last week, we ran a news story on antibiotics causing “rare” damages to people. We had a very passionate response from more than 75 people who all claimed to be harmed by a particular type…
Apr 3, 2018
Acid Reflux Drugs PPIs Use Raises Stomach Cancer Risk
Long-term use of a class of drugs popularly used to control acid reflux and heartburn can significantly increase one’s risk of developing stomach cancer. Researchers looked at more than 60,000 adults who had taken a…
Nov 2, 2017
Diabetes Drug Class Linked to Bile Duct and Gallbladder Disease
A popular class of drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes may increase the risk of bile duct and gallbladder disease. The class, GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) receptor agonists, is given via an injection and…
Aug 15, 2016
Lotensin May Increase Risk of Low White Blood Cell Count
A common drug used to treat high blood pressure may elevate the risk in some patients of a condition in which a person’s white blood cell count is severely diminished, leaving them more susceptible to…
Jun 30, 2016
Pros & Cons of Electroconvulsive Therapy
If you’ve seen the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, you may recall the fearsome side effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), as famously depicted by Jack Nicholson: convulsions so violent a patient needs to…
Jan 7, 2016
Tough Out a Cold or Medicate It? Good Question
A major issue with many OTC cold remedies is that they can swap cold symptoms with unwelcome (and possibly dangerous) side effects. Wander into the cold-and-flu aisle at your local drugstore and you’ll be joining…
Nov 19, 2015
The Troubling Side Effects of Head and Neck Radiation
At 37 years old and the father of a newborn son, Chris Lavoie found his life turned upside-down with a diagnosis of a tumor on his thyroid.
Mar 5, 2015
Does Every Cancer Patient Need Neulasta?
What’s in a chemo “cocktail” or in Neulasta? A lot more than just chemotherapy drugs, I discovered. I also learned that you might not need — or want — every ingredient.
Jan 22, 2015
A Short History of Accutane
Accutane, a severe acne medication, has a past deeply scarred by reports, medical studies and lawsuits citing links to serious side effects including death While the intended use of Accutane was to clear the skin…
Dec 4, 2014
Flu Season … Wait Before Taking That Z-Pack!
The flu season is heading straight towards us. I was taught that it takes a week to get over a cold or you can take cold medicine and it will only take 7 days.
Oct 23, 2013
