Suzanne Robotti

MedShadow Foundation | Shedding Light on the Risks & Benefits of Medications

Our new site is open! It is faster, prettier, better organized, and it has a host of options for getting informed and involved.
And best of all we still remain independent of pharmaceutical support.
With over a million site visitors a year, please check us out
MedShadow.org

I Didn’t Quit Western Medicine. I Added Integrative Care - MedShadow Foundation After years of running a news site that reports on drug side effects, I wanted a doctor who could help me prioritize less invasive options

After years of running a nonprofit news site that reports on drugs and side effects, I wanted a doctor who could help me prioritize safer, less invasive options. So, I added Integrative Care.

Investigating Generic Drugs: Are Any of Us Safe from Faulty Generics? Join this urgent public discussion with patients, doctors, pharmacists, researchers and journalists to examine and improve generic drug safety and efficacy.

We recently hosted the 3rd webinar in our series Investigating Generics: Are Any of Us Safe from Faulty Drugs?

See host Emma Yasinski who’s
at the forefront of this issue & two experts: Reshma Ramachandran, M.D. and Marta Wosińska, Ph.D.

Watch it here: medshadow.org/webinar/inve...

INVESTIGATING GENERICS: Senate Probes Drug Manufacturing Failures and Risks to U.S. Supply - MedShadow Foundation | Independent Health & Wellness Journalism At a Sept. 17th hearing, experts testified that cost-cutting, overseas labs, and weak oversight are putting Americans at risk

There’s a problem with generic drug safety — is our gov finally noticing? MedShadow’s amazing senior writer, @Emma Yasinski, published this insightful recap of the recent Senate Committee on Aging hearing on MedShadow’s website. I highly recommend it: medshadow.org/senate-probe...

YouTube video by MedShadow Foundation Are Your Generic Drugs Safe? Webinar Highlights & What’s Coming Next

92% of medicines we take are generic drugs and the FDA assures us these drugs are bioequivalent to the brand name. Unfortunately that’s not always the case.
I explored that topic in a recent MedShadow webinar. I'll soon share info on upcoming webinars. See you there! www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f17...

I recently spoke with Chris Burress for his Live Beyond the Norms podcast about my time on an FDA Advisory Comm. We discuss how the FDA works and my experience there, as well as ADHD and generic drugs. I hope you’ll check out this honest conversation. www.livebeyondthenorms.com/episode/the-...

F.D.A. Panelists Call for Removal of Warnings on Menopause Treatments

Go Cindy Pearson, on @medshadow.bsky.social Board. She spoke up for patient safety and for including independent public input at the WHI #hormonereplacement FDA meeting

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/h...

Investigating Generic Drugs: How Poor Quality Generic Drugs Cause Harm Webinar Series: Investigating Generic Drugs Join this urgent public discussion with patients, doctors, pharmacists, researchers and journalists to examine and improve generic drug safety.

Investigating Generic Drug Safety doesn’t sound sexy, but it can save your life!
Listen to:
Joe Graedon of The People's Pharmacy
Katherine Eban, author, Bottle of Lies
David Y. Light founder, Valisure
Watch now for free! Investigating Generic Drug Safety medshadow.org/webinar/inve...

Looking forward to participating in this Webinar on June 25. Hope you can join!

This is a great panel! Looking forward to an informative and fun conversation!

FDA Approved — And Ineffective Federal regulators have authorized hundreds of drugs without evidence they work, and many are dangerous.

Excellent article by Jeanne Lenzer and Shannon Brownlee on FDA drugs approved and found to be ineffective. A failure of FDA’s mission. I was one of 100+ plus experts, patients. I’m not named in this article-happy to give background.

www.levernews.com/fda-approved... FDA Approved — And Ineffective

I’m so proud of the work that @medshadow.bsky.social is doing.

The new guidelines on who is recommended for covid vax may be right, but there’s no way to know without going through a scientific process. Great article in @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social

1/ Yesterday, the FDA Commissioner, Marty Makary, and his new advisor, Vinay Prasad, unveiled a major shift in U.S. Covid-19 vaccine policy. Their bottom line: Going forward, #Covid-19vaccines will only be recommended for people over 65 or with at least one chronic condition. 🧵

As the founder of @medshadow.bsky.social I often get asked how to start a nonprofit. Surround yourself with people who can fill in your own knowledge gaps. Here are my six steps for starting a nonprofit. Did I miss any? What advice do you have?

www.bizjournals.com/pacific/bizw...

Photos of McLee Gallagher, Beth Oliver and Donald Moore

Congrats to @paceuniversity.bsky.social “Changemakers in Healthcare” award winners at the College of Health Professions (where I serve on the Advisory Bd):
1. Donald Moore, CEO/Owner, Dr. Donald Moore and Assoc 2. Beth Oliver, Chief Nurse Exec FP, Mount Sinai 3. McLee Smith, Area Pres, Gallagher

Makary says FDA will remove pharma representatives from advisory panels Representatives from pharma and other industries already play a more limited role in advising the FDA.

Before anyone changes Advisory Committees, know that Consumer reps have a vote-Industry reps do not.
Cons reps advocate for patients & families. Industry reps advocate for pharma industry.
I was Cons rep on FDA DSARM 2017 to 2024

Read: John Wilkerson for @STAT: www.statnews.com/2025/04/17/f...

This article is based on the important information that the FDA has stopped releasing. Our writer @health-journo-emma.bsky.social was told by FDA that the restructuring was delaying updates. No date for new updates

Mission Critical Update: Medication Safety Updates from the FDA Delayed FDA drug safety updates have stalled amid new administration decisions, raising concerns about delayed warnings and public transparency

FDA confirms several database updates—including serious drug safety updates—are delayed due to restructuring. My latest for @medshadow.bsky.social #medicine #fda #drugsafety medshadow.org/mission-crit...

I should note that I borrowed that phrase shot the NIH from a friend

4/20/2025

… and now, the NIH cancels its largest study centered on women. Without studies like this, any care women receive will likely be based on results of studies on men.

www.whi.org/md/news/whi-...

Why Is Hormone Therapy Still So Misunderstood? - MedShadow Foundation | Independent Health & Wellness Journalism Outdated data, dose differences, and personal factors complicate our understanding of hormone therapy risks.

Hormone therapy (HT) during or after menopause has been controversial for decades. Despite @fda.gov head Marty Makary’s favorable take on HT in Blind Spot, @tarahaelle.bsky.social found a lot to be concerned about. Read her deeply researched article for @medshadow.bsky.social

Makary’s "Blind Spots" Offers Big Ideas — But Can He Deliver as FDA Commissioner? - MedShadow Foundation | Independent Health & Wellness Journalism In his book Marty Makary makes a convincing case for challenging medical dogma. But can turn that vision into a reality at the FDA?

Because Marty Makary is the new head of the @fda.gov , I read his latest book, Blind Spots. I was hoping to get some insight into what kind of leader he would be and what his priorities would be.
Read my latest article for @medshadow.bsky.social

medshadow.org/makarys-blin...

Great new column - safety info on mixing two common needs

Thank you @oregonzoo.bsky.social
I need a reason to look up :)

Aging - What's Normal? - MedShadow Foundation | Independent Health & Wellness Journalism Older patients and healthcare providers can mistake treatable ailments as aging when they're signs of illness or overmedication. Read more.

Aging is messy. For seniors the signs of aging can feel humiliating as the body and mind we’ve depended on become less reliable. Help your seniors as they adjust to their new normal.

Compassion goes a long way.

Great article by @health-journo-emma.bsky.social medshadow.org/aging-whats-...

Drug cascades are getting more attention and for good reason. Doctors may treat new issues as symptoms rather than a side effect. Whenever a new symptom appears, assume that it’s a side effect of a medication. Discuss alternate drug options with your doctor.

Is This New Painkiller a Gamechanger for Safety? Journavx works differently from opioids and may have a lower risk of addiction, but with limited clinical trial data, much about the drug remains unknown

There’s a new pain reliever in town, the FDA has approved Journavx which claims to relive severe pain with no addiction. Lot’s of promises, but it could be different in the real world. Great story by @health-journo-emma.bsky.social on @medshadow.bsky.social

medshadow.org/is-this-new-...

Bill Nye the science guy! He’s a rock star at #STATBreakthrough. He’s educating us about breakthrough work on ataxia, a movement disorder. @statnews.com

Clean water, vaccines, and antibiotics aren't natural, but they help keep people safe and healthy, @drtomfrieden.bsky.social notes: