Drug Safety: Think about this, a bottle of aspirin in a child’s hand is about as dangerous as a gun. Prescription medicines, cough syrups, even aspirin can put anyone in the hospital if used incorrectly. Vicodin, OxyContin, Ritalin, Adderall, Xanax, Valium are all tempting to thrill-seeking teens or friends who might have well-hidden addictions. Protect your friends and family, lock your drugs away. Even the cold and flu meds.
Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Suzanne Robotti.
Suzanne Robotti is the founder and president of MedShadow Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting your life and health by sharing medicine side effect facts so you can make informed decisions about your and your family’s health. She serves on the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee where she is the sole Consumer Representative.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Istarted MedShadow because the risks of medicines are not always clear. Everyone will tell you the benefits, but all medicines have risks, some that can put you in the hospital, some that affect the quality of your life.
I experienced the downside of medicine before I was even born. My mother was given a drug, DES (Diethylstilbestrol) that was supposed to prevent miscarriage. Between five and 10 million pregnant women were given this drug from 1940s-1971. This drug caused rare cancers in some of the girls born exposed, malformations of genital organs in boys and girls, and infertility in many, including me. (For a much more complete explanation of DES and its harms, please go to DESAction.org, our sister organization)
DES is not the only drug that can cause harm, so in 2013 I founded MedShadow, a non profit health journalism site that provides information on the side effects, risks and benefits of medicines, including both over the counter and prescription drugs as well as supplements. In 2017, I was appointed to the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Committee as the sole Consumer Representative serving alongside doctors and other health professionals to analyze and vote on approval of new drugs.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
Recently I was giving an in-person presentation about how side effects of medicines affect people differently as they age. About 10 minutes into my talk, I heard a train rumble by, close to the building. It was so strong that even the floor shook a bit. Suddenly, half of my audience had their phones out and weather alerts started beeping. That was no train, it was an earthquake!
Even though the earthquake lasted less than 15 seconds and clearly hadn’t done any harm to any of us, all eyes were glued to their screens. I’d lost control of the audience. To get their attention back to me, I asked questions: Anyone know how powerful the earthquake was? How far away was it felt? As my audience members called out answers, we stopped being 50 individuals on our phones and became a group sharing information and a little moment in history. A few minutes later, I was able to pick up my talk with all eyes on me.
The lessons I learned? Never ignore the elephant in the room. Invite that elephant to center stage and take charge. Let people express themselves. One man shouted out, “I just moved from California to get away from earthquakes!” We all chuckled. And the room turned from tense to fun.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
My business experience was in for-profit magazine publishing. I underestimated how different the internet was from magazines. And the internet has only gone further in differentiating itself from any previous communication method. I was slow to hire very tech-savvy people. When I did, we had to play catch-up. It took years to get a handle on search engine optimization, which is a crucial strategy to increasing awareness.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Our articles, videos, social media posts and podcasts spread the word that medicines have side effects that can lower your quality of life and put you at risk. We give people questions to ask their healthcare providers, symptoms to flag and alternatives to minimize the need for meds. We are improving the quality of life for people by helping them identify when they can use fewer drugs more effectively. With fewer meds, there are fewer adverse events like drug interactions, which can cause hospitalization or even death. We empower people to take control of the medicines they do need and the tools to safely stop the meds they don’t need.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing?
Exercise: The more you move, the more healthy you will feel and the less likely you are to get sick or hurt. I was playing a weekly racquetball game for several years until my partner dropped out. I stopped playing and very soon after, I developed a back and shoulder inflammation. I went to see my internist who sent me for physical therapy. I asked my PT if this meant I shouldn’t ever play racket sports again, she said, “You got this injury when you stopped playing sports. You need to get back to that.” It took several years of strengthening — after the PT, I used Pilates to strengthen my core and began working out with a trainer.
Now I play tennis two to three times a year and work out twice a week. I hope to never be sedentary!
Drug Safety: Think about this, a bottle of aspirin in a child’s hand is about as dangerous as a gun. Prescription medicines, cough syrups, even aspirin can put anyone in the hospital if used incorrectly. Vicodin, OxyContin, Ritalin, Adderall, Xanax, Valium are all tempting to thrill-seeking teens or friends who might have well-hidden addictions. Protect your friends and family, lock your drugs away. Even the cold and flu meds.
Naps: There’s tremendous value in a cat nap. My specialty is the 19 minute nap. In my late teens I read about a study from the Army that said 19 minutes was the perfect amount of time for a nap, any less and you won’t be refreshed, any more and you’ll have trouble waking up. I was struck by that 19 minutes, not 15, not 20. To this day, I nap once or twice a week and always for 19 minutes. And the kicker? I read that article so long ago, I don’t even know if it’s true! But it works for me.
Avoid Drug Cascades: Since every drug causes side effects, you need to be careful about taking medicines to treat the side effects of other medicines. Here’s an example: a common side effect of high blood pressure medicine is water retention, which can be painful as the water creates bloating and pressure under your skin. Your doctor will likely prescribe a diuretic to help your body release the water. However, that often leads to constipation, requiring yet another drug. The cascade goes on and on. All medicines can cause side effects and interact with other medications you may be taking, such as those for asthma or diabetes. If you fully understand that the risks of taking that first blood pressure drug include the possibility of this cascade, perhaps you will feel more motivated to try diet and exercise to lower your blood pressure first. Even if that’s ineffective or you prefer to take the medicine, you’ll be better prepared to manage the process.
Water: Water is critical to good health. It lubricates your joints, keeps you from getting constipated, it helps move nutrients through your body. Too little water can lead to cognition problems and health risks in the heat. To remind myself to drink enough water throughout the day, I have a morning routine. I drink 8 ounces of water before my first cup of coffee and another 8 ounces of water after the coffee. I have another 8 ounces with each meal. A glass of water is by my side at my desk, even now. I drink a lot of water.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
If I could start a movement it would be MedShadow. My goal is for all people to have the information they need to make healthcare decisions that are best for themselves and their families. People don’t realize that all drugs have side effects and most drugs have alternatives. We help people understand what their risks of side effects are with each medicine, and what their alternatives could be. Our readers can have an educated, direct conversation with their healthcare providers expressing what is important to them.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
It Takes a Village: We are one of the very few nonprofits that won’t work with or take money from pharmaceutical companies and we are one of the very few who educate laypeople about pharmacovigilance — safety in medicines. But there are other organizations and individuals with the same issues and fighting the same fight. It’s taken us a long time to gather in our “friends” and we are still seeking partners. When like-minded organizations work together, we can help so many more people.
SEO Is Fundamental: Most people find MedShadow through internet search, so SEO is crucial. A high page ranking helps people find us and the information they need. Search engine optimization is one of the most affordable means of driving traffic to Medshadow.org through organic search results. This has built our credibility and visibility and makes it easier for donors, supporters and partners to find us online to locate us.
People Care About the FDA: I’ve been fascinated by the FDA for years, what is more important that the process of ensuring drugs are both safe and effective? But I thought I was the only one who cared. When I joined the FDA’s Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, I started writing about my experience, thinking no one would read those blogs. But they did! Some of my blogs and opinion pieces about the FDA have been very popular, like the opinion piece in Stat recently on generic drugs that are still available despite the fact that the FDA knows the research on them was forged.
Digital Is Different: When I started MedShadow in 2013, I brought in a content manager who was well versed in health journalism but not in digital media. I soon realized that this was a real deficit because writing for the web is very different from writing for print. Timing and planning is also markedly different — in my early career in print we worked on a 30-day schedule. Now we publish some stories just hours after the news breaks and we can update articles constantly to keep them accurate.
Keeping Up With New Technology: Although I’m not a technology expert, I’ve learned that staying on top of tech is critical in amplifying our voice. When we started MedShadow, I didn’t realize how important video and social media would be, for example. We’ve learned to adapt to these changes and improvements and have brought in experts when needed.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
The Earth is a living planet, just like a single body, every system is dependent on the others in order to work. The lungs can’t work effectively if the heart is weak, trees can’t create oxygen if they are all cut down.
I’m fortunate that I can afford grass fed beef and milk, I have farm-fresh fruit and vegetables at nearby farm stands (even in New York City). If you can, support organic and local foods, you’ll help your own body and you’ll help grow a sustainable food system for us all. Most local farms are suffering, but if we support them, they’ll survive and attain financial viability.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
Please follow me on LinkedIn and visit Medshadow.org. You can sign up for our newsletter there as well. MedShadow posts all the time on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com.
