The hottest Drug Safety Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Health & Wellness Topics

You Can’t Unsee This

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 42 implied HN points • 24 Mar 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Drug Safety
  1. Some GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus have been linked to a rare but serious eye condition (NAION) that can cause sudden vision loss.
  2. The risk for any one person is small (roughly 1 in 10,000), but with millions using these drugs the total number of affected people could be substantial, and higher doses or faster weight loss may raise the risk.
  3. New drugs often arrive with a lot of hype but can reveal serious side effects over time, so patients and doctors should weigh benefits against rare harms and make informed choices.

Chinese Peptides

ChinaTalk • 607 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
🔬 Science Drug Safety
  1. Chinese factories and online sellers are mass-producing and exporting a wide range of peptides — from approved drugs to experimental research chemicals — at far lower prices than brand-name medicines. They advertise on social apps and ship directly to foreign customers with fast turnaround and bulk incentives.
  2. Many popular peptides lack robust human trials and can contain hard-to-detect impurities, so injectable dosing and sterility carry real health risks. Regulatory enforcement is murky: sellers use “research use only” labels to dodge oversight and FDA actions have varied with political leadership.
  3. Demand is driven by biohackers, athletes, and people chasing weight loss or faster healing, and injections have become socially normalized after drugs like Ozempic. That demand meets China’s large-scale peptide manufacturing capacity, creating a booming gray market that outpaces formal clinical research.

Fentanyl Poisoning Deaths Are Preventable

Ask Polly • 7409 implied HN points • 07 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Drug Safety
  1. Fentanyl poisoning deaths are preventable with a safe nasal spray called Narcan.
  2. Many young people are dying from fentanyl poisoning after consuming laced drugs like Adderall or pain killers.
  3. It's important to educate oneself and others about the dangers of fentanyl poisoning and have naloxone like Narcan on hand to prevent deaths.

The FDA’s New “Transparency” Database

Who is Robert Malone • 13 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
🏥 Health Politics Drug Safety
  1. The FDA launched AEMS to merge seven legacy adverse-event databases into a single, real-time searchable system that should improve access and save money.
  2. Adverse-event reports are early-warning signals, not proof of causation, and the data remain incomplete and noisy, so consolidation may help spot patterns but won’t fix underreporting or data quality issues on its own.
  3. True transparency depends on culture and response—making data visible is useful, but real openness requires that outside researchers can analyze the data freely and regulators honestly investigate and act on safety signals.

I Took 182 Drugs: But Which Was The Worst?

The Drug Users Bible • 59 implied HN points • 01 Oct 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Drug Safety
  1. Research the drugs you take to stay safe. Some substances may seem harmless but can lead to very bad experiences.
  2. Pay attention to dosage and be careful with potent substances. Taking too much can result in panic and fear, which can be hard to handle.
  3. Alcohol can have serious negative effects, even if it's socially accepted. Recognizing its harmful aspects can help you make better choices.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Are You an Anti-Paxxer?

RESCUE with Michael Capuzzo • 1965 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🏥 Health Politics Drug Safety
  1. The article highlights concerns about the safety and effectiveness of Paxlovid as doctors start to drop it due to drug interactions and research linking it to Covid rebounds and virus shedding.
  2. Pfizer is heavily promoting Paxlovid amidst concerns, transitioning from Emergency Use Authorization to FDA approval at a much higher price, despite struggles to market the drug successfully.
  3. There is a push to stigmatize skeptics of Paxlovid as 'anti-paxxers,' paralleling previous campaigns against alternative treatments like ivermectin.

How a small journalism nonprofit is holding the largest pharma companies to account

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 24 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Drug Safety
  1. A nonprofit newsroom is applying consumer-protection journalism to prescription and over-the-counter drugs, digging into hidden ingredients and undisclosed side effects.
  2. It mixes investigative reporting, social video, and advocacy to shine light on the “shadow” side of medicine and hold large drug companies accountable.
  3. The group aims to be donor-supported and to use independent, testing-style journalism to publish findings that push for safer products and regulatory change.

Doesn't FDA Approval Mean Weight Loss Drugs Are Safe? - Reader Question

Weight and Healthcare • 758 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Drug Safety
  1. FDA approval of a drug does not mean it is completely without risks; it means the benefits are deemed worth the risks.
  2. The FDA assesses the risks and benefits of a drug based on the research provided by the pharmaceutical company before granting approval.
  3. When it comes to weight loss drugs, the risk/benefit analysis by the FDA may be skewed due to questionable research around weight and health, leading to a lower safety bar for approval.

Are High-Dose Antipsychotics More Deadly Than Fentanyl in Kids?

The Frontier Psychiatrists • 294 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Drug Safety
  1. Antipsychotic medications can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and other adverse outcomes in individuals with depression.
  2. Youth treated with higher-dose antipsychotic medications are at risk of increased mortality, especially among vulnerable children.
  3. Treating young adults with high-dose antipsychotic medications can result in significantly more deaths compared to fentanyl, emphasizing the need for better options for vulnerable youth.

Bad Drugs Get Pulled Fast

Cremieux Recueil • 223 implied HN points • 03 Aug 25
🏥 Health Politics Drug Safety
  1. Drugs that cause safety concerns are usually taken off the market quickly. This helps protect people from potential risks.
  2. Large amounts of data from many users help identify drug risks early. Epidemiologists use this information to understand how safe or risky a drug really is.
  3. Mistakes can happen in drug safety monitoring, leading to unnecessary withdrawals. It's important to balance safety with access to beneficial medications.

Sunday Strip: Just say No

Who is Robert Malone • 41 implied HN points • 30 Nov 25
🏥 Health Politics Drug Safety
  1. It's important to say 'no' sometimes, especially when you see something is wrong. Dr. Frances Kelsey did this when she refused to approve the dangerous drug thalidomide.
  2. Standing firm in your beliefs can protect others from harm. Kelsey's refusal to approve drugs without proper safety testing saved countless babies from serious deformities.
  3. Dr. Kelsey's work helped change drug approval laws. She showed that patient safety comes first, and her courage led to better protections for everyone.

From Leaf to Life: The Conversation We Should Be Having Around Kratom 🌱

Tripsitter • 219 implied HN points • 08 Sep 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Drug Safety
  1. Regulators have targeted kratom in attempts to ban it, but public backlash has prevented complete bans so far.
  2. Kratom is seen as a tool for harm reduction due to its potential as an alternative to prescription painkillers, but it carries risks and should be used carefully.
  3. Misinformation and misrepresentation of kratom-related deaths have fueled the stigma around the plant, highlighting the need for proper regulation and education rather than outright bans.

Vaccines are like drugs: Some are safe, some are effective, and some have benefits > harms, but not all

Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts • 135 implied HN points • 31 Oct 24
🏥 Health Politics Drug Safety
  1. Vaccines, like drugs, can vary in safety and effectiveness. Some work well for certain people but not for others.
  2. It's important to measure how well vaccines work, not just for virus-related issues but for overall health.
  3. We need better monitoring and data sharing after vaccines are given, along with the ability to hold manufacturers accountable if something goes wrong.

None of the 70,000 Adverse Events of Puberty Blocking Drugs Were a “Safety Priority” for Biden’s FDA

Who is Robert Malone • 16 implied HN points • 25 Feb 25
🏥 Health Politics Drug Safety
  1. The FDA has received about 70,000 reports of negative events related to puberty-blocking drugs, but these have not been prioritized for safety concerns. This raises questions about how drug safety is monitored.
  2. Puberty blockers can have serious side effects, including risks for strokes and permanent health issues. Critics argue that these drugs should not be used for children who are healthy.
  3. There is a noticeable difference in how the FDA communicates risks; they have publicly warned about some drugs more than others. This might affect trust in the FDA's commitment to public health.

My MAHA "to do" list (unburdened by what has been)

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 20 implied HN points • 06 Nov 24
🏥 Health Politics Drug Safety
  1. There should be better safety monitoring of all drugs, especially vaccines, to ensure public health is protected. It's also important for the data to be transparent and publicly available.
  2. Vaccination mandates and liability protections for vaccine manufacturers should be reconsidered to promote personal choice and accountability in healthcare decisions. This includes allowing individuals to consult freely with their doctors.
  3. We need more open discussions about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, including allowing debates between experts with differing views. This can help the public make more informed choices.

Vaccine adverse events, including death, are grossly under-reported

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 9 implied HN points • 05 Jan 25
🏥 Health Politics Drug Safety
  1. A lot of serious adverse events from vaccines, including deaths, aren’t reported. This makes it hard to see the true effects of vaccines.
  2. Studies show that healthcare professionals often don’t report adverse drug reactions. The underreporting rate is really high, often around 90%.
  3. Many reasons lead to underreporting, like doctors thinking only serious issues need reporting or feeling unsure about whether an event is related to a vaccine.