Gen Z on Whether Pharmacy School Is Worth It
In the age of AI and pharmacy closures, does the next generation of pharmacists think we're doomed?
Hi there! I’m Daphne, a pharmacist and writer for life. After graduating from pharmacy school, I spent two decades balancing part-time clinical work with raising my four kids. Five years ago, I began freelance medical writing while working in oncology infusion. Writing and med comms have become a joyful second career that blends science, storytelling, and service. I’m endlessly curious, a resourceful problem-solver, and driven to find a way through complex challenges, always with collaboration and care at the center of my work.
If you’re looking for an editorial partner and facilitator who brings heart, curiosity, and follow-through to every project, I’d love to connect.
My Services
- Medical writing and content management
- Health reporting and narrative journalism
- Patient and clinician educational content
- Needs assessments and project proposals
- Social media and creative storytelling
There's a new sunscreen on the block: Here's what to know.
When I joined Those Nerdy Girls two years ago, sun safety was a topic I was excited to cover. A few years earlier, I’d had skin cancer and was eager to share more about sun safety. In this post, I’m excited to share some exciting news!
📣 Bemotrizinol (BEMT) is Coming to U.S. Shelves 📣
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved the first new sunscreen active ingredient for use in over‑the‑counter products since 1999.
📣 Bemotrizinol (BEMT) is Coming to U.S. Shelves 📣
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved the first new sunscreen active ingredient for use in over‑the‑counter products since 1999.
What are the 3 most important sun-safe habits your skin will thank you for?
Summer is brimming with blooms, celebrations, and plans. As you gear up to spend more time outdoors, it’s also a good time to check in on your sun-safety routine.
The 3 most important sun-safe habits are:
➡️ Covering up
➡️ Using sunscreen
➡️ Being sensible about sun exposure
But it’s not just what you do; it’s how you do it that matters. To effectively protect your skin, sun protection needs to be done correctly and consistently.
The 3 most important sun-safe habits are:
➡️ Covering up
➡️ Using sunscreen
➡️ Being sensible about sun exposure
But it’s not just what you do; it’s how you do it that matters. To effectively protect your skin, sun protection needs to be done correctly and consistently.
What should you do if your pills look different?
If you regularly take prescription medication, there’s a good chance you’ve seen some version of the above sticker on a refill bottle. A pharmacist might claim the change is “just aesthetics,” but patients might say otherwise.Sharing perspectives from both sides of the counter is what Medcart is about. So I loved reading this STAT News op‑ed by Barbara Wolf, titled “I’m 73. I wish my pills wouldn’t keep changing colors and shapes.”
On Becoming an Elder
In a culture that doesn't want you to
Can a tick bite really make you allergic to meat?
Late last year, a medical editor reached out to me about developing a continuing education course for healthcare professionals about AGS, which tells you how new this topic still feels in clinical practice and science communities. We’re learning right alongside you and want to be ready for your questions and to support people living with AGS.
Aspirin Overdose: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention - GoodRx
Taking too much of any medication can be harmful, even ones you buy over the counter (OTC). For example, high doses of Tylenol (acetaminophen) can cause liver damage. High doses of aspirin can cause toxic effects, too. But how much is too much? Here, we’ll sort it all out so you know how to take aspirin or use aspirin-containing products safely. Keep reading to learn whether an aspirin overdose is the same as salicylate toxicity, what to watch out for, and more.
A Drip for Every Problem: Inside the IV ‘Wellness’ Boom
Once stories started circulating of celebrities and influencers hooked up to “wellness drips” — Rihanna prepping for a night out, reality stars hosting infusion parties — it didn’t take long for entrepreneurs to cash in, turning a niche trend into a luxury for everyday people. Propelled by Hollywood’s endorsement and the post‑pandemic wellness boom, boutique IV hydration businesses are now scattered in cities coast to coast, with U.S. mobile IV hydration sales alone projected to surpass one billion dollars in the next several years.
Should I use the estradiol patch for night sweats? - THE MIDST
This is not a story about how an estradiol patch will fix everything. This is about how confusing perimenopause still is and how easy it is to mistake hormonal chaos for a menopausal hormonal decline. This is especially true in a moment when menopause advice is louder, more confident, and more commercial than ever.
Tending Maternal Stories: A Conversation with Mariah Maddox
Mariah Maddox carries many titles: writer, photographer, visual storyteller, Black-motherhood celebrator, community-builder, maternal-health advocate, author, reporter, poet, intergenerational healer, spiritual mentor. What strikes me most isn’t just her impressive and varied experiences or that she’s still in her 20s, but the way she tends to maternal stories with deliberate care and a truth I almost never see captured.
What is Psyllium, and is it good for you?
For generations, psyllium has been a go-to solution for pooping problems. As a kid in the 80s, I remember my grandma mixing the orange powder into a glass of water to have alongside her morning coffee and toast. More recently, psyllium has gotten a millennial makeover, after drawing interest from younger crowds. From gluten-free bread recipes to boutique supplements with catchy names like ColonBroom, you can find psyllium all over socials.
Why we can't 'just make more' medication
I’m here to talk about drug shortages. Why we keep hearing about them, and why they can’t “just make more medication.”If you work in healthcare, you know shortages didn’t start with COVID. But the pandemic made the problem front-page news.
When heart palpitations are a side effect, not a symptom
MedShadow’s Senior Investigative Reporter Emma Yasinski recently came across a Reddit thread about a patient who’d been living with “mysterious tachycardia and palpitations” for almost a decade.It wasn’t until a new pharmacist stopped “u/superlosernerd” at the counter to mention a common interaction between Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) and desvenlafaxine, an SNRI antidepressant, that the redditor realized their tachycardia diagnosis wasn’t underlying; it was that they’d been both specific drugs in combination, and the interaction was causing the palpitations.
Why was I prescribed gabapentin for headaches?
A closer look at the “sticky” drug doctors prescribe when discomfort is hard to figure out.
Menopause Hormones, Minus the Hype with Pharmacist Dr. Hollie Wakelyn
Hey Medcart readers! Yesterday, I had the honor of talking with Dr. Hollie Wakelyn PharmD, a former Navy and public health pharmacist who now focuses on menopause education. We had fun chatting before the interview (pharmacists don’t get much time to just talk), and she is uh-mazing! It’s so great to see a fabulous pharmacist sharing her wealth of expertise to address very real knowledge gaps in practical, no-drama, evidence-based menopause information for women and clinicians.
9 Clozapine Side Effects: Everything You Need to Know - GoodRx
Schizophrenia is a serious mental health condition. Living with schizophrenia or loving someone who has this condition can make everyday life challenging. But with treatment and support, symptoms can be managed so that you can live a healthy and full life. Medications are an important part of treatment. Clozapine (Clozaril, Versacloz) is an oral atypical antipsychotic that’s FDA approved to treat severe schizophrenia.
Angels, Dolls, and Good Girls
Growing up in the 90s model machine, surviving “good girl” culture, and choosing to be a guardian instead of a consumer
Inside the FDA Drug Development Process: The Limits of Clinical Trials in Preventing Side Effects - MedShadow Foundation
Each year, a select group of novel new drugs enter the U.S. market. In 2023, 55 new drugs were approved—adding to the more than 20,000 prescription drugs already in circulation.
The process of evaluating and approving new drugs dates back to the 1960s, when the FDA began requiring evidence of a drug’s safety and efficacy based on data collected in multi-phase controlled clinical trials.
As the decades have passed, the FDA has refined and reformed its process, with important efforts being m...
The process of evaluating and approving new drugs dates back to the 1960s, when the FDA began requiring evidence of a drug’s safety and efficacy based on data collected in multi-phase controlled clinical trials.
As the decades have passed, the FDA has refined and reformed its process, with important efforts being m...
In Conversation with Juliette Mansour, Creator of The Additional f‑Stop
With the winter doldrums setting in, I’m excited to kick off a new interview series with photography artists and thrilled to start with Juliette Mansour. She’s a writer, photographer, and self-described “artist in perpetual training.” I say she’s also a sharer of the type of gifts that keep on giving.
My mother's little helper: how valium sedated a generation — including my mom
Long before Ozempic, Viagra, and Prozac, Valium was America’s “it” drug — everybody knew the name, and everybody knew someone who was on it. In the late 1960s and 70s, Valium topped U.S. prescription charts, with billions of tablets dispensed each year.Valium, the brand name for diazepam, is a benzodiazepine type drug that amplifies the effects of GABA, an inhibitory brain neurotransmitter.
Part 2: Who is valium really for?
The benzo stopgap for shared pain, and other "wonder drugs" we haven't fully reckoned with
Work Culture & Health: We All Know There’s a Connection
We talk a lot about health goals and habits to feel better, especially at the start of a new year, but far less about the workplaces that shape whether feeling better is even possible. Workplace culture profoundly shapes our health and wellbeing. How do I know? Because I’ve felt it, and I’ve seen its impact on everyone I know. Haven’t you?
Should I take Fosamax for osteoporosis if I feel fine?
TL/DR: Fosamax is the brand name of alendronate, a first-choice oral tablet prescribed for osteoporosis. Lifestyle approaches always matter for bone health. But people with osteoporosis often benefit from medication to lower the risk of painful bone breaks.
Celebrating the Writing Spirit (Three Years In)
This month is the third anniversary of Daphne Discloses. I couldn’t resist clicking the orange “start writing” button the first time I saw it. Orange is my favorite color, a reminder of possibilities, just like walking through the orange doors of my brick, windowless elementary school as a kid. I wanted to live there at one point.
Load More
