Medical Discussion

[Minnymouth]

Thought I would get a thread started regarding different medicines and medical procedures that folks use and have done.

Lately there have been MANY, MANY drugs pulled off the shelves for one reason or another. MANY procedures that have been life threatening for some folks.

Now they come out with a list of cold medicines for children and toddlers that is being pulled off the shelves.

WHAT'S GOING ON FOLKS............ are we experiments???? If it don't work, then take it off the market??

I personally know that my own doctor experiments with meds on me (asthma, etc.)

When you reach a certain age, doctors THINK they have to get you taking ALL KINDS OF DRUGS (really its just a money making thing)....

My age its chelestrol (can't spell), triglcerides, blood pressure, asthma, water pills, B-12 shots, flu and pneomonia shots, etc....
If I took EVERYTHING that my doc wanted me too I'd be in "zombie land" 95% of the time and couldn't function at work!!!

Not only the EXPENSE - but the SIDE EFFECTS of these drugs and then them mixed all together....... (hello-who am I???)....

Many times the side effects cause more damage then the actual problem does.

I firmly believe if "it's not broke - don't fix it"!!!!

Example...........never had a blood pressure problem before....but doc insisted I start taking meds for it. Took them for 60 days - monitored my own blood pressure - and it stayed high..... I went off the meds for 90 days - monitored it myself- and my BP was around 125/60 almost continously......

So now I no longer take BP meds. Doc says "boy, those BP pills sure work for you, don't they?" I just smile and say "Yeah".....

If you don't need the meds, why do they think that you need to take them? (Money in their pocket?? - and yes Doctors do get a kick-back off the presciptions they write), besides that big $75.00 office visit where you see them for 3-4 min only.

These days, I make the decision on what meds go into my body.... the doctor can suggest all he wants!!! Seems like one med just creates another problem so another med is needed. How ironic, huh?

Don't misunderstand me, medicine is important and needed by many. Many can't live without it. But also many take it that don't need it, abuse it, or just because their doctor says "take it"......

If you can't afford it to begin with - you don't have to worry about taking it..... YOU WON'T BE BUYING IT!!

And let a doctor find out you have good insurance- WHOA.........he'll write out the meds right and left for ya........

Nowdays I take what I know I need (if any) and the rest - forget it!! And I still survive just fine.....

My thoughts today,

[Granny]

Great post Minny. I personally won't take anything that is not available in a generic form. Why, because if it's not old enough to be available as a generic, it's not fully tested. Paxil is a prime example....it's been out for years, available in a generic now even. And recently there are ambulance chaser commercials for "if you've taken Paxil and you're pregnant, give us a call."

I let the dr write the scripts, then come home and research the med. If I don't like what was written, I call back and tell the office that I can't afford it and ask for the one I want. So far, has worked every time. They've written some for the kids that I didn't bother to get filled. It's a simple ear ache from too much time in the pool, why would they need three scripts.

As a side note, for those folks without insurance...if you have a Costco in your area, check their prices, you can do so online. They seem to be the least expensive pharmacy in town and you don't have to be a member to get a prescription filled.

[BKTango]

Before my grandfather passed away he was taking at least 15 pills a day and always felt horrible, my father checked into it and he needed 2 pills the others were just to counteract all the side effects, which then caused more side effects, so he needed more pills to counteract those. What's the point then????

I'm 34 yrs old and both my husband and I come from families that strongly believe if it's anything more than a tylenol or nyquil you don't need it because the side effects alone are worse than what you need the medicine for. While we do believe in those that do need prescription medication to definitely get it, what I mean is like if my son gets sick, he takes in lots of fluids and small amounts of over the counter medicine. In the 6 years he's been in school he's only missed 2 days. My SIL takes her kids to the emergency room for more prescription medication if they so much as sneeze and those poor children have missed numerous days since they started school.

I think that alone only causes more problems. Look at the years past people werent as sick as everyone is now, why? Because they didn't cram all this medication into their systems. I honestly think the more you use medication that isn't really necessary for what you have other than to "make your symptoms a little more comfortable" the more you are wearing down your immune system. If your body gets so used to having that medication all the time for even the slightest of a headache then it will expect it all the time and your body can't fight off anything on it's own. Of course I am talking about minor colds/headaches/ illnesses etc. not any major illness where the drugs are needed to help you survive.

That's just my opinoin and it seems to be working for our family.

[Bandit]

And let a doctor find out you have good insurance- WHOA.........he'll write out the meds right and left for ya........

Nowdays I take what I know I need (if any) and the rest - forget it!! And I still survive just fine.....

My thoughts today,

that just about sums it all up.

Now Minny, for your runny nose, take this med & get diareah, headaches, nauseua, itching, rash, dry eyes, anal leakage, swollen glands, dry mouth, hair falls out, toes fall off, blood clots, back pain, heat flashes, paranoia, depression, loss of appetite, liver disfunction, seizures, numbness in fingers- but your runny nose WILL STOP.

Let's just mix a few more chemicals together and see what we can come up with.

As a side note, for those folks without insurance...if you have a Costco in your area, check their prices, you can do so online. They seem to be the least expensive pharmacy in town and you don't have to be a member to get a prescription filled.

I did not know that. I wish I would have known 3 months ago. Thanks for the tip, Granny.

[Minnymouth]

Bandit - YOU EXPLAINED IT ALL RIGHT ON THE NAIL HEAD...................

HOW TRUE - LOL

[JollyGG]

Okay folks it is entirely up to you what you want to take and don't want to take.
I do believe we overmedicate to a large extent in this country.

But do not lie to your doctor.
Do not let them believe you are doing something you are not.

I spent quite a long time visiting with my ObGyn last year when they tried to diagnose me with gestational diabetes and wanted to medicate me. She ended up concluding that I had done my research and she was comfortable with my decision to not take the medication. She actually mentioned that I may now know more about the condition than she does.
She herself pointed out that she can't make me do anything. A doctor's role is only to recommend treatment.

When my doctor recommended tubes for my daughters ears and a specialist agreed. I tried a few other things on my own and ended up getting her ears to clear up. My doctor knows everything I did. He may or may not agree with all my choice (he did recommend the decongestant to clear up the ears), but he knows what is going on.

Your doctor cannot take the best care of you possible if you don't tell them the truth.

Always let your doctor know what drugs you are taking, what drugs you are not taking, what herbal supplements you are taking, what recreational drugs you are using, ect.

If you end up in the hospital and are unable to communicate they are going to rely on your doctors medical records to treat you.

There could be serious problems if they start administering drugs thinking you have been on a dose all along and are instead starting something new. There could be serious problems if they overdose you on something because you didn't tell them you were taking an herbal or over the counter drug, they could misdiagnose a problem as side effects or as the wrong thing when they are basing their knowledge on incorrect medical records.



But don't tie your doctors hands by being less than completely honest with them.

[JollyGG]

Example...........never had a blood pressure problem before....but doc insisted I start taking meds for it. Took them for 60 days - monitored my own blood pressure - and it stayed high..... I went off the meds for 90 days - monitored it myself- and my BP was around 125/60 almost continously......

So now I no longer take BP meds. Doc says "boy, those BP pills sure work for you, don't they?" I just smile and say "Yeah".....

Don't let your doctor belive you are taking them when you are not. Tell him exactly what you told us and explain that you are not taking them.

If your doctor ever puts you on a drug and you don't understand why don't leave his office until you do understand why. For example if he prescibes high blood pressure medication when you don't have high blood pressure have him explain his reasoning. Talk to him about the benifits, risks, and other possible treatments.

For example people with high blood pressure are sometimes salt sensitive. For those people a reduction in the sodium in their diet could work. Or mabey they aren't getting enough potassium. I put my husband on a lower sodium diet and his blood pressure is now perfect. We tried other things before we tried medication. However, if the new diet hadn't worked we would have gotten him medication because we understood his condition and why the drugs were prescribed.

Some people would rather take a pill then change their habits. You need to let your doctor know what you are willing to do and what you are not willing to do.

Ask questions and insist on answers that you understand and that satisfy you.

[Minnymouth]

Okay JollyGG - I take my "tongue lashing" with my head held down.......

Yes, you should not hide anything from your doctor....... You do have a cut and dry opinion of why..... a persons health may be at risk if they are admitted to ER and no one knows what kinds of meds they take....

Really, most of the meds I was talking about are not life-threatening drugs, nor taking or not taking them would not make a difference in a medical emergency.

I do wear a asthma alert charm and anyone that is diabetic should wear something stating that also or someone that has a heart condition, like my brother, wears meds around his neck with a symbol on it.... and meds in a container cylinder.

So thanks for "smacking me down" about how dangerous it can be if know one knows what drugs you do take if admitted to ER. Especially drugs like insulin, heart meds, etc.....

I'll try to do better...............guess I was having a "senior moment" while I was typing that out.....

Love Ya,

[JollyGG]

Okay JollyGG - I take my "tongue lashing" with my head held down.......

Yes, you should not hide anything from your doctor....... You do have a cut and dry opinion of why..... a persons health may be at risk if they are admitted to ER and no one knows what kinds of meds they take....

Really, most of the meds I was talking about are not life-threatening drugs, nor taking or not taking them would not make a difference in a medical emergency.

I do wear a asthma alert charm and anyone that is diabetic should wear something stating that also or someone that has a heart condition, like my brother, wears meds around his neck with a symbol on it.... and meds in a container cylinder.

So thanks for "smacking me down" about how dangerous it can be if know one knows what drugs you do take if admitted to ER. Especially drugs like insulin, heart meds, etc.....

I'll try to do better...............guess I was having a "senior moment" while I was typing that out.....

Love Ya,

Sorry for being so forceful in my reply. I just want everyone to insist on respect from their doctor and get the best care possible.

You did make a good point that we are a nation that loves our medication and I can think of numerous examples. We also are a knife happy society. If it doesn't work cut it out. Other countries have a much lower surgery rate.

I'm rather an advocate for educating yourself about your health because I don't believe that the medical communities always does a good job of communicating effectively. I also believe that we need to hold the medical communities accountable and make them do a better job of caring for us and communicating with us and to make that happen we need to communicate with them as well.

[JollyGG]

I asked a friend who is a physician about this issue. He mentioned that he believes doctors are sometimes overaggressive in treating things because they fear malpractice claims and lawsuits.

For example if my husband had not been salt sensitive and something had happened to him while we were trying other things an argument could be made in court that our doctor was negligent and we could win a law suit sending him out of business and resulting in the loss of his license. Or if my doctor hadn't recomended aggressive treatment of possible gestational diabeties and I had complications due to gestational diabeaties, at least she had the defense that she had recomended aggressive treatment.

I guess I can see that argument. Of course we also discussed the fact that lifestyle changes are really more effective, longer lasting, with few or no negative side effect.

And now, over half the posts in this thread are from me, so I will butt out for a bit and let others comment.

[tinroofrusted]

I am a firm believer in HERBAL treatment. I believe that for everything, there is a natural treatment for it. (Not Kevin Trudeau type stuff, but REAL treatment.)

I have Hashimoto's and I ONLY treat it naturally. No drugs for me!!

I encourage everyone to research their problems, and do research for the herbal treatment for it. You might be surprised!!!

[Bandit]

I have a story. True story....

I have an elderly aunt almost 80 who still gets around very well & really has perfect health for her age but also has chronic complaint syndrome & disease du jour. Every week running to a new doctor to find out what is wrong with her. She has drawers loaded with perscriptions & narcotics that she never takes. Then she cannot understand why all her doctors tell her stop coming. I kid not...she schedules at least three Doctor appointments EVERY week. That is something we do when we have a real chronic illness, not just for the attention or something to do.

Funny how she has all the 'conditions' under the sun, sunday through friday that no doctor & every other doctor says she has. She has soooooooo much pain all over the place yet the pain stops just in time for the saturday nite dance & has not missed a saturday night dance in over 8 years. She has not missed a single wednessday lunch at the country buffet in 8 years. But she is always sick with something different every week.

How in the world can you go to a buffet & eat when you are allergic to everything?
I catch her doing this all the time with all kinds of food. I offer tomatoes from the garden...
she says, "My doctor says I can't have them."
I asked, "Which doctor told you that?"
Then catch her the next day picking tomatoes & eating them off the vine. Goofy.

Then the next week a new doctor says she can have tomatoes but she can't have blueberries. I offer her blueberries the next week knowing what she said about it then she sneaks them from the fridge when she thinks I don't see & eats them.

I come to figure out she is only allergic to the food when someone offers it, but she can eat the same food offered if she is not being offered it because there is no one there to complain to. It is ridiculous.

One week she is allergic to this & next week allergic to something else. Can't have this - cant have that, (depending on what the doctor of the week says) then turns around & tells me she ate the very things from the buffet that she is allergic to.
I said "if you are really allergic to all that stuff you complain about, you wont be eating it. - Maybe you are allergic to having so many blood tests from so many different Doctors."

She says, "My doctor said, "I'm allergic to dust."
I said, "everyone is allergic to dust."

Then she complains about her weekly chiropractor for the last six years & can't understand why her joints are always falling out of place.
I told her to stop getting her bones cracked every week because she is making things worse. Seventy seven years old & she does not need to keep doing that but I came to realize that the Chiro is the only doctor who wont refuse her a weekly visit. It is comical.
Wining & complaining about every little mosquito bite & itch, running to a doctor when there is nothing wrong with her. She cannot understand after all the blood tests, xrays, organ exams, poked here, stuff shoved up her there... & whatever she is doing that Doctors tell her to stop coming because there is nothing wrong.
She tells me, "All my Doctors are giving up on me."
I said, "That is because you convinced yourself of always having something wrong every day you wake up, when there is in fact nothing wrong."

She did not like that

Then she says, "When I had all my teeth pulled that was worse than your jaw being broken."
I said, "I am not in competition with you for who can have the most medical problems & suffer the most pain....Go break your jaw & have wires in your mouth for 12 weeks then you decide for yourself which is worse."
Then I asked, "Did your dentures bankrupt you?"
THAT made her real mad.

I do get weary of hearing it because I know it is all for attention. She reminds me daily of the kid who fakes being sick just to stay home from school, but when it comes time to dance she has perfect health & wears the crown for perfect attendance. At the same time has another crown for seeing the most doctors & having the worlds lagest collection of filled but unused perscriptions.

[Bandit]

I am a firm believer in HERBAL treatment. I believe that for everything, there is a natural treatment for it. (Not Kevin Trudeau type stuff, but REAL treatment.)

I have Hashimoto's and I ONLY treat it naturally. No drugs for me!!

I encourage everyone to research their problems, and do research for the herbal treatment for it. You might be surprised!!!

I am starting to realize this too. I went to a podiatrist for 6 months who scraped & poked at planters lesions on my foot making it worse & causing them to spread. I demanded surgery to remove them & he finally did it. He was making a pretty penny from my insurance. he did not do the surgery right by getting all the roots & the warts came back spreading from about 20 to 100. This went on for a total of about 2 years... I could not walk any longer or put shoes on.

I caught the remedy through a friend who had the same thing. They told me to take extra vitamin E & start spreading the oil all over the lesions. I did it and in less than a month the lesions were gone & they never came back.
Why does the podiatrist not know this? If he does, then we know why he does not want to reveal it.

[BKOnce]

The problem with this country's escalating health care costs and not enough insurance coverage for next generation is right there... ridiculous!.... It is the left-and-right prescriptions that causes these problems in the first place.... needless $ spending on unnecessary meds that only make docs going richer... and patients getting poorer!!...

[whatamess]

I am a firm believer in HERBAL treatment. I believe that for everything, there is a natural treatment for it. (Not Kevin Trudeau type stuff, but REAL treatment.)

I have Hashimoto's and I ONLY treat it naturally. No drugs for me!!

I encourage everyone to research their problems, and do research for the herbal treatment for it. You might be surprised!!!

Tin roof..
My sister was diagnosed with hashimotos thyroiditis. She has a HUGE goiter that has to be removed. Her meds are making her very sick and she lost 40lbs in four months. What are you doing to treat this? I was told I'm borderline hypothyroid. This runs in my family. I'm very worried but I dont take anything ever except Zyrtec D when I cant stop a severe reaction. If you have advice Pm me. I'd REALLY appreciate it.


BTW Its quite possible that my mothers heart issues were caused by Avandia. She has become so weak she cant barely climb stairs. Sine she stopped taking it she is getting better bit by bit. First it was Avandia, then BO meds, then heart meds, then anxiety meds, then......now they check her liver and kidneys all the time due to possible damage to them from all the darn meds.
I on the other hand did not take anything since my very bad paxil/depo provera combo that sent me over the edge years ago. I HATE paxil. My kids never take antibiotics and meds unless 110% sure they need them. There is lots to be said for what Minny said...chicken soup, lots of rest and a good healthy diet with vitamin suppliments.