This is a guest blog submitted by pinkpeekaboo How many of you take daily medications? If so, how many of them are prescribed and how many are over the counter? I only ask because
I've been diabetic since I was 18 months old.
All my life doctors keep trying to prescribe me more and more medications. This will help this and this will help that- none was needed at the time but for the future, they said, it'll help my body.
Over the years I stopped taking majority of what's been prescribed. I take my insulin as needed and prescribed, but that is all. Already I cannot afford the medications and medical supplies needed. I am not going to start pill popping for something that may help with something I may or may not get when I'm older.
I just recently got prescribed for high blood pressure. Personally, I don't think this is needed yet. I did my research and I'm still in the "good" range, a little high but still good. Why should I need medication for this? I decided I will try this out for a few months and see how much or even if it helps. If not, then I'm getting off of this one too.
I don't understand. Do doctors get any sort of reimbursement by drug companies for selling or promoting their products? Do you think it’s a problem when doctors are prescribing medications for problem that may happen in the future?
Comments (26)
I took a lot of medications for various things when I was younger and my parents were in charge of my health care. When I became an adult and took charge of my own health care I stopped taking alot of them.
I've actually done a bit of research on this subject, and I've come to the conclusion that Americans are over- medicated. ESPECIALLY American children. I think doctors prescribe in excess for two reasons
1) Laziness. It is much easier to medicate a person (especially a child) that actually deal with the source of their problem or take the time to properly diagnose the patient.
2) As a preventative measure. Either to prevent the condition from worsening or to prevent the patient from later suing for negligence/ malpractice because an illness went undiagnosed.
I firmly believe that a lot of the more minor illnesses/conditions that Americans are medicated for are not nearly as serious as doctors make them out to be. Many could be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet and moderate exercise.
That's just my opinion though. The most important thing that you are comfortable with the care you are receiving. If you genuinely believe your doctor is wrong, you should consider getting a second opinion.
Doctors prescribe certains drugs more than usual partly because the drug companies advertise pretty heavily for several reasons. I don't think they get compensated persay for giving out more prescriptions... The saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is key. In the long run prevention will cost less than a cure... which probably won't exist or will cost too much.
Regarding compensation though, this is probably the closest that doctors get:
Because there is so much competition (Which to take Viagra? Levitra? etc - they have virtually the same main ingredient, but the brand a doctor might prescribe depends on which region the company is targeting for a marketing drive). Drug companies must gain as much market share as they can get. In order to gain this market share, they need to capture the doctors as their "dealers". They can use a range of methods including offering free trips, free shows, free tickets, etc. I know because I used to get those free items from the receivers (I'm not a doctor). Drug company reps visit the doctors "make friends with them" give an innocent gift and then recommend/talk about a drug and leave a business card.
The government (Ontario, Canada) has been limiting these "free" gifts with rules such as the drug company rep needs to go to the free game events with the doctor (they used to give out free tickets to the doctor so they could go with whomever they liked).
Also, I remember an instance where a hospital had their staff clean out any "free" stationary items with drug names + drug company names showing on them - stuff like calculators, stress balls, pens, etc.
Also, the drug companies need to make up for the immense R&D costs that go into each drug. Finding suitable compounds, trials, FDA/various country's approvals, patents/lawyers. The trials take up A LOT of money. Approvals make or break the efforts - if the FDA says no to the drug... there goes $x billion in R&D and time. Although another country might approve it.
Despite these reasons - there is absolutely no problem with doctors prescribing medication for the purposes of prevention. Maybe you need to get a second opinion - not all doctors are of the same quality and knowledge. Also, ask about alternatives - such as lifestyle changes. For example - high blood pressure, if you aren't willing to eat healthier and exercise to bring it down naturally - then you have no choice but to spend money on pills. You might have a genetic pre-disposition which requires you to take them as well.
I used to take a lot of medication daily which I hated taking. For me, it helped me cope with things but didn't tackle the reasons behind why I needed them.
A couple of months ago I stopped taking them, I reached a point in my life where I felt strong enough to be without them. I don't think that'll be the end of it and I'll never need them again, but I feel like i can support myself enough to see how I get on without.
As of january, pharmaceutical companies are no longer allowed to butter up doctors.
i take NONE except the occasional ibuprofen because I don't believe in any of that psychological placebo NONSENSE.
@MissVertigo@xanga - sure, like that's going to actually change anything...
@shes_lump@xanga - You never know. Without being fed catered lunches every day, or being given over-the-top gifts like basketball tickets, it might level the playing field.
I'm a pharmacy tech and see this crap all the time. If a patient's insurance company won't pay for expensive brand name medications, the doctor won't o.k. a generic or alternative because they don't want to lose their endorsements from pharmaceutical companies.
For the sad majority, doctors are more concerned with their own paycheck than your personal good. Sometimes, they do not always even know that this is what they are doing, but it is what they have been taught to do and they only know 'prescribe this, and then prescribe this, this prescription will cause this so here take this, too..." it is a never ending cycle. Medications do not cure or prevent any diseases. All of them should be used as a last resort and for a temporary time, until you are better.
For your high blood pressure there are a lot of natural things you can do. For instance, did you know: that table salt causes high blood pressure, but natural salt has every mineral intact and has not been refined and can actually LOWER blood pressure. For many, this simple change alone in their diet can lower their blood pressure.
I take an allergy medicine religiously because if I do not I pretty much feel miserable. >.>
But I do think that doctors are over prescribing medication to their patients. When you need a pill for "Restless Leg Syndrome" then that is the point where I think pharmaceutical companies are just making up nonsense to make a profit.
not sure, some doctors just mlk things for the insurance too. just try to lower youre blood pressure because later in life ya might get a stroke. glad that yer doing research and ya can always geta second opinion. have a good christmas!
Doctors don't get money for that.
And they're prescribing it because it will help. While I don't agree sometimes with a physician's decision, I understand I am not one, therefore I cannot truly disagree.
Doctors are trying to keep you healthy. If you start blood pressure medication now, it won't get bad later and cause severe, irreversible damage to your heart and body which will cause you to age further and at a faster rate.
It'd depend on the hospital, I believe.
I think certain hospitals get donations and funding by drug companies and encourage their doctors to prescribe more drugs...and the medical business IS an expensive business.
It's been known that they're in bed with insurance companies as well...probably for longer than the drug industry, but that's sortof relative, isn't it...considering how they all just tend to feed off eachother.
Individal doctors COULD be corrupt, but other than that...
Maybe we should check to see something fishy's going on at the colleges? BAH. Who knows? I certainly don't.
All of the above, a combination of specific factors...all I know is; they're not doing it for our health, most of the time...and the rare occasions they think they are, they tend to be misinformed.
I don't take daily medications, myself. I more or less shun drugs in general, preferring natural remedies when I can find them...because too much crap goes on with doctors for me to be able to trust them more than the barest inch.
I don't take any medication, except ibuprofen on occasion.
My psychiatrists said I would need to take medication for the rest of my life, and I probably should, but I choose not to. For one, I can't afford it. Two, none of the 12 or 13 medications I've tried ever worked well enough for an extended period of time, and I refuse to continue to be a guinea pig.
I think that medicines can be helpful, but can also be overdiagnosed and bad for people.
I have a friend, for example, who takes meds for ADD. They make her lose her appetite and act kind of depressed (But she takes anti-depressants too, so not so much anymore). Anyway, those don't seem like very good side-effects, especially since ADD isn't going to kill her.
I take Advil for cramps and headaches, and Zyrtec for allergies (both only when needed) and that's it. They both work really well, too. :D
I take a prescription for migraines, 2 pills a night. I've tried going down to one a night but started getting migraines again the next day and the day after so went back up to 2 and the migraines stopped. Also a B vitamin and birth control. And lately I've been taking benadryll every night to help me sleep. Long story.
I don't understand. Do doctors get any sort of reimbursement by drug
companies for selling or promoting their products?
I'm not sure exactly how it works. But the drug companies do push the doctors to prescribe, and I think a lot of doctors today just go along with it out of sheer laziness. Why bother figuring out what's really causing the problem if you can just give the patient a pill as a Band-Aid?
Do you think it’s a
problem when doctors are prescribing medications for problem that may
happen in the future?
Yes, because they should be looking at preventing that problem altogether. In the case of things like blood pressure, there are things you can do now with diet that will help down the road.
If people start taking drugs just to prevent something that might or might not happen, they'll get sucked into a vicious cycle. Some drugs have side effects, so you'll have to take another drug to alleviate those side effects... and then that drug might have side effects, so you'll have to take another drug to alleviate those side effects...
I'm a pharmacy technician, so I regularly see people pick and choose which medications they're going to buy, if they all cost a lot. According to the pharmacists I work with, high blood pressure meds are NOT something you should be skipping. If you're having trouble paying for it, talk to your doctor about samples or find out what generics are covered by your insurance, if you have one.
@MissVertigo@xanga - Really? I see a lot more patients requesting brand when the doctor allows for a generic to be substituted. Some people don't seem to understand how generics work.
high blood pressure is SERIOUS. most people don't realize that having chronic high blood pressure is a serious condition and if your doctor prescribes you the medication for it, you need to take and not stop suddenly taking it without consulting your doctor. if you think your doctor is being too cautious about your high blood pressure, then get a second opinion from a different doctor.
diabetes causes a lot of changes in your body, and women who have diabetes are 4x more likely to have a heart attack. and guess what also raises your risk of heart attacks? high blood pressure. so please discuss your concerns about being over medicated with your doctor or nurse and not just on healthkicker T_T
You do have diabetes, which is enough of a reason to go on blood pressure meds by itself. According to the American Diabetes Association, 2 out of 3 diabetics die of heart disease. Yikes! Don't skim on the blood pressure medication. Even if you don't feel like you need it now, the benefits of being on it and keeping your blood pressure low vastly outweight the costs.
I think Americans are overprescribed, but that is largely due to the society we live in. There are pills for everything, because no one really wants to change their lifestyle. They'd rather take diet pills than give up cake and french fries, they'd rather take blood pressure medication than change their eating habits and exercise more. At least doctors take that into account. There are people that, given a prescription for a healthy diet and 30 minutes of exercise a day, would completely ignore the doctor's orders because it would inconvenience them or they are too busy to cook or exercise. Giving those people a solution in pill form at least increases the likelihood that they will take care of themselves. It's definitely better than the alternative - leaving them at risk for dangerous conditions.
@islandinthesun@xanga - I have TONS of patients that love love LOOOVE brand medications. I agree, many don't know how generics work. However, in my experience with patients requesting brands, they're usually pain killers.. which they probably sell.
Go figure eh? Haha.
@quiet_strength@revelife - thanks for your feedback on this. I am trying to be more cautious of what I eat, no more of my daily soda intake- only water now, and I'm starting a regular exercise schedule to help with my blood pressure. I'll have to try and substitue with natural salt as well.
I just think that the doctor should've actually given me a chance to try and work on it myself than saying "oh, you're in the higher "good" range so let's get you on a medication." I'm not lazy, I'm very motivated to get myself healthy and I think I should at least be given the opportunity to try.
@SeitekiChibiNeko@xanga - I know with my diabetes about the risks of heart diseases and high blood pressure. There are so many risks and things that I need to be cautious about. Do this, don't do that... which I follow these guidelines for the most part. I don't have a healthy eating lifestyle, I know this and since I've had my appointment I've been working on it and eating healthier. I don't feel that a prescription is necessary at this time when I am only 25 and have been doing VERY well with my diabetes. If my blood pressure was in the bad range or really high or completely out of control, then yes, I can understand taking a medication as a precaution.
@pinkpeekaboo@xanga - Yeah, I think it is really wrong especially in a situation like that for a doctor to be so pushy. Sure, they can make a suggestion, but it is your life and you need to be able to decide what type of care you need. Perhaps you should look into getting a new doctor that will treat you respectably and let you be more involved in your own care. It is your body. I think the more confident and motivated you portray yourself to the doctor will help, too. Well, hopefully anyways. :)