First Do No Harm – Really???

Let’s get this out of the way first, I am not nor have I ever been a medical student.  So of course I’ve never been to medical school but what I can do is treat a headache, minor burns, bruises, the common cold, take preventative measures to boost my immune system etc, etc.  But I don’t resort to the local pharmacy counter to do that.

Question 1:  How many single courses of a prescription drug have you taken in your life so far?  Just sit and think for a minute.  If you can count those prescriptions on two hands you’re in the minority.  The majority are on multiple drugs at any one time – in the last decade the percentage of US adults (aged 60+) taking five or more drugs simultaneously has risen by 70% and that’s according to the official CDC figures I found for 2007-08.  The percentage of US children under the age of 12 taking five or more prescribed drugs was 1%. ( http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db42.htm#multiple%20prescription  )  which is 1% too many.  I mean did you ever take anti depressants or add medication when you were a kid?

Question 2: Have you been affected by side effects, gone back to your Doctor and rather than be put on another drug they’ve prescribed something else to treat the side effects of the drug you are currently on.  There’s a name for that, polypharmacy or a prescription cascade.

Question 3: Do you know which country has the most legal drug use per capita.  I’ll help you out, it’s this one.  Big Pharma just loves the US.

Our society has the unfortunate tendency to trust Doctors in white coats and while there are some Doctors who treat the whole person, it is pretty rare to find a Doctor who doesn’t zero in on the one symptom, treat that – usually with drugs – and then treat the next symptom when it arises and so on.  This causes a cascade of problems all stemming back to the original prescription, which is like placing a band-aid over a gaping wound. The problem is still there, buried but untreated.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t trust Doctors, if you have chest pains, or a lasting blinding headache or abdominal pain or suddenly lose the sight in one eye get yourself to an emergency room.  Your body gives you pains for a reason, an early warning system that something isn’t right.  Screenings are important too, early detection could save your life. 

Just remember the process of seeing a Doctor is a little bit like an interview, you have the right to research your symptoms (hypochondriacs should use caution before hitting Web MD) and have an intelligent conversation about what the Doctor thinks is wrong with you and what treatment options there are, and drugs shouldn’t be the first resort. If you get to the last resort, discuss possible side effects and drug or food interactions and it should be a two way street. If you feel pressured or patronized take a step back and if necessary ask for a second opinion.

Sources

British Medical Journal (Oct 97)

Australian Prescriber (Feb 08)

If you have an issue with this article then good – lets talk and not in a ‘you don’t know what you’re talking about’ way. More in a ‘will this new information help change your mind kind of way’.  Go ahead, enlighten me, but make sure you provide measurable stats or reputable trade publication articles (BMJ, AMA to name just two), or websites to back up your comments.