Do you think Doctors over-prescribe medication...

Luba · 10-17-2007, 08:23 AM

CANOE -- CNEWS - World: Authorities raid Anna Nicole's doctors

instead of finding the root cause of a person's suffering? This story made me think of this question...

also, do you think doctors take on too many patients and don't take enough time with each one to really help them with their problems instead of medicating them?

do you think there are many people who would rather be medicated than look within to solve their problems?

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I just want to clear up the fact that I'm not against medication when needed, but I find sometimes it's just an easier solution than looking within.

PepsiChic · 10-17-2007, 01:13 PM

yes

im currently on 26 pills a day..

they arent all different, theres 4 different pills, and the final amoutn i take a day tho its 26....and its not doing anything to help so now i have to go to hospital. i finish these on friday thankgod. but i wonder if i'll end up on more.

i mean its a hard question to answer. yes i think medication is over-prescribed. but at the same time my docotor is doing something about the problem ie.getting me to a specialist. the pills are to make things eaiser till then. i think if i jump i'll rattle!

IR_Efrem · 10-17-2007, 04:47 PM

Vautrin · 10-17-2007, 06:49 PM

yes. In the NL however more than half the time is spent after the desk, filling out a plethora of forms for the insurance, legal reasons etc. It is not the case that doctors see too many patients, but that they have to do way too much, so they can spend on avg. about 5 minutes per patient.

Duke · 10-17-2007, 07:00 PM

I think we've touched on this subject a few times around here and the overwhelming majority seem to believe that doctors over medicate because it's cheaper than getting to the root of the problem.

These days just about everybody is on something because their suffering from some sub-affliction we manufactured a title for. H3ll if I owned a drug company, I'd comb the medical journals daily to see what new drug I can create to combat mono-hypo-glyco-deprestiosis.

Sometimes I think we're engineering our own mass extinction.

MentallyStrong87 · 02-27-2008, 12:32 AM

Well, I am currently on zoloft and xanax, and I do have to say I am a different person than I used to be, but even on medications the environment you live in also has a strong effect on how you act and feel, regardless of medications. Doctors whether over medicating patients or not, are just doing what they feel is right to help the person, If I go to the emergency room before being prescribed to the meds I'm on now, and had a panic attack and a doctor would of refused to give me a xanax then I would of been flipping out, some people's bodies need the medication for at least a short term period, but for long term I do not believe the medications are needed unless its something for pain, something you can not mentally control. Your mind is a very strong organ, and if not used to its potential, can create problems. I used to meditate daily and have recently not been doing it as much. I noticed meditating helped a lot but now that I don't do it I seem to be more lethargic and sad, or angry. But it is also hard to help other people if you don't try to help yourself. One thing that I've always remembered as a kid growing up was god helps those who help themselves. As well as karma will always come back around, maybe not immediately, but it does. So anyways after that confusing bit I just wrote, I think doctors do what they think they need to do to help their patients, and to the ones who just medicate them because they don't want to be bothered in actually, personally helping them in their personal lives, then they shouldn't be calling themselves doctors, if they plan on helping the person with medications without listening to their problems and just prescribing meds, or forking them off to another doctor. I don't know if any of this makes sense, but maybe it does for someone. As with myself I have anxiety and there is no cure for it only a cover up, or being on meds for the rest of your life. Even anxiety medications can give you anxiety. It's mostly about money making, go to other countries and live there for a while and I bet you see different ways of dealing with ailments and illnesses than here in the United States.

Luba · 02-27-2008, 08:20 AM

After reading Chris's great post, I was thinking that doctors just have so many patients now; they just don't have the time to listen to the patient's pain or hardships. It is much easier to prescribe something and get on to the next patient. I'm not being judgmental of doctors, I've been fortunate to have had great doctors who truly cared about me! I tell them up front what I can do for my health and well-being just naturally, like giving up salt or more exercise, better ways of dealing with stress, etc. and have had great advice, and short-term cutting-down medication! I am truly grateful!

IvyRose · 02-27-2008, 01:40 PM

Egads, I agree with everyone here. Especially with MentallyStrong87...

I think the United States has become a 'Sick Nation.' Everyone is getting labeled different things and given a pill to mask the problem instead of getting rid of the root cause.

In the U.S., we have both parents working now and 10 times the stress than we had even just 10 years ago with jobs, situations, ect.

I'm not saying it's all the doctor's fault and some patients do need medication because of their enviornment that either they can not change or we (in the U.S.) as a society feel, "Well, I can live through it, why can't you?"

With the word "Abuse" being almost a completely different set of rules than it use to be and all the new policies that have evolved in the work place and schools, I believe that we as a society (at least in the U.S.) are becoming disgruntled. We ostracize those in need of help instead of giving a helping hand. That just seems to be the general rule in what I've observed over the years.

We call them sick, weak, or even inbred instead of trying to change the hostility that those that are afflicted have already faced. I'm not saying to nurture a person afflicted to the point they can't be independent, but try to be a little less judgemental. The world has changed and as a result, so have the pains of others.

TKDLady · 02-27-2008, 09:04 PM

I think in the US we enable people to be sick. We tell them everyday on TV and in magazines that they are sick or in need of some help. We no longer have the patience to deal with everyday things so we go for the quick fix when things don't go right in our lives. I know some people really are sick and they need to be treated but so many people go to the doctor because they just can't cope with something, so the doctor gets overloaded and doesn't have the time to take with each patient plus if he does something they don't like or they get sicker they immediately sue him. So he goes for things that he knows will help and if the illness is more serious he sends them to a specialist. People just aren't responsible for themselves anymore.

Vautrin · 02-28-2008, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TKDLady

so the doctor gets overloaded and doesn't have the time to take with each patient plus if he does something they don't like or they get sicker they immediately sue him.

That may be related to why people effectively get so many "placebos" prescribed. All meds have side-effects, thus if your complaint is not "real" (for lack of a better word), the only thing you may notice are exactly the side-effects.

A lot of the working of some meds (for instance sleeping tablets) is attributable to effects similar to placebo-effects. Now of course these work only as long as you believe they work. Something similar holds for a lot of "alternative medicine" as well.

But then again, society as a whole promotes these attitudes.

Duke · 03-01-2008, 01:10 PM

It's actually a well documented fact that we over medicate in Canada simply because doctors don't make the money they did unless they see a lot of patients in a day. The only way to see many patients is to not get too deep into their ailments so if you're not going to bother getting to the root of the problem, simply identify the key characteristics and hit it with pills.

It's been this way in Canada for the last 10 years (maybe longer) and is prolly the reason it's hard to find a good doctor. Any doctor I've been to only asks a few questions, looks in your ear and down your throat and then starts writing a prescription.

Luba · 03-01-2008, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duke

Any doctor I've been to only asks a few questions, looks in your ear and down your throat and then starts writing a prescription.

I don't mind him looking there, it's the other places.......

NO, not going there....this is a Family Friendly Site!

Duke · 03-01-2008, 05:03 PM