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I’m
often asked by patients whether or not they should start
a prescription medication or discontinue one they are
currently on. While I always encourage them to discuss
their options with the prescribing medical doctor they
often feel shy or intimidated and simply ill equipped to
make an informed decision. The purpose of this article
is to give you as many resources as possible to help you
make informed decisions about your prescription
medication(s) and ultimately become a little more
responsible for your own health care.
A
recent article in Vitality Magazine (‘The Perils of
Being a Patient’ by Helke Ferrie, February 2008, pp.
6-16) provided some excellent tips in this regard which
I would like to pass on:
(1)
Unless extremely urgent, make sure before taking an
antibiotic that a bacteria has been identified through a
lab test. Most colds and flus are viral thus rendering
antibiotics useless as they only kill bacteria.
(2)
Insist on being informed. Ask your doctor about the
diagnosis and ask for a detailed description of the drug
and known side effects. If they are rushed, ask to see
a current copy of the CPS (Compendium of Pharmaceuticals
and Specialties) which any MD has in their office and
look it over in the waiting room.
(3)
Ask if the drug being prescribed is still under patent
protection. This is an excellent question since the
older the drug generally the safer it is. If it is new,
discuss the options of an older equivalent.
(4)
Use the wonderful internet to get more information. For
example, google the following: “Drug Name + Adverse
Events and/or Side Effects”. Another great search
Helke suggests is “Drug Name + Legal Actions”. The
number of lawsuits against a particular drug would
certainly be important to consider.
(5)
Be wary of drugs advertised on American TV since unlike
Canada, U.S. pharmaceutical companies have much more
freedom to openly solicit their drugs to the public.
These drugs are often very new and lack a history on
the open market. A recent study showed that by
mentioning these drugs to your doctor you are much more
likely to obtain a prescription for them. (CMAJ
September 2, 2003; 169 (5)).
(6)
Visit
http://www.who.int/medicines/publications/essentialmedicines/en/
to see the World Health Organizations’ Essential Drug
List. Helke notes that you will not find a single
patented drug on it (that is the new ones) nor
cholesterol-lowering drugs or antidepressants.
(7)
Read Ralph Nader’s monthly publication ‘Best Pills Worst
Pills’ published by Public Citizen.
Visit
http://www.citizen.org/hrg/
for more information or simply google “Drug Name + Best
Pills Worst Pills”.
(8)
Lastly, be aware that your doctor is paid by
pharmaceutical companies for each patient they sign up
for experimental drug studies.
Multiple
Medications.
Thousands of overmedicated Canadians experience adverse
drug reactions, causing many deaths every year. Since
there is no central system in Canada to alert doctors as
to what medications you are currently taking, often the
cumulative effect of overlapping medications can prove
lethal. To avoid this danger: (1) carry a comprehensive
list of all your medications with you to all
appointments, (2) inform your general practitioner of
any new prescriptions picked up from a walk-in clinic,
and (3) fill your prescriptions at the same pharmacy
every time (they keep track of all your medications on
their database).
Questions to Ask.
A few questions to yourself and/or your doctor can help
you determine the need for a medication. The most
important question to ask is, have your exercised all
alternatives, especially lifestyle changes, before
initiating a drug? Just because some medications are
supposed to be a last resort does not mean they are
always used in this capacity. For example, Statin drugs
used to lower cholesterol are to be used only in the
event that weight loss and dietary changes have
failed. Depending on the severity of the situation,
the same might be said for many medications including
those for diabetes, high blood pressure, and more.
The
second obvious question would be regarding the urgency
of the situation. Some medications are necessary to
prevent an acute crisis and others are intended to
address the hazards of long term problems such as high
blood pressure. If danger is not imminent, then you can
use your time to seek alternatives and make the
necessary changes in your lifestyle.
Another important question is: does this drug cure your
condition? In most cases, drugs only control your
symptoms but do not heal the body and therefore are
taken for life. You might therefore see your medication
as a temporary fix but seek alternative, more curative
approaches and make the necessary lifestyle changes to
warrant weaning off that medication at some point.
This should be done only under the supervision of the
prescribing practitioner.
Lastly, if you are unsure of what to do, don’t feel shy
to seek a second or even third opinion. Some
practitioners are much more eager to prescribe
medications than others. Finding the right doctor to
suit your needs is vital.
The Reality of
Drugs.
Part of our decision to take prescription medications
will also be based on our belief system about their
efficacy and legitimacy. If interested in this topic, I
would encourage you to read “Death by Modern Medicine”
by Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD ND. Her book addresses many
disturbing aspects of the drug industry including
conflicts of interest, faulty science, media propaganda
and more. Among her most compelling sources is the
infamous article in the peer review
Journal American Medical
Association July 26, 2000;284(4):483-5
which states that doctors are the third leading cause of
death in America today, responsible for 225,000 deaths
per year, 47% of them attributed to properly prescribed
medications. I suggest reading Dr. Dean’s book for more
information if you are interested.
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