Prescription Drugs
Prescription Drugs Prescription drugs are taking a toll on the people who use them, not only their wallets but their health also.
Doctors are becoming more interested in money than the overall health of their patients. What is the normal doctor visit for someone who has leg pain? A quick drive to the office, have the doctor come in and ask, “Does this hurt?” “Does it hurt when I do this?” These are pretty standard questions that can only really be measured by the patient. So, to these questions the patient says yes and the doctor writes a prescription for Motrin 800mg for the pain. The doctor has written a prescription for a drug that can be substituted with over-the-counter Ibuprofen. Two weeks pass and the leg pain is still there bothering the patient. After being notified the doctor sees the patient basically to ask them if the last prescription worked at all, and when the patient says, “Oh, it worked a little,” the doctor writes a prescription for a drug that is stronger and has addictive properties. The most common type of pain pills prescribed for something like “leg pain” is Hydrocodone in combination with Acetaminophen. Familiar names include Vicodin, Norco, Lortabs, Lorcet, Lorcet Plus, Vicodin HP, and Vicaprofen. This situation between a doctor and his/her patient, although hypothetical, is not very far from the truth. Take into consideration, “In one study, in which doctors and nurse practitioners were presented with part of a clinical scenario—as would occur when first seeing a patient with a medical problem—and then encouraged to ask to find out more about the source of the problem, 65% of doctors recommended that a patient complaining of insomnia be treated with sleeping pills even though, had they asked more questions about the patient, they would have found that the patient was not exercising, was drinking coffee in the evening, and, although awakening at 4 a.m., was actually getting seven hours of sleep by then.” (Now
Doctors are becoming more interested in money than the overall health of their patients. What is the normal doctor visit for someone who has leg pain? A quick drive to the office, have the doctor come in and ask, “Does this hurt?” “Does it hurt when I do this?” These are pretty standard questions that can only really be measured by the patient. So, to these questions the patient says yes and the doctor writes a prescription for Motrin 800mg for the pain. The doctor has written a prescription for a drug that can be substituted with over-the-counter Ibuprofen. Two weeks pass and the leg pain is still there bothering the patient. After being notified the doctor sees the patient basically to ask them if the last prescription worked at all, and when the patient says, “Oh, it worked a little,” the doctor writes a prescription for a drug that is stronger and has addictive properties. The most common type of pain pills prescribed for something like “leg pain” is Hydrocodone in combination with Acetaminophen. Familiar names include Vicodin, Norco, Lortabs, Lorcet, Lorcet Plus, Vicodin HP, and Vicaprofen. This situation between a doctor and his/her patient, although hypothetical, is not very far from the truth. Take into consideration, “In one study, in which doctors and nurse practitioners were presented with part of a clinical scenario—as would occur when first seeing a patient with a medical problem—and then encouraged to ask to find out more about the source of the problem, 65% of doctors recommended that a patient complaining of insomnia be treated with sleeping pills even though, had they asked more questions about the patient, they would have found that the patient was not exercising, was drinking coffee in the evening, and, although awakening at 4 a.m., was actually getting seven hours of sleep by then.” (Now
Cited: McCarthy, Meghan. "Reducing Prescription Drug Abuse Starts With Education, Feds Say." Nationaljournal.com 19 Apr. 2011. General OneFile. Tues. 15 Apr. 2011. Health Central. Home Page. 15 Apr. 2011 . Pub Med. Home Page. 15 Apr. 2011 . Rochon PA, Gurwitz JH. Optimising drug treatment for elderly people: The prescribing cascade. British Medical Journal Oct 25, 1997; 315: 1096 - 1099. Nearly 4 Million Medicare Beneficiaries Receive Help with Prescription Drug Cost under Affordable Care Act." Managed Care Weekly Digest 4 Apr. 2011: 55. Academic OneFile. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. Ukens C. How mail order pharmacy gained in market share in 2003. Drug Topics Mar 22, 2004; 148.