November 16, 2005

• Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Although I guess what /cough, cough/ some of us did in the 60s-70s could be considered self-medicating, too.
• Could be a recipe for disaster, but I think both the pharmaceutical industry and the physicians themselves are most to blame. In the US, a new drug need not be proven to be MORE effective than an existing drug for the same ailment, merely that it is "safe and effective" -- to the point that some new drugs are demonstrably less effective than their forbears. My personal example is that most doctors I've visited have made a point of trying to get me to try newer medications for my headaches, when the older one works just fine. Why do I have to justify a refill to each doctor just because it isn't their pet favorite for recurring tension and migraine headaches? I've never sought out a medication I've never tried before, but it's damn frustrating to have to drive a long distance to see the doctor I've seen since childhood just to get a refill because every other doctor I've seen wants to put me back on the "try this for a few weeks" merry-go-round that I've been on before.
• Buy meds online. "A prescription is required to order meds from our partner pharmacies." Sounds like doctors are in the loop.
• Huh. I've been in that group since my mid-teens. Though I always had to find a psych who could be made to see that I was one of those rare creatures, a teenager making sense... Actually I just got back from having to persuade a new doctor that not only do I have some idea what I'm talking about, but that meds might not even be in the picture this time. That was new. On preview- chimaera, I've had that sort of problem a lot, sadly. I'm not at all sure why it would make sense to change meds when something is working...
• I'm not at all sure why it would make sense to change meds when something is working Brand-name drugs are generally given patent protection for 20 years ... so the pharmaceutical companies must keep churning out new drugs, and get the doctors to keep pushing the new drugs, in order to maintain their high standard of living.
• If doctors prescribe a lot of meds they get nice incentives like briefcases, iPods, and even trips to warm islands and other expensive perks. Yes, this is true. My ex-girlfriend was a "drug pusher" for a pharmaceutical company and she described this process in detail.
• despite this, I can't help but think DIY'ing your meds is a dumb idea. Even if they are copping Ipods, doctors *are* trained diagnosticians, and if they do mess something up, you have recourse to the courts (and about a bazillion lawyers to assist you). I've always felt that, in situations of real complexity, where the hazards of fungoing are very real and occasionally dangerous, it is nearly always best to defer to an expert in the field. I don't represent myself in court, I don't do my own electrical repairs, I don't butcher my own hogs and I definitely don't prescribe my own drugs. I mean, seriously, outside of my rather narrow area of personal expertise, I am a colossal ignoramus. Leave expertin' to the experts, I say.
• Recourse to the courts is all well and good, but that's only if they did something wrong. Doing something stupid, not so much. That said, I do agree self-medicating without supervision is pretty dumb. Having an objective view of one's own situation is probably impossible... And most people don't have the ability to interpret study results on drugs particularly successfully, either. I, and a number of my loved ones, have just lost too much time to doctors determined to prescribe their pet medication instead of listen to their patients. I much prefer doing my research. YMMV, of course.
• And then there's the whole world of non-prescription medicine, dietary suppliments, and, hell, everyday diet to consider -- all of which can have a huge impact on your body. Dunno if I'd call it "self-medicating", per se, but it's in the same ballpark. I'm still tryin to figure all that out.
• My doctor knows more about what I've been diagnosed with, true, but she's got dozens of other patients with dozens of other diagnoses to think about. I just have me and mine to worry about.
• I ain't drunk! I'm just drinkin'!
• I have a friend who diagnosed his wife's brain anurism. They operated. He was right. He has a doctor who listens to him, they consult and generally concur.
• My doctor visits consist of my doctor sitting with a prescription pad saying "what would you like to take?" Unfortunately, this isn't always very helpful.
• I don't represent myself in court, I don't do my own electrical repairs, I don't butcher my own hogs and I definitely don't prescribe my own drugs. Seriously. I don't care how greedy you think the pharma industry is. Choosing your own meds is a very stupid idea.
• Lara, is your doctor accepting new clients? *winks, nods*
• Yeah, next time ask him for a doggy bag of Dilaudids. See if he'll go for it.
• Can we just legalize pot and be done with it?
• I self medicated for years. It's called being a fucking drug addict.
• I was pretty shocked when I had to go to a new doc (I have PTSD and all of the fabulous accoutrement). He listed several different drugs, then flat out asked me which one I wanted to take. Um... you're a DOCTOR of psychiatry... you tell me, dude.
• The lesson that I would shout from the rooftops, if I could: Always consult with your pharmacist when starting serious medication or considering options. Your doctor may indeed be a very smart person, but what s/he knows about medications, interactions and pharmacology is a mouse fart compared to the quiet, unassuming person behind the counter at your local Walgreens. Medical Doctors take a few courses about drugs while in med school; Doctors of Pharmacy spend five or six years studying only drugs and their underlying chemistry.
• I have a doctor like Lara's, but he's not quite that bad. Still, if you know what you want to take, you can usually get him to give you some. I decided I wanted to find a "real" doctor, so I switched. Then I had a herniated disc in my back and my new doctor refused to give me anything stronger than ibuprofen for the pain. I guess she thought I was drug-seeking. So I went back to my old doc.
• I think any person has to find the right balance between doing their own research and listening to a good doc. Most docs have 1-2 favorite drugs that they prescribe for any given ailment. This is not necessarily because of greed or any other bad motive. They may have just used them before with other patients and had good results (or a lack of bad side effects). This can be good, because you know the drugs are real-world effective, at least in someone. It can also get the doc in a real rut that is unhelpful to you. My doc won't prescribe new meds until some of his doctor friends have had success with it. If I want to take something he's not used to prescribing, I have to really do my research and back up my ideas with good science, then be prepared for a fight. (He's known me since birth, so we feel kind of free to holler sometimes.) Sometimes I get my way, sometimes I don't.
• Well its in the Ny Times, it must be true. I heard people in their 20s and 30s have WMDs too- maybe we should invade them?
• My doctor told me he was medicating me with a specific med because he owned stock in the company. Really. I love my doctor. He has the best sense of humor. Also, I'm pretty sure I see a doctor now because of all the self-medicating I did over the years.
• No, it's because you're nuts.
• sorry, couldn't resist.
• I agree that you should research the shit out of drugs that are often prescribed for your particular symptoms. It's insanely easy to do online, and you simply are not being a good consumer not to. However. Your doctor and your pharmacist should do the prescribing. They have malpractice insurance, for starters. Imagine the fun, fun, fun when you take it upon yourself to be both doctor and pharmacist and kill someone through an interaction, wrong dosage, unknown medical condition or allergy. What's your defense? Uhhh...I read it on the internet? It worked fine for me? I smell a whopper of a wrongful death suit, maybe a little practicing medicine without a license, and a dab of negligent homicide. Good times.
• I don't butcher my own hogs... What are ya? A pansy? A real man butchers his own hogs with spray paint, tweezers, and a snow shovel. Blindfolded.
• Why do you have to blindfold the shovel?
• cabingirl, I had the opposite. I had a blown disc in my back from a car accident some years back. My doctor kept pushing the drugs when I really should have gone to a neurosurgeon. I have almost no feeling in one leg from the knee down now. For good. Somehow I managed to take tons of Vicodin and not become addicted. And yet, I hate doctors so much and I'm so intimidated by them, I'm still going to her because it's less traumatic than finding a new one. But I wait until it's life-threatening because I hate doctors so much. That's a subject for a Curious George, I guess. Or a shrink. Or somebody on the internet somewhere... Anyway, my point is that teh drugs aren't always teh good.
• Why do you have to blindfold the shovel? Do I have to explain the obvious, people? You have to blindfold the shovel so the spray paint doesn't get in its little shovel-y eyes. And obviously the spray paint is used to paint the tweezers neon green as not to lose them in the knee-deep entrails. Sheesh. *narrows eyes, notes hogs donning their titanium battle gear and spit-polishing their shotguns*
• I could butcher them, I just can't butcher them right. Apparently, using the car is wrong. Butcher told me that.
• Ashton Butcher?
• Nah, regular butcher.
• I hear people fix their own cars too.
• I hear people fix their own cars too. Obviously those people are filthy Bolsheviks and, mark my words, there'll be nothing gained by fraternizing with such ruffians.
• I read an article once that said you could "make your own birthday party" as opposed to buying one. May as well have been in Esperanto. Seriously. Make your own party?
• The Bus returns, Happy Birthday and lookout for the spooks (pdf)
• Caredul! Sporks come out at Halloween.