Internet the worse Place

[debhun]

Hey every one hope all is doing a well as can be. I went to my Dr office to just get my Vitamin B-12 shot. As I was setting in the back my Dr came up with a patient. They just gave him a EKG and it was not right and was going to send him to a Heart Dr. Well the man asked about some thing for his pain. I am guessing the man was in his 70's there about. Any ways My Dr told him he would put him on LYRICA. Dr told him there was a few side effects. The man told the Dr he would look it up on the net and see what it is all about. I thought my Dr would come unglued. He told the man that the Internet was the worse place to get info from. The man was stun by what the Dr just said. The man told the Dr that he only looks at the people that make the meds not the off the wall sites. OMG Dr went off again." Why does everyone look up their meds on the Internet when I give them what they need to take?" Now I am sitting there and thinking this mans heart is not right and he is giving him LYRICA that causes swelling weight gain etc.. He should not put this older man on this med. I think the Dr was out of place telling this man what he did and how he did it.
Am I the only one that feels this way? I alway look and compare with my other meds cause this Dr almost killed me with me taking meds that didn't mix. So I am very care full to what I take. I know I am not a Dr. I just whated to know what you all thought?

Deb

[Pharmacist.steve]

Typical of a "deity complex".. and/or the doc is so pushed on time that he is getting tired of being "second guessed" by information on the web.. and some of it is way off center..

IMO... the smart thing to do is to give the patient the Rx... tell him/her to read whatever they wish... if they any further questions before filling it ... make another appt for consulting about taking the med... and/or another appt to discuss managing his pain... especially after his cardiac problems have been evaluated..

Generally, a well informed patient is a more compliant patient and better manages their conditions and has the best qualify of life & longevity possible with their given condition...

[mazie456]

Deb, I agree with you, the Dr was out of place. People should not be made to feel bad for trying to educate themselves about their medications. I think that doctor feels threatened by informed patients and does not want to have to explain why he prescribes certain things to them. My doctors know I research everything they prescribe, every condition I have and each procedure suggested. I personally prefer physicians who respect the fact that I want to be proactive in my own healthcare. It is my body and my life afterall.
Take Care.
Kathy

[Boxerlover]

Wow, Kathi, I completely disagree. I like you have run into trouble with taking meds that were not right for me and just recently my gp prescribed a med that could have potentially killed me and definately would have caused a horrible reaction. I knew not to take it because I have done the research about my disease. I know my disease is rare and most people including nurses and medical staff have never heard of it but I would hope my gp who I have been with for 5 years would have at least the basics of it. One of my specialists made me promise to find a new primary immediately. He wouldn't let me go until I promised. I have an appointment next week with the new guy.

I refuse to go to docs who have a problem with me being an active part of what's going on and don't like it when I aski questions and challenge them on a med when I have researched it and don't think it's for me. I have the utmost respect for all my docs(except primary, and I have been having issues with her from the beginning when my first doc left the practice and they assigned me her) and we get along great and usually end up joking around. But I have had way too many with the "god" complex and I just can't work with that.

I feel bad for that elderly gentleman as the elderly are less likelly to challenge their docs and end up unhappy with the situation but are afraid to say anything. It's too bad.

Melissa

[mazie456]

Melissa,
You are right about the elderly being less likely to challenge their physicians, that is why I always go with my mother to her doctor's appointments, even before she fell. She rarely questions anything they tell her which I find completely sad. I won't take any medication without knowing what it is and how it will interact with what I already take. Especially now that I am taking Coumadin, I need to be vigilant about everything I take.
What was it I said that you disagreed with? From what I read we seem to agree completely about this :)
Kathy

[debhun]

Do you know most Dr don't know much about the meds they write out. One time he wrote me out a couch syrup that was $160.00 Told him to re write it I was going to pay that much for couch med. He asked me how much it was I told him and he said he didn't know it was so much. Now you do have a few Dr that know what is good with other meds but most Dr don't know that you can't take this with that cause it is bad together. That is how I got into trouble and almost died from it if I keeped taking it. But it was samples so I didn't have to pay for it when Hubby lost his job. But he knew what I was on. That is why I will not get samples any more.$$$$ or no $$$$$ will go thought my druggist. friend of mines mother died in the hospital and he wrote the wrong amount down. It killed her. But the nurse should have cough it but didn't it. I don't know if they have filed against him or not. I haven't talked to them a few. He is known around here for witting RX for pain pills. I am glad I asked him to send me to PM after the DEA was on him. He got out of it some how.

[jtroy]

Hey Deb:

You know...there could be a few more reasons why your doc isn't "fond" of the net. When I was in veterinary practice I SUPER hated the net...mainly b/c there are some very persuasive people out there who can take your dog's set of symptoms and convince you that it has this or that and that this or that tx is needed...and we would have so so so many clients come in that way (they recep/place tech would usually write "internet client exam 5" or something similar on the board) and the problem I had was never ever the internet....it is too great a source for what is good and correct out there....what I had a problem with is that clients had their minds already molded into something by a non-doc via the internet.

And this can certainly also happen to us when it comes to our personal health. What I would say is to take the information (which can save your life) but also be willing to present it to a doc and then take their advice (unless it is well obvious or another physician has said no.)

A word of caution regarding how some doc's also feel about their patients reading the med insert online: what they fear is that their patients cannot understand alot of the physiology and pharmacology involved in tx. Remember...nearly all medications can interact if even only slightly....and any time you take a med their is a potential risk to it (I'm gonna post later about a recent death of someone near to me).....your doc has to weigh all of this and decide if the benefit outweighs the risk....and then you always have the right to take it or not.

But....don't stop researching the internet...even if is drives your doc nuts (just keep drivin them nuts)....after all...in the end it is out body.

Regards,

T. Jones, DVM

[Boxerlover]

Ugh! I posted this big reply and it 's lost in cyberspace. OK, try it again.

Kathy, you are so right when my gramdmother had colon cancer one of the meds prescribed after surgery for nausea made her jittery and she couldn't focus on her two favorite things to do, read and art(she was a great artist, beautiful water colors and china painting). So I mentioned to my grandfather that he should talk to the doc about a different med. This is the only time ever my grandfather yelled at me. I know he was stressed about the situation, but they just didn't question doctors. I'm even seeing it in my parents.

Deb, yes!! My doc has a book in his pocket that has red stars by the meds listed indicating how expensive they are. I now have him check first as most of my meds are prescribed as off label as my disease is rare and there are no meds approved so if it's an expensive drug my insurance usually will not cover it.

Melissa

[Mark N]

Deb, I think doctors like your doctor are out of line. I know the internet can cause them problems with patients because some people will find any wild site and use it as their source. If someone knows how to use the internet to research good sources for info then doctors should not be afraid of your knowledge. If I were that man I would find a new doctor right away with the response your doctor gave him.

[Buttons2]

This is very common. I learned the hard way to keep my mouth shut about my internet research. Also knocked all the doc's I'd seen right off the pedestal (sp). Unfortunately many older people refuse to listen to any opinions other than their doctor they blindly trust.

Change takes time!

[Nana4&cntn]

I quess I have been lucky as all of my doctors, especially my PM have always encouraged me to check the internet if I have concers regarding any questions I have or think of after I see them. My pm and internist have WebMD magazines in their waiting room and have been very open to questions or ideas I have. I have even printed several articles to take in and they are receptive to reading them. They both think outside the box and I do like that!

I would be inclined to leave a physician who was inconsiderate or uninterested in me being an informed patient and part of the team, after all, this is my body they are messing with.

I do agree a lot of elderly people believe their Doc's are all knowing. I take my mom now 71 to all her doctors appointments and ask many questions, mom gets irritated at times that I do this. She does have good doc's for the most part, however her shrink has prescribed a med with many side effects related to her heart. He has always been open to listening.

Deb, my doc has a program on his hand held data thing that lists the side effects and cost of meds that is updated weekly. Obviously I am not very well versed in electronics,LOL:rolleyes:

[mrsdoubtfyre]

It has been my experience that the bigger the ego...the harder they fall (get defensive).

One DOES have to be careful on the internet.

That is one reason I continue to donate my time for free for YEARS, because I think educating people and warning them of real issues is very crucial.

One thing I have seen recently is that more mainstream doctors are showing up on the net to help.

Dr. Jay Cohen MD is one example. Dr. Weil another.
Sometimes I see my ideas repeated at places like Dr. Mercola!
He started recommending Carlson's years ago when I was posting about it! LOL