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So far IME with GPs, if a med is being considered, first we discuss possible drug interactions with any other supplement or medication I might already be taking. Then, when a decision about a medication is made, they explain the a) most common side effects and b) most serious side effect that may need medical intervention. They don't necessarily drone on and on about every single possible side effect. That's all printed in the medication info pamphlet and most patients don't experience them. If, when I have read through all the prescription information I find I have a concern, I call the prescribing MD or the pharmacy for clarification.
This is sensible, and I like the ide of providing a distinction between common vs. serious and would appreciate that from my family doctor.
In my case I got neither. For example, one of the medications was Venlaflaxine, prescribed for headache and turns out after my own research that its primary use is something quite different, and from two separate forums the side effects appear common and horrific. This is a case where I would have appreciated some basic consultation where I had none.
The other issue I had/have, and to my OP, is that apparently this med is meant to be taken every day. Unless have a heart condition, cancer or something else serious I disagree with this kind of over-medication of society (like in the many drugs shown on tv every day set to re-worked Classic Rock music) or taking medication like that.
This is sensible, and I like the distinction between common vs. serious and would appreciate that from my family doctor.
In my case I got neither. For example, one of the medications was Venlaflaxine, prescribed for headache and turns out after my own research that its primary use is something quite different, and from two separate forums the side effects appear common and horrific. This is a case where I would have appreciated some basic consultation where I had none.
The other issue I had/have, and to my OP, is that apparently this med is meant to be taken every day. Unless have a heart condition, cancer or something else serious I disagree with this kind of over-medication of society (like in the many drugs shown on tv every day set to re-worked Classic Rock music) or taking medication like that.
Actually, venlafaxine is commonly prescribed for migraine along with other types of headaches and pain disorders (as is amitriptyline, another anti-depressant). There's over 20 years of solid research on the use.
This is sensible, and I like the ide of providing a distinction between common vs. serious and would appreciate that from my family doctor.
In my case I got neither. For example, one of the medications was Venlaflaxine, prescribed for headache and turns out after my own research that its primary use is something quite different, and from two separate forums the side effects appear common and horrific. This is a case where I would have appreciated some basic consultation where I had none.
The other issue I had/have, and to my OP, is that apparently this med is meant to be taken every day. Unless have a heart condition, cancer or something else serious I disagree with this kind of over-medication of society (like in the many drugs shown on tv every day set to re-worked Classic Rock music) or taking medication like that.
The pharmacist is the one trained on all of the possible side effects and interactions with the medication, not the physician. Yes, the physician should know some basic side effects, but the pharmacist is the one who has years of training specifically in this area. When you get a new medication, take the time to talk to the pharmacist about the side effects of the medication. I know even when I was with an insurance plan that required mail order, I could still get the first three prescriptions from a local pharmacy and talk to the pharmacist.
You don’t have to use a preventive headache medication, but the overuse of immediate relief headache medications causes rebound. Most doctors would prefer that you reduce the overall number of monthly headaches so you don’t have to take the immediate relief medicine more than a couple of times per week. I know when I was taking the immediate relief medicine all the time, I kept getting daily headaches. That was due to the rebound effect. Once I cut that down, my preventive medication does quite well on limiting migraines to just a couple a month. The only preventive medications specifically designed for migraines are new (as of the last year or so) and very expensive. Most insurance plans won’t approve them unless you try the cheaper alternatives like antidepressants, blood pressure medications, or anti-seizure medications first because those are typically on the $10 and under list at most pharmacies vs. $500+ for a single injection.
In my experience, doctors do not give careful consideration to side effects, especially weighed against more natural remedies.
I have one doc who keeps writing RX's for steroid this and that (pills and creams) and I will not take steroids - she thinks I am weird, but check out the side effects! No thank you!
When my doctor prescribes a new medication, I write down the name and look it up before picking it up. By googling the name of the medication plus "mayo", I can see the Mayo Clinic's description of the uses and side effects and decide if I need to ask for a different med.
The other issue I had/have, and to my OP, is that apparently this med is meant to be taken every day. Unless have a heart condition, cancer or something else serious I disagree with this kind of over-medication of society (like in the many drugs shown on tv every day set to re-worked Classic Rock music) or taking medication like that.
Well, how it is dosed depends entirely on the medication of course. And, how serious you are about treating whatever the condition is. There will be a trade off...either treat some condition that bothers you or live with whatever the condition is. There may not be a middle ground. If there is, great; fantastic...but there often won't be. If you choose not to take a med at the frequency for which it is effective, you are wasting your energy and your money. The chemical may not persist actively in the body for longer than (for example) 24 hours....if you DON'T take it daily, it won't work. There may be no time-release formulations of that medication available. In general don't you think it makes sense that a doc would want to prescribe the minimum dose of any particular med that will provide a benefit but trigger the fewest side effects? So much for over-medication. The trade off often is that you need to take that minimal dose more often. It may only provide the benefit you are trying to get if you keep a steady level of the med in the bloodstream. Not taking it regularly will cause the level to fluctuate (could end up being too high or too low for much of the time) and you'll constantly be missing the benefit or suffering more side effects from a too-high level. Seems pretty pointless to refuse to do follow the directions. But hey, it's your body. Do what you want. Just don't go back to the doc and whine about how ineffective that prescription was.
Well, how it is dosed depends entirely on the medication of course. And, how serious you are about treating whatever the condition is. There will be a trade off...either treat some condition that bothers you or live with whatever the condition is. There may not be a middle ground. If there is, great; fantastic...but there often won't be. If you choose not to take a med at the frequency for which it is effective, you are wasting your energy and your money. The chemical may not persist actively in the body for longer than (for example) 24 hours....if you DON'T take it daily, it won't work. There may be no time-release formulations of that medication available. In general don't you think it makes sense that a doc would want to prescribe the minimum dose of any particular med that will provide a benefit but trigger the fewest side effects? So much for over-medication. The trade off often is that you need to take that minimal dose more often. It may only provide the benefit you are trying to get if you keep a steady level of the med in the bloodstream. Not taking it regularly will cause the level to fluctuate (could end up being too high or too low for much of the time) and you'll constantly be missing the benefit or suffering more side effects from a too-high level. Seems pretty pointless to refuse to do follow the directions. But hey, it's your body. Do what you want. Just don't go back to the doc and whine about how ineffective that prescription was.
I'll take the positive points you made, unfortunate than you had to pepper your response with some negativity and pontification, it was not necessary to do that, you're not talking with an idiot.
As RamenAddict pointed out here and to me in a DM (thanks again for that and I had another response pending) there may be some real downsides to taking some medications in an as-needed manner, which is what I have always preferred for the kinds of occasional and sporadic headaches I get - it's worked in the past and to the best of my knowledge without side effects or building tolerances. I still don't buy into that, except for certain chronic conditions like diabetes, etc. that the human race had developed into needing daily medication for some things.
We are truly an over-medicated society, getting more over-medicated year on year, and it is no secret that some doctors (in the US anyway) are nefariously influenced by Big Med to over-prescribe and whose prescriptions may have influences - we all need to maintain some healthy suspicions. Just look at how the opioid crisis was allowed to happen from doctors their patients trusted.
It's that last part that speaks to my OP. We are just disappointed in how the attention we got only a year ago from our GP has waned to where we feel like numbers and no longer seem to have the same support, advice, or relationship we recently did with our doctor and our reason from choosing her.
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