Monday, October 14, 2013

Prescription drugs: are they doing you more harm than good? - by Dr Phil Hammond

How do you react to websites that claim they could save your life? Normally I pass, but having recently and reluctantly become a patient, I'm now the proud possessor of a pre-paid NHS prescription card for my two drugs a day for life. So a website pointing out questions we should ask about prescription drugs that could save your life at least got the click through from me.
To save you the hassle, here they are:
- How does this drug work, how much improvement can I expect, and how soon?
- If I don’t take this drug now, and instead wait for a while, what will happen?
- What are the most likely side effects?
- Are there any rare serious side effects?
- Are there any permanent problems this drug can cause?
- If this is a new drug, why can’t I take an older drug?
- Can I try a lower dose?
- What date will we review my use/dose of this drug?
- Are there problems stopping the drug or any special considerations on stopping or changing dose that I should watch for?
- Are there any potential interactions with food, my other medical conditions, or my current medications?
- Might this drug affect my weight/sleep/hair/skin/nails/mood/sex life and/or relationships, and if so, how?
- Do I need to stop this drug before I get pregnant?
These questions are great, and bang on the money (except possibly the one about pregnancy but you may well know someone who is). The trouble is, it's hard to get through them all in a ten-minute medical consultation. Even captains of industry can turn to jelly when faced with a doctor, and rarely do we remember anything other than the diagnosis. I'm a great fan of lists. Not just for taking into the consultation, but making during the consultation and even leaving one for the doctor to remind him what he (or she) has promised to do for you.
Time is always of the essence and in a ten-minute appointment you can never cover all the bases or all the points on your list. So if you are on medication and want to know more about it, I would pay a visit to the RxISK website.
RxISK is the first free, independent website where patients, doctors, and pharmacists can research prescription drugs and easily report a drug side effect. It helps you spot drug side effects quicker, in order to alert your doctor and - rather like Ben Goldacre's epic book Bad Pharma - it'll make you a lot more sceptical about the claims made by drug companies.
Medicine relies on trust and there's a danger that if you stop taking a drug because you can't be sure the drug company isn't hiding the results that show it doesn't work or has unpleasant side effects, you could do yourself some harm. But like the NHS, there's an unpleasant tendency for harm and errors to be covered up in the drug industry rather than owned up to and acted on. Informed, earned trust is a much safer mindset that blindly believing that a drug is safe or right for you just because the government allowed it, the regulators approved it, your doctor prescribed it and your pharmacist dispensed it.
As RxISK Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dee Mangin puts it, “Prescription drug side effects are now a leading cause of death, disability, and illness along with cancer, heart disease and stroke.” RxISK CEO Dr. David Healy adds, “In mental health care, drug side effects are the leading cause of death.” That said, I've researched my two drugs (Ramipril and Amlodipine), I think they're safe, I don't get any side effects, my blood pressure's come down a treat and I've cut my risk of having a stroke on stage, the ultimate horror for any comedian (not least because the audience would just sit there and assume it was part of the act).
If you're on prescription drugs and want to learn more, check out the site, then ask the questions and start taking more responsibility for what you put in your mouth.

https://www.rxisk.org/Default.aspx

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/10372133/Prescription-drugs-are-they-doing-you-more-harm-than-good.html


Dr Phil Hammond is on tour with "Games to Play with Your Doctor". For dates, see drphilhammond.com

No comments: