Self-prescribing Patients?

Originally posted by Cosmic911
A lot of people go to school for 8 years...they're called doctors.

Let's leave the prescribing to them, shall we?

signature:
"Just look at us. Everything is backwards; everything is upside down. Doctors destroy health lawyers destroy justice universities destroy knowledge governments destroy freedom the major media destroy information and religions destroy spirituality." Michael Ellner

No. Your own signature line offers some of the reasoning.

Here in Latin America we produce a lot of doctors and typically get better routine medical care than is offered in the US - and at a reasonable price. People here also get a lot of basic education in routine medical care and generally know when they need professional guidance. Also, we can buy those types of medications without a prescription.

Originally posted by Erongaricuaro

Originally posted by Cosmic911
A lot of people go to school for 8 years...they're called doctors.

Let's leave the prescribing to them, shall we?

signature:
"Just look at us. Everything is backwards; everything is upside down. Doctors destroy health lawyers destroy justice universities destroy knowledge governments destroy freedom the major media destroy information and religions destroy spirituality." Michael Ellner

No.

Here in Latin America we produce a lot of doctors and get better routine medical care than offered in the US - and at a reasonable price. People here also get a lot of basic education in routine medical care and generally know when they need professional guidance. Also, we can buy those types of medications without a prescription.

edit on 13-3-2012 by Erongaricuaro because: (no reason given)

I don't doubt that other countries are able to provide medical care at more reasonable prices than in the United States. I concede that. The cost of health care in this country is outrageous! And I have been to Mexico where I have seen those types of medications sold without prescriptions. That could be a good thing. So I guess I'm left with this...before I commit to a conclusion on whether this is a good thing or not, I would have to see a lot of good evidence supporting it, like patient compliance, rates of hospital admission, rates of exacerbations and re-occurances, morbidity/mortality, etc. Perhaps it's a cultural thing too? I can tell you a lot of American patients would not be educated enough to self-prescribe. That's what I've learned in my health care career so far.

Good food for thought.

reply to post by Erongaricuaro

No. Your own signature line offers some of the reasoning.

Gotta say, you got me there! Nice one!

reply to post by Cosmic911


KPOW! he got you there.

Though I would say your signature has a lot of wisdom in it, maybe take out the specific parts people can focus and attack on.

"Just look at us. Everything is backwards; everything is upside down."

Actually says a whole lot more than what follows it, quite dramatically and beautifully. That is the part with meaning in it, the rest is just information to be dissected and criticized.

My signature could be criticized as well, so far only one person pointed out whats wrong with it, but probably more people just discounted it as ignorance. Sorry for getting off topic, I'm done. Come to think of it, signatures in their entirety are off topic huh?

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


I know, its just that in America with our crappy heath care systems and all, we're jealous and we make movies painting Mexican doctors as rogue like medical practitioners doing business out of the back of a van so we can feel better about ourselves... because we're American damnit.

reply to post by RSF77


it's all good...I like that signature...I'm not above my own ignorance lol (if that makes sense). I really like how you described it. That was eloquent.

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


I remember before the big pharma take over and health care for profits in the US that doctors used to come to your home and you could got to the pharmacy in the corner and explain your illness to the pharmacist and get what you need.

But because of profits one of the reasons health care is so control and expensive is to keep you spending on doctors visits and big pharma in business with all the prescription you get from your doctor visit.

Back in the days health care was free and available without an appointment.

This was back in the 60a when I was a child, now is even illegal for Americans to seek medications in pharmacies outside US borders, that's how control the health care business have it here in the US all to maximize profits.

But like I say with Obamacare no everybody will be able to afford doctors visits even if they are paying for health insurance as out of pocket expenses will become un afordable.

Bit pharma is preparing to cover with targeting over the county medications this littler dirty secret that most of the US population that will fall into the madated doesn't know yet.

Last weds I took my daughter to the Dr. They said she has flu and can return to school on Friday
needless to say, Fri, she wakes up with 101 fever. To get a Dr note for Fri, Medicaid has to pay for another office visit, because they can't FAX a note for Fri since they didn't see her on that day. Not to mention the bus ride in the rain with my sick 4 yrs old.

So if I have more common sense than the pediatrtion, I would be comfortable self diagnosing. Of course I would get tested and visit a Dr if necessary, but if I've had diabetes for a few years what's the point? I know what works at that point.

Now if I could get Dr notes at the kiosk, instead of Medicaid in this instance, paying for a Dr to tell me what I already know, we'd save the government $$$

I foresee many accidental deaths from people who self diagnose. This is about as dumb as giving free guns to kids. You KNOW somebody is gonna die.

Is it possible that this is a move to make it so that these commonly used medications are no longer covered by insurance?

After all, usually when my Doctor advises the use of Tylenol, or something to that effect. They don't typically write me up a prescription to the pharmacy. If these become OTC medications, perhaps the insurance companies, and the govt. health mandate can then argue that they have no obligation to cover what would no longer be a prescription medication.

Originally posted by Cosmic911

Originally posted by Erongaricuaro
If a person has diabetes or asthma they don't need a doctor continually telling them they do. These people know how to test their blood sugar or know when they have shortness of breath. The drugs they need are a regular part of their life and they just need regular access to them without sitting in a doctor's waiting room.

One thing Americans will always attempt to prescribe for everyone else is a nanny.

edit on 13-3-2012 by Erongaricuaro because: (no reason given)

This is quite an understatement of the importance of medical oversight. Chronic conditions, especially those like diabetes mellitus and asthma, require follow up and guidance from their physicians. Having diabetes is quite a bit more complicated than mere numbers and glucometer checks. Diabetes education, foot checks, eye exams and hemoglobin A1C are just a few of the regular checks that your physician performs. Additionally, with asthma, the disease can change and require a change of medications. It is also important patients receive education and guidance to avoid exacerbations and trigger events. Yeah, they still need to see their doctor.

This is such an elitist comment that it just kills me. I have been living with asthma for the past 34 years. My disease has at times changed, that is true, but that is rare. Usually, I have the exact same symptoms I always have had, and I use my rescue inhaler the way I always have. It runs out, and I need a new one. after a number of refills, I have to go see my doctor again, for literally zero reason, only so that he will write some words down on a piece of paper.

I will need the same inhaler for the rest of my entire life, unless asthma is miraculously cured, so that means that I'm going to see the doctor... for what? So he can just make sure my symptoms haven't changed and that's I'm doing okay? How about a better idea -- how about I only go see him when my symptoms change?

I'm an adult. I can handle this.

reply to post by smyleegrl

It's a little off topic, but I've never liked the way the drug companies advertise their medicine on the television.

NOT off topic - very pertinent. ...If more pharmaceuticals are going to be sold OTC, without controls and with advertising, then the following conditions (at least) must be met:

1. NO controls on herbals;

2. NO controls on home-grown food, which is the best medicine we have;

3. NO controls on personal Internet communications, so that "word of mouth" can compete with paid advertising and "social media marketers." [Remember - corporate interests already spend far more money on "word of mouth" Internet marketing than identifiable commercials.]

Even if the medicine is over the counter, your doc can still write a prescription so that your insurance covers it, or so that you don't have to pay tax.

VERY important - many people rely on their insurance or disability programs to cover the costs of essential meds. ...OTC meds might be more accessible to people who don't have coverage though and also,

...take some strain off the health care system and insurance companies.



Thanks and S& for you.

I was wondering when the devil was planning to take on the antichrist.

The healthcare market is dominated by managed-care organizations and Big Pharma. The pharmaceutical industry has discovered a way to cut out the other entity sharing the healthcare market. Without a visit to a doctor, health insurers don't get their co-pay. Ten or twenty dollars here and there may not sound like much, but those co-pays are the bread and butter of managed care.

Perhaps on day two of this machine-as-physician rollout, people can stick a finger into a device which determines the load of pain-induced hormones in their blood and spits out a schedule-II control. Then we'll see people's hands being chopped off so the criminals can get the drugs. Oh, why do I even start imagining these potential outcomes...

Personally I don't feel like a pharmacist even matters anymore... The doctor prescribes the drugs and the patient just goes there to get the drugs they need/want. Never have I seen a pharmacist "help" anybody by suggesting that they shouldn't mix certain pills or describe certain side effects. I just see pharmacists as bottle labelers, pill counters, and compounders, anything a pharm tech can do with a little bit of training. They sure as hell don't need a Ph.D. level graduate for all this, it's a waste of education and money.

I don't see anything wrong with drugs being controlled more loosely like in other countries, if that happened a pharmacist might be able to play more of an active roll. But most people aren't idiots and know what medicine they need or will help them. Hell, Tylenol will kill you if you take enough so what does it matter if morphine was given OTC... Addicts will always get what they need and addiction doctors/ pain specialists are just drug dealers covered up by beuracracy.

Having more drugs OTC would definetely make our capitalistocracy more money but might adversely affect the prison industrial complex since nearly all inmates are in for drug related crimes.

Originally posted by Pseudonaut

Originally posted by Cosmic911

Originally posted by Erongaricuaro
If a person has diabetes or asthma they don't need a doctor continually telling them they do. These people know how to test their blood sugar or know when they have shortness of breath. The drugs they need are a regular part of their life and they just need regular access to them without sitting in a doctor's waiting room.

One thing Americans will always attempt to prescribe for everyone else is a nanny.

edit on 13-3-2012 by Erongaricuaro because: (no reason given)

This is quite an understatement of the importance of medical oversight. Chronic conditions, especially those like diabetes mellitus and asthma, require follow up and guidance from their physicians. Having diabetes is quite a bit more complicated than mere numbers and glucometer checks. Diabetes education, foot checks, eye exams and hemoglobin A1C are just a few of the regular checks that your physician performs. Additionally, with asthma, the disease can change and require a change of medications. It is also important patients receive education and guidance to avoid exacerbations and trigger events. Yeah, they still need to see their doctor.

This is such an elitist comment that it just kills me. I have been living with asthma for the past 34 years. My disease has at times changed, that is true, but that is rare. Usually, I have the exact same symptoms I always have had, and I use my rescue inhaler the way I always have. It runs out, and I need a new one. after a number of refills, I have to go see my doctor again, for literally zero reason, only so that he will write some words down on a piece of paper.

I will need the same inhaler for the rest of my entire life, unless asthma is miraculously cured, so that means that I'm going to see the doctor... for what? So he can just make sure my symptoms haven't changed and that's I'm doing okay? How about a better idea -- how about I only go see him when my symptoms change?

I'm an adult. I can handle this.

Elitist? Hardly. You said it yourself, your disease has changed. I'm not saying you should have to see your doctor for every refill; that is silly. But you should probably get in to see your doctor once a year, right? Or when something changes, right? What's so elitist about that? You're going to see your doctor so he or she is not prescribing something for you negligently or non-purposely. It's called control or accountability. And in today's world of "everybody suing everybody," yeah if I'm your doc, you're coming into the office. It sucks but that's life right now. It sounds like your compliant with your medical regimen, that's great. Not all patients are. There has to be a happy medium.

reply to post by chasingbrahman


10 or 20 dollars? mine went from 12 to 25 in the last year this no even with the target raise of care that now the retirees in humana care are going to face very soon the 25 will be 50, while 1000 dollars will be added to what we pay yearly in humana care for retirees under obamacare.

Add that to the way that those co pays will increase because is was not anything in obamacare to regulate it and people will have to work for pay for health care but will not be able to use it.

I will have to agree that the bread and butter of the corruption call health care system is how much they can squeeze out of you without taking away after big pharma second squeeze.

If common now prescribe medications are not covered under Medicare or mandate health care then that is going to add more to the all already out of pocket expenses I am talking about.

Originally posted by DAVID64
I foresee many accidental deaths from people who self diagnose. This is about as dumb as giving free guns to kids. You KNOW somebody is gonna die.

Really? Because I ACTUALLY see people suffering without asthma inhalers.

Another person who heard the word "self-diagnose" and ate up the propaganda like it was a happy meal.

reply to post by RSF77


Your wife is already diagnosed with asthma - but some people might self-diagnose asthma when they actually have congestive heart failure or vasculitis or pneumonia. Treatable stuff, but fatal if not properly treated these days.

S& anyway though.