Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

CMWilson — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:35:01 GMT

I found the article very interesting. When someone takes an aspirin it not only goes to the point of injury, but throughout the entire body. The chemicals produced today are far more complex (as in statins such as Lipitor) and in addition to reducing the manufacture of cholesterol, they do a number of other things such as inhibit the manufacture of Co-Q10 which is VITAL to a number of functions within our body including good muscle integrity. So, what is our heart? It would be easy to say, "Just take some Q-10 and that will solve that problem." However, a much more sinister attack is in progress and that is the inhibiting/interfering with the mevalonate pathway. There isn't enough space here to cover the many aspects to this, but it is very serious in that this pathway controls many of the functions necessary to live. Yes, live. I have been injured by Lipitor and diagnosed as having CIDP (chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy). Even though I stopped taking Lipitor almost 5 years ago, the crippling effect continues and I am on a downward spiral that has no reversal. More and more people are experiencing health problems after starting statins and haven't realized what is the cause because doctors are pushing statins with the false belief they are good for everyone. Failure to recognize the side effects can/will lead to very serious consequences. Remember, you are responsible for your actions. Do not accept what your doctor prescribes as safe. Do a little research on the internet to see how it works and if there are negative reports. Make a list of what you take and let your pharmacist (hopefully a pharmacologist) review your drugs to see if there is a conflict. I wish I had.

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

melby — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:02:04 GMT

i agree with most of what is stated in thses many posts onthe subject. i had a very caring dr. who recently retired, but even with his caring his 2 main methods for my health were drugs and surgery, although, to his credit, he often told me that many of my syptoms would go away or be relieved to some degree by losing weight and would not prescribe diet pills. one of the main issues with natural medicine is that insurance companies won't pay for an nd or supplements, where they will pay for drugs. thankfully most will now pay for chiropractors. to go to an md does not necessarily mean you will get a good diagnosis because they are so used to treating sypmtoms.

lastly, a few of the comments on this site are so off the wall it will be hard to convert many because they will see the whole based on the few as crazy fanatics, knowing that peole see and hear what they to in any given circumstance.

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

curious7 — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 23:07:47 GMT

One word, "MONEY." Nuffsaid.

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

MomShap — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:08:50 GMT

I'd like to have lunch with Swami and Russ. It would be fascinating. Where else can we be so free to discuss, agree, disagree, and learn? I feel my IQ go up each time I visit this site. Let's lighten up just a bit, so we don't create acid in our system with stress! Hugs all around? MomShap

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

Dr. JD — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:19:06 GMT

Assisted disabled person prescribed Vytorin.

MD never advised of dangers, failed to give informed consent

She developed severe muscle weakness.

Also hospitalized for acute pancreatitis.

ALL THIS HAPPENED WITHIN 45 DAYS OF TAKING STATIN & QUITTING IT.

MD is now being sued for medical malpractice.

esq32

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

Lisa_Price — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:43:07 GMT

I disagree with Dr. Mercola that doctors are simply pawns of the pharmaceutical companies. We all bear responsibility for the currrent situation in our healthcare system--doctors, patients, big pharma, academic institutions, our government leaders, etc. Doctors frequently directly benefit from the sales of pharmaceutical drugs e.g. oncology docs who buy chemo drugs at wholesale and sell them for retails to their patients. While some doctors are nurturing, many are attracted to the profession because of status and salary, rather than being altruists. In several studies they have demonstrated that the educational program required of doctors is most successfully completed by people who have strongly rigid personalities, lack of imagination, and strong ambition. This is not necessarily the best and the brightest, but those who can survive a hostile and demanding course of education, who are motivated by large societal rewards.

I am an acupuncturist and most of my patients choose to take drugs rather than take any responsibility for eating correctly, exercising and finding alternatives. I can show them all the studies and information in the world and it makes no difference. It's not that they're simply brain-washed--they actively make the choice to take dangerous drugs, telling me "Well, I can't live without bread, so I'll just have to take the drug." People tend to take the easy way out--it seems to be human nature.

I agree that if society were different and there was more social support for healthy living it would be a different story. If we could find restaurants that served healthy food, if everyone else was doing it, it would be easier for us to change. But I don't see that big pharma holds all the blame here.

Lisa Marie

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

amhcw — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:24:38 GMT

One doctor simply stonewalled me when I asked him about the side effects of a drug he had just prescribed for me. I took it, got a skin rash, and he still simply shrugged it off. On the internet I found an abstract of a research that found a correlation between those who got a skin rash from this drug and those who got pancreatitis (or cancer, I forget which but both are life threatening). I stopped taking the drug; the skin rash stopped; and I went to another doctor. Still haven't found one who will listen to me.

Have you seen how many drugs a doctor can legally prescribe? I have a nursing drug reference listing side effects and actions, etc. I don't believe that currently doctors understand what is in them--let alone the 90% of side effects not reported. In another time (when I was much younger) doctors would examine me, leave the room while I got dressed, and then have a discussion with me sitting comfortably in front of their desk. My guess is that a reason why is that when uncertain, they could consult their PDR or other reference book for better understanding of my problem. Now they do that interview with me sitting semi-nude and hunched up on the examining table; this makes me feel like a bug stuck on an exhibiters page.

Maybe they make it simply too hard to become a practicing physician, making it either a financial or psychological necessity for them to have to earn it back from us.

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

Komic Kaze — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:54:57 GMT

There is a way out of this system. Even though doctors may not know the alternatives, there are ways to find them. It make take perseverence and you may have to upset some people, but why should we all suffer with these side effects? Why should be keep giving into Big Pharma? If we all got off our medicines, at least the ones that are completely unnecessary, Big Pharma would most likely shift to becoming smaller and less influential, due to the fact it won't have money to advertise so much. I just wish the rest of the country would come to our point of view. There are so many people who suffer by taking the conventional wisdom placated by the pharmaceutical companies to the doctors who don't know any other alternatives (for the most part). We lived without pills for thousands, even millions of years, so why are we so hooked on them now? Because the doctors are convinced that it is the BEST option. Treating symptoms rather than uprooting the cause. I'm glad Dr. Mercola has this site. Otherwise, many of us would still be slaves to that Pharma world. Get healthy the natural way. It only makes sense.

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

jkroot — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:53:46 GMT

Drs have a financial stake in keeping you in a revolving door over long periods of time. Having you on statins and blood pressure medication means you must return for lever enzyme checks and blood pressure checks on a regular basis. Let's see: Dr X $80 fee X 12 months = $960 X 200 patients = $192,000 + drug company stipends = $225,000. And, many Drs have more patients than that. Now, after all that, are you cured?

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

corgi — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:34:51 GMT

After I had a heart attack in 2002, hospital emeg room, heart caths, xrays, etc , etc, my doctor put me on Lipitor to lower my cholesterol. BAD IDEA !!!! Over a period of months, my right side (rib cage) became so sore and inflamed that I couldnt lay on it in Bed. I had a highly inflamed liver. From the Lipitor. The doctor changed me to Crestor. SAME effect. THe doctor changed me to Crestor, NO change. Not only did I hurt like hell from the liver problem, my memory almost shut down. I decided I would rather die a slow death from chlosterol than liver cancer and turn to a vegetable with no memory. I STOPPED taking all those meds and have used natural foods to lower my cholesterol to a "normal" level and now only take meds for blood pressure, which I have found I can keep under control 'most' of the time by eating vegs and fruits. I may die today, but I WILL enjoy every day that I am given, without statin pain and a decaying memory. I am now 64 and am doing quite well without polluting my body with all the krap that is pimped on me by large immoral pharma houses and lapdog doctor. Thank you very much.

re: Why Doctors Often Dismiss Drug Side Effects

ThomasT — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 09:59:01 GMT

Considering that neither dietary nor blood cholesterol cause heart disease, statins are a 24 billion dollar a year fraud. Dr Merc. contradicts when he says Drs are well intentioned, when they give statins, and yet are well versed in medicine. Either Drs are part of the deliberate fraud or they are totaly ignorant of some basic facts, such as that heart disease is caused by a deficiency of vitamins B6, folic acid and B12 to lower homocysteine, vitamin C to lower lipo-protein alpha, and an excess of carbs, sugars and alcohol that raise triglycerides.

re: Doctors Often Write Off Patient Side Effect Concerns

healing water online — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:43:53 GMT

In my country Denmark, the numbers of people who die because of Docters is 5000 and we have a population of 5 mil people, so it is almost the same, I have heard of people who had a small injury and was in hospital and never get home again. We have also had a campain to get the Doctors to wash their hands, Then I ask my self what is going on here, dont they learn them to wash thir hands at the uni.

Love and light Torben

re: re: Doctors Often Write Off Patient Side Effect Concerns

Swami Barmi — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:37:19 GMT

I've been reading Dr. Mercola's site for years. I think we can all agree that it provides a valuable public service and it's beginning to upset the status quo, which becomes that way due to a "yes men"-like deference to authoritative proclamations. This blind adherence to authority is bad no matter where it resides, even here. Russ Bianchi is not above questioning and neither is Dr. Mercola. I'm sure Dr. Mercola understands that he is not beyond reproach and perhaps even appreciates being called on from time to time; it's an education for all of us.

This site reaches a lot of people with the ability to reach many more, potentially impacting the way healthcare is practiced. However, with the addition of the public forum, it may reach people in a different way, which can be both positive AND negative. Dr. Mercola readers who post here have a unique responsibility to present a credible face to his messages, lest casual readers and new readers alike be turned off to Dr. Mercola's message entirely. Keep in mind, many of the people coming here are new and may still be transitioning from the allopathic to the naturopathic healthcare model; unsupported claims or inflammatory rhetoric can and will turn some of these people off. To cite one example elsewhere of counterproductive posting: the branding of the AMA as the "American Murderers Association" is outrageously inflammatory, which can lead potential readers to view DR. MERCOLA as a tin foil hatted conspiracy nut simply because of the company he keeps. The same goes with the posts I'm trying to get answers to. The answers I'm seeking are two-fold:

1. I want to see credible corroboration that drug companies are deliberately making their drugs addictive.

2. I want to see credible corroboration that the vehicle for this is the bulking agent.

They're shocking disclosures that can be part of our arsenal against the drug companies, but not without further proof.

re: Doctors Often Write Off Patient Side Effect Concerns

dempoolguy — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:24:57 GMT

Just curious - do they have a course in med school entitled "meds to give to counteract the meds given to counteract the meds given to counteract......"?

re: Doctors Often Write Off Patient Side Effect Concerns

Hal — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:12:40 GMT

My experience with Statins & other drugs is absolutely consistent with the premise that Doctors dismiss side effects of drugs. It became so bad that I had to fire my long-time doctor to make a change. I did this long before I started reading Dr. Mercola's publications.
Good work in publishing this information!!!!
Hal