Those Killer Prescription Drugs

A Stodghill Says So blog:

If you can believe the Ohio Department of Health, and I have no particular reason not to, drug overdoses are killing more Ohioans than traffic accidents. This does not come as a shock to those of us who watch an occasional TV show.
According to the report, that old standby heroin still plays a big role in hurrying people along to the boneyard. The sharp increase, however, is the work of prescription pain killers. I imagine the pharmaceutical companies will rush to say the drugs are effective because while lying six feet beneath the dirt a person doesn't feel much pain.
Viewers of Bones or House or reruns of Boston Legal knew this was coming. The commercials touting prescription drugs have been getting more ominous of late. In the past, after they had to start listing side effects, we were warned that these effects might include nausea, difficulty in breathing or an erection lasting more than four hours. There are those among us who do not feel the latter is anything to be concerned about.
Times have changed, though. Now, after mentioning all the virtues of a drug, some of these commercials go on to say, "Side effects may include death . . ." After hearing that, there doesn't seem much reason to listen further. Anyone who does will hear a lengthy list of nasty possibilities and then on at least one of these come-ons there is a final warning of "sudden death."
And yet people take this stuff.
It seems to me that the bureaucrats who regulate these products might draw the line at approving any of them mentioning death as a possibility. They might just as well announce that Russian Roulette is OK if your doctor says to give it a try.
My advice, not that anyone asked for it or will be listening, is to remember before popping a pain killer into your mouth that it just might kill more than your pain. Just ask the Ohio Department of Health.

Crossing the road can also kill or many other ordinary things we take for granted. I feel when I have to go to the doctors that I have to listen and take what he prescribes, at least until I'm better. After that it is back to my old habits, which will one day catch me up I'm sure. Saying that I usually leave going to the doc's till I really do need the medical assistance; last time they even threated the H word, very scary after all people die in them places.

I avoid using drugs unless absolutely necessary.
As for pain killers, are those the people who kill and inflict pain?

When I hear a warning that a drug may cause death, I run the other way. It sounds worse than whatever is ailing me.

I think I will stick to Smarties -- chocolate cures all kinds of things ... hunger, melancholy, the hiccups, pain in the butt...well, maybe not all that, but I know that they cannot really kill me!

If a drug said it might cause death, I would be very hesitent to take it and probably wouldn't take it at all if it wasn't absolutely nessacary. Personally, I think people should only take perscription drugs if they really need them and doctors shouldn't perscribe extra drugs just to please the drug companies and death should not be considered an acceptable side effect.

I had terrible pain in my legs last summer, and the doctor would prescribe nothing but a muscle relaxant. I spent night after night walking the floor as that is all that would take care of the pain.

I got poison ivy, went to urgent care and said I wanted what I'd gotten the last time I got poison ivy. (I can't take prednisone as I become mentally unstable.) Anyway, they gave me another steroid and the physician's assistant said, "It will probably take care of the pain in your legs." It did, and for the first time in a couple of months I got a good night's sleep.

After four months, the problem was finally diagnosed as cancer. They loaded me down with pain killers and it took months to wean me off the steroids. My new doctor said no one should have to be in pain, but the pain is gone and I take the pain killers very infrequently.

Now the cancer killing drug is starting to have side effects, like my very silly looking hair (for which I am getting quite an interesting hat collection) as well as sore joints. Neither is a big deal or life threatening, but I have also developed high blood pressure which could be a side effect of the cancer drug.

This week I begin the doctor appointments again after my vacation and we'll find out. This drug has kept me alive by decreasing the cancer in my body, which on a blood marker test had gone from 1300 last fall to 300 before I went away in February. 38 is normal. I told my doctor I've never gotten to normal anything.

But I am certainly glad for the miracle of life this drug has given me. I guess I can get something for the high blood pressure as well, or I could be close to normal and perhaps stop taking the drug. I have a great new medical team that I have confidence in.

Carol

Carol, I am so glad you got a short vacation from the round of drs and meds. There are times when the meds are necessary, regardless of the side effects. At least they tell you what the worst could be and that may only be ill effects for one in a million!

I take a bunch of drugs and have no idea what most of them are for and I don't really care. The VA keeps close watch on prescriptions, however. Much more efficiently than Medicare.
Recently the VA national pharmacy said I had taken one drug long enough and it would be useless to continue. The primary care doctor wasn't so sure so she discussed it with the head man for this area. They decided I should continue. The Medicare doctor said, "I never prescribe that stuff" but didn't give it any thought.

The Army made me allergic to penicillin and Medicare made me alergic to all sulpha drugs. I ignore all of them now except the VA. It's the only organization that seems to do things with some thought.

I did agree with the Medicare doctor when he said, "There's no use taking a lot of tests when there isn't a thing you can do about the results." He was talking about me, of course, not people in general.