Prescription Drugs For Trouble

Consumer Reports finally confronted the nation’s number one problem – Prescription Drugs. And they didn’t pull any punches. They write of the common drugs (all too common) and the hidden dangers exposing tens of millions of people to high risk and life threatening consequences.
The time has come for Americans to rescue themselves by confronting high-priced doctors (and a Congress who protects them) with straight forward questions. When one party speaks of the second amendment "right to bear arms" they argue that it is the "right" of every American. They don’t blame the manufacturers of guns, so they explain that we need tougher laws for those who abuse those rights.

Well, we need tougher consequences for doctors who prescribe drugs that kill, but the Congress is trying to stop that with "Tort Reform." In other words, you shouldn't expect compensation for the leg the doctor cut off by mistake. He didn't mean it, he just didn't know what he was doing. Is that "temporary insantiy?"
Drug manufacturers sell the idea of drugs to doctors with perks and free samples. And then they distribute them free to their patients. The next step is usually a lifetime of drugs with a continuing dividend to the physician responsible for signing the prescription. The records are kept in the computers of the pharmacists and doctors reap the benefits. They just don’t want the responsibility nor should they be held accountabe. This has to stop. We have an epidemic of diseases that are the direct result of a sloppy and incompetent health care system in the United States. The AMA, the FDA, the drug companies and the doctors are all paying big bucks to their political protection committees. The insurance companies charge the doctors more money because they believe they deserve a cut of the pie. And they are probably right, because the doctor who cuts off the wrong leg, prescribes the wrong medicine, or doesn’t even read the charts expects to be held harmless.

Well think again, the doctor took an oath that spelled out one of the highest standards for their profession, "DO NO HARM." First and foremost, do no harm, and then practice, with knowledge and compassion, with the idea of making people aware of ways in which they can improve their body, their minds, and their overall health. Now that's Conservative Medicine.
Instead, they are raising the cost of health care to double that of any other country in the world without taking care of 45 million---unattended. The U.S. is ranked 37th by the World Health Organization and our loved ones are exposed to an epidemic of diseases and illnesses that are "Man-Made."
The necessity of organ donors is symptomatic of what is happening. Less than two months after her doctor increased the dosage, of the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor, to the maximum amount, Carolyn Reece, 69 of Hamilton, Ohio fell unconscious in her home. Her son rushed her to the hospital, where rhabdomyolysis, or muscle breakdown, and kidney failure were diagnosed. Reece must now undergo dialysis for four hours a day, three times a week. She’s suing the drug’s maker, AstraZeneca, charging among other things, that the company failed to sufficiently "convey the true risks associated with the use of Crestor." In court documents, the drugmaker denied the charges. Why not? The Congress, the President and the Judicial system is in sync with these rich donors and are beholden to the PAC money, they received from these companies.
Doctors Fail To Report: Physicians are supposed to voluntarily report any serious drug reactions to the FDA’s MedWatch program, where researchers look for signals that a medication might be causing problems.

I had that experience with a "beta blocker" administered by a doctor who failed to read the charts available in the very hospital where I was being treated. I reported it to MedWatch, but I didn’t sue the doctor or the manufacturer. The good news is that the whole cardiac and pulmonary facility has disappeared. There once was a big and beautiful building where there is now flat land without a building on the site. Sometimes the future changes in a subtle fashion and without the dance being done by our legislators and their cronies. An article in the January 2006 issue of Consumer Reports states that situation very accurately by saying, "But only 1 to 10 percent of such incidents are ever reported, various studies have estimated." "An FDA analysis found that pharmacists, and to a lesser extent, consumers, each filed far more MedWatch reports than did physicians in fiscal 2004." Nurses filed about as many as doctors. You’ll never see a doctor reporting to the scene of the crime, and admitting his mistake. I’ve never seen one at a funeral of a patient.
Some Positive Signs: The FDA has recently taken stronger action in some areas. In addition to issuing more warning letters about misleading ads, it has begun releasing information on its Web site: www.fda.gov/cder/drug/drugsafety/drugindex.htm about possible adverse drug effects even before the information has been fully vetted, according to postings on the site. Of course, most doctors wouldn’t tell you they are too busy triple-scheduling patients to focus on what is happening to the patients whose names appeared in the obituary column. A two-hour wait for an HMO (15-minute) exam may get you in that column.
Then, our system has the nerve to have writers include a disclaimer to real facts--in favor of checking with your doctor - who you trust with your money and your life. I am their employer and I call the shots, because I pay the bill.
Consumer Reports suggest that you ask your doctor if the risks outweigh the benefits - in your case. Really? What do you think the doctor is going to say? Will it sound like a salesman or a politician doing his own spin? Maybe that’s why they use the term "spin-doctor." Another suggestion is: Don’t pressure your doctor to prescribe a drug, (Since when does he needs pressure?), particularly a new one, unless other options haven’t worked. Well, the doctor is going to feel a little lost without the prescription pad or the needle. He may feel the need to do more to justify that $100+ fee he will send to your insurance company. You might want to check out the January, 2006 article from www.ConsumerReports.org
I wouldn’t be without this source, even though I subscribe to very few magazines these days. Page 39 of the January, 2006 article also lists "Drug Risks The System Missed." You’re probably on Lipitor or Crestor and many of those mentioned and you love your doctor, I’m sure. We have been so brain-washed into thinking that the man’s name is spelled "GOD" that we gave up all reasoning and surrendered our hard earned dollars to a man who is a multi-millionaire, and can’t wait for the next "cha-ching!" Sorry, if the shoe fits wear it, and if you really want to get the most out of your doctor – make a list and keep him "after school" until he answers all of your questions. If he doesn’t, I wouldn’t be pulling out my checkbook, if I were you. How about an honest day's work?

We need some good old fashioned common sense before we pull out of this "War on Disease" and the overall incompetence that is running rampant in our health care system. These are very religious-right people who: "kneel at the alter of the almighty dollar!"