Over medicating?

[sk8erboi9405]

Who feels that the majority of our patients are being over medicated? In terms of dosages and the variety of medications patients are on. I feel as if instead of fixing the problem [pain, depression] hospitals/doctors would rather medicate people for life. Is this actually helping the patient condition, or just prolonging death?

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[STXmedic]

Isn't that the purpose of the medical field- to prolong or postpone death? Many of these problems we can't fix, only medicate. In some instances (psychiatry for example), I could agree with patients being potentially unnecessarily medicated. But I'm in no position to fix that.

 

[Gurby]

 

[nightmoves123]

Who feels that the majority of our patients are being over medicated? In terms of dosages and the variety of medications patients are on. I feel as if instead of fixing the problem [pain, depression] hospitals/doctors would rather medicate people for life. Is this actually helping the patient condition, or just prolonging death?

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

palliative care IS fixing just the pain...Im sure you meant fixing the CAUSE? In any case, making statements like this...if true you'd have fact-based evidence to show clinicians are over-medicating or medicating needlessly? It is quite a claim...

 

[COmedic17]

Define "over medicating". Personally, I think it's a more of an opinion then anything.

Many diseases/illnesses need medication - often more then one medication as well (cancer, seizure disorders, endocrine disorders, respiratory diseases, etc).

If you are talking only about pain management and pshychiatric problems, I think it depends on the degree of the illness. Should someone in end stage cancer be limited to pain medications? I don't believe so. I think it's cruel to have someone in chronic pain solely because the medications have the potential for abuse. Do I think someone who had a back strain two years ago, fails a tox screen for multiple illegal or other non perscribed drugs, and refuses any other treatment other then narcotics (such as pshyscial therapy, etc) should be given fentanyl patches for the rest of their life? No.

And I think pshychiatric illness are under treated in many ways. There is a very clear difference in between a schizophrenic who is medicated and one that is either not medicated, or not medicated enough. There are some patients who are on a grocery list of medications- and are violent/destructive when I pick them up when they haven't been compliant with their meds- but when I see then on their medications they are a normal functioning person.

 

[akflightmedic]

And I think pshychiatric illness are under treated in many ways. There is a very clear difference in between a schizophrenic who is medicated and one that is either not medicated, or not medicated enough. There are some patients who are on a grocery list of medications- and are violent/destructive when I pick them up when they haven't been compliant with their meds- but when I see then on their medications they are a normal functioning person.

You told me this would be confidential!

 

[TransportJockey]

You told me this would be confidential!

Please, like it's something we all don't already know abotu you lol

 

[usalsfyre]

I feel as if instead of fixing the problem [pain, depression] hospitals/doctors would rather medicate people for life. Is this actually helping the patient condition, or just prolonging death?

One of the great myths of medicine is that we "cure" things. Sure, in a few isolated cases we do, but the vast majority of modern medicine is providing symptom relief.

I'm curious how where you got the impression we can "cure" depression. That's the kind of myth we fight daily at Code Green.