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Drug Pushers

mikecat adjuster avatar
Beach Fanatic
2,869 views
I don't mean to offend anyone but I'm a bit aggravated right now. Earlier I was plain infuriated.

My 94 year old granddad is the most amazing person I have ever known. At age 94 he shoots trap on the range where he lives 3 to 4 days a week. He loads his own shells and gets at it again. He has led an amazing life. When I last visited him people seemed to regard him as a hero around the range. It was amazing to watch people interact with him on that level.

But a few weeks ago he went to visit my family as he has for years and years. My mother brought him to the doctor she has used for decades, because his neck was hurting. That was a mistake. The doctor, and I use that term loosely, prescribed him a strong narcotic for the pain.

My younger brother, who is also a doctor, went ballistic went he found out what my mother's physician had prescribed. Unfortunately, he found out after my Grandfather suffered a debilitating stroke.

What ever happened to 'Do No Harm'? Shame on that doctor. Will that doctor wipe my granddad after each bathroom visit now? Will he pay for the care he will need until he dies? Will he comfort him as he sits and rots away?

One of the most amazing men who has ever lived has to suffer the indignity he is now going through, because a legal drug pusher gave him something he had no business dolling out. My grandfather's two sons went to Louisiana for a visit and my mother said my granddad cried as they left. It was the first time she had ever seen him cry.

My younger brother said the drug prescribed is about to be changed to an even higher classification of narcotic. Maybe the other doctor doesn't keep up with current events. Shame on him. But why give a strong narcotic to a 94 year old anyway.

In case you don't know, one of the leading causes of death in our society stems from people taking legal drugs, as prescribed. Get your head around that. Not using drugs in an inappropriate or haphazard way, but the way they were prescribed.

My brother-in-law died at age 36 from what a doctor prescribed him. Shame on that doctor, too. I have little tolerance for this.

My son was prescibed an intense medication by a renowned specialst after he had a number of fainting spells. I was dead set against it because I disagreed with the doctors assessment. I did not follow her logic in her diagnosis, but everyone went on and on about the amazing qualifications of the physician. They talked about her being featured in all the latest journals etc. etc. She told us if the fainting continues after a certain amount of time then we would know it was in fact not epilepse he had. I knew he didn't have epilepse and sure enough, the fainting continued.

But do you know what? The highly paid specialist made us feel like bad parents when taking our son off of the meds. She insisted that her original diagnosis was correct. But it turned out my son has a condition where he simply needs to stay hydrated or he will pass out. Fluids. Can you believe it? He just has a lower tolerance for passing out if he is low on fluids. So at school they keep Gatorade in the office for him. But you know what, pharmaceutical companies and doctors don't get rich by selling fluids. It's not a highly profitable business model. Tom Thumb sells a bottle of Gatorade for about 2 bucks.

I have another friend who I went to school with who had a stroke a couple years ago because of medication she was taking. It all just makes me sick.

I know doctors are under an incredible amount of pressure and have to make many tough decsions. I feel for that. But I see no reason why a doctor needed to prescribe what he did to my granddad and basically cause his slow, painful death. :bang:

To all my friends here, thanks for letting me vent.

Replies

32
Gidget avatar
Beach Fanatic
#27
I can't get the links to work, but I can pretty much guess what you are getting at. You can get your information where you choose

Hmmm not quit sure what you meant by that - just so you know, I am not searching for quaky websites bashing statins. Please don't get defensive. ;-)

I've had 3 close family members have issues where the doctors refused to believe there was a connection until they insisted. I am not insulting the entire profession and certainly, I understand that in your cases the patients seem to have nipped the problem in the bud by getting off at first instance of cramping, etc... I applaud your diligence. :clap:

Sorry those links didn't work. FYI here are numerous cases (hundreds) where people had such leg weakness that it was debilitating - and some, not all doctors, didn't make the connection because i am guessing, in their mind, most of their patients do quite well on the drug.

Here's just a small sample:

Lipitor and muscle weakness : Medications.com

G

PS I'll refrain from turning this into a statin thread - sorry Mike :-)
snowman avatar
Beach Lover
#28
I hope that you have requested the local medical board take a look at your grandfather's case. If there truly was incompetence or negligence, then the doc needs to be held accountable; not only for your grandfather's justice, but for the other patients who might suffer as well, and for other doctors who are doing the right thing.

Good luck with that. My guess from personal experienece is that you don't have a chance since the docs didn't outright kill him. In my dad's case I didn't approach the medical board but the towns best malpractice lawyer and to paraphrase him in one sentence, he didn't think it was that bad since my dad was still alive. It appears that outrageous incompetence isn't enough to punish someone if the patient is living afterwords, even though in a vegetative state or pretty much destroyed life.

Edited

elenamaria avatar
Beach Comber
#29
Mike,

I wish peace to you and your family as you deal with this difficult situation. I can relate--a close family member with a long history of heart medication polypharmacy and valve disease (from childhood rheumatic fever) started to develop edema, coughing, and fatigue a few years ago. These are TEXTBOOK symptoms of heart failure. He went to his family physician, who felt he had some kind of cold or flu, and prescribed an antibiotic. A week later, he collapsed and ended up in the ICU for 2 weeks, on a ventilator for most of it. It took the docs several days to realize he was in heart failure. I was vocal about my concerns right away, but because he and his wife were diehard always-trust-the-doctor people, they didn't question anything their docs said. And I even presented them with many studies indicating that statins can actually cause heart failure. Considering his valve issues, you'd think the docs would have explored another way of lowering his cholesterol without the statins.

Anyway, I completely agree with all those in this thread discussing the importance of taking responsibility for your own health, or for an advocate to represent an elderly patient. Polypharmacy and an exploding elderly population is becoming a larger and larger issue that we cannot ignore.

Over the past 10 years, I've developed and edited 6 nursing pharmacology textbooks for several large textbook publishers. This experience has opened my eyes to the negative impact of drug therapy...these books are essentially compendiums of managing side effects, yet physicians and nurses are taught that drug therapy is the basis of "health" care.

There may still be safe ways to improve your grandfather's quality of life and restore his dignity. For example, I wonder if a gentle detoxification program might help to clear out the toxins created by the narcotic, and improve brain function. Another thought is CoQ10 and fish oils.

But do some research...If you want to stick with researching possible solutions from only peer-reviewed journals, PubMed is a great resource: PubMed Home

You won't be able to read the entire journal article, but the abstract gives you a good synopsis to spur further research on the 'net.

Another thought is to find a doctor who specializes in treating the older adult (gerontologist)...they should be specialists in polypharmacy, and may have a good solution for handling the current situation. You can search for a more holistically oriented physician on various sites, too...here's one that I use a lot: ACAM Homepage - American College for Advancement in Medicine

Sending positive thoughts your way for peace and health to you and your grandfather,

ElenaMaria
30A Skunkape avatar
Skunky
#30
Mike,

I wish peace to you and your family as you deal with this difficult situation. I can relate--a close family member with a long history of heart medication polypharmacy and valve disease (from childhood rheumatic fever) started to develop edema, coughing, and fatigue a few years ago. These are TEXTBOOK symptoms of heart failure. He went to his family physician, who felt he had some kind of cold or flu, and prescribed an antibiotic. A week later, he collapsed and ended up in the ICU for 2 weeks, on a ventilator for most of it. It took the docs several days to realize he was in heart failure. I was vocal about my concerns right away, but because he and his wife were diehard always-trust-the-doctor people, they didn't question anything their docs said. And I even presented them with many studies indicating that statins can actually cause heart failure. Considering his valve issues, you'd think the docs would have explored another way of lowering his cholesterol without the statins.

Anyway, I completely agree with all those in this thread discussing the importance of taking responsibility for your own health, or for an advocate to represent an elderly patient. Polypharmacy and an exploding elderly population is becoming a larger and larger issue that we cannot ignore.

Over the past 10 years, I've developed and edited 6 nursing pharmacology textbooks for several large textbook publishers. This experience has opened my eyes to the negative impact of drug therapy...these books are essentially compendiums of managing side effects, yet physicians and nurses are taught that drug therapy is the basis of "health" care.

There may still be safe ways to improve your grandfather's quality of life and restore his dignity. For example, I wonder if a gentle detoxification program might help to clear out the toxins created by the narcotic, and improve brain function. Another thought is CoQ10 and fish oils.

But do some research...If you want to stick with researching possible solutions from only peer-reviewed journals, PubMed is a great resource: PubMed Home

You won't be able to read the entire journal article, but the abstract gives you a good synopsis to spur further research on the 'net.

Another thought is to find a doctor who specializes in treating the older adult (gerontologist)...they should be specialists in polypharmacy, and may have a good solution for handling the current situation. You can search for a more holistically oriented physician on various sites, too...here's one that I use a lot: ACAM Homepage - American College for Advancement in Medicine

Sending positive thoughts your way for peace and health to you and your grandfather,

ElenaMaria

Which toxin, specifically, would you target?
elenamaria avatar
Beach Comber
#31
I really wouldn't target any specific toxin--I would focus on cleansing the liver and kidneys, yet supporting the whole body with concentrated whole-food nutrients. If he can tolerate green juices, those would be good, as well as beet juice, which is great for the liver. I use a green powder mix called Green Vibrance that has fantastic ingredients. Here's where I get it:
Vibrant Health, Green Vibrance, Version 9.0, 12.17 oz (345 g) - iHerb.com

If he's on anticoagulants (warfarin/Coumadin), vitamin K-rich greens would interfere with those drugs, though.

Detoxification for anyone who is seriously ill or elderly really needs to be done under the supervision of a qualified holistic physician or licensed naturopath.
mikecat adjuster avatar
Beach FanaticAuthor
#32
Pfizer is being hit with a 2.3 billion dollar judgement. Part of what I read says this...

"As part of its illegal marketing, Pfizer invited doctors to consultant meetings at resort locations, paying their expenses and providing perks, prosecutors said.
"They were entertained with golf, massages, and other activities," said Mike Loucks, the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts."

Pzizer knew it paid to pay the drug pushers up front. There are so, so many good doctors out there and I am thankful for them. But this is some of what goes on that a lot of people don't realize.

As stated previoulsy, watch what you put in your body and do your due diligence. Don't just trust that you are being cared for.
Beach Fanatic
#33
Pfizer is being hit with a 2.3 billion dollar judgement. Part of what I read says this...

"As part of its illegal marketing, Pfizer invited doctors to consultant meetings at resort locations, paying their expenses and providing perks, prosecutors said.
"They were entertained with golf, massages, and other activities," said Mike Loucks, the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts."

Pzizer knew it paid to pay the drug pushers up front. There are so, so many good doctors out there and I am thankful for them. But this is some of what goes on that a lot of people don't realize.

As stated previoulsy, watch what you put in your body and do your due diligence. Don't just trust that you are being cared for.

This should be illegal, so should lobbying sponsored by pharma companies. Advertising as well. Appears they spend a fortune on advertising in every media available.

I have personally been very frustrated in the medical care locally. Most physicians don't want to spend any time with you, they only want to give you a pill and send you on your way.

I went to the ER not to long ago with a real problem and I was told I was a victim of domestic abuse... I live alone, don't date and have no partner. But....

I have to leave the area to find medical care.

I look at the amazing 94 year old man featured in this thread, am so sorry this has happened. But, I'll bet he took very little medication most of his life.

Maybe all of us should dig into the past and look at the treatments used a hundred years ago without fear.

Please, this post is not to offend anyone. It is only my own personal opinion.

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