GPs and prescription drugs

[doubledoc]

It has always amazed me how GPs up and down the contry put their own slant on when and how much to prescribe in terms of prescription drugs.
While some areas are well-covered for being treated, you hear of many people being frustrated when they cant get their doctor to play ball.
In my line of work, Chemistry, we have recipes for making and doing things, there is usually only one proper way of handling an issue.
My question therefore is this, how come doctors dont follow a strict code of when and how much of a drug to hand out ?
Going to a GP is too much of a lottery !!

[Apothecary]

Doubledoc

The difference between chemistry, and medicine, is that chemistry is a pure science, but medicine is not. A lot of medical decisions are made by the individual's own opinion. You can get two consultants, in the same area, which could have two different treatment plans for the same disease. This does not mean that one of them is wrong, but that his opinion is different to the other's. A person's decision process is influenced by many factors, and medical treatments are changing all the time.

GP's do follow guidelines, and are encouraged to prescribe drugs a month at a time to reduce wastage. Having said that I still work in areas where their patients all seem to recieve three months supply of medication for their £6.50.

The answer I guess is if you are not happy with your GP change! You should have a good trusting relationship with your GP, and be confident with the decisions he makes on your behalf.

PS Have you lost any of that lard yet?

[doubledoc]

ops: :cry:
no my lard content index increases every year. weight is proportional to years in my case. i still look good though ..

it strikes me as perverse that people are out there selling these quack pills to vulnerable people, they have no business ethic whatsoever. others are selling antibiotics and other stuff over the net, which is equally wrong it seems.
GPs must be really worried about the net and its effect on people when they are vulnerable ?

[Apothecary]

The problem of people buying drugs on the internet is worrying for all health professionals. They are often fakes, and the person buying them does not always know the potential dangers to themselves of taking these drugs.

It's a sign of the times we live in I'm afraid. The internet is great for freedom, but it sometimes comes at a price.

[admin]

I'd just like to agree with Apothecary, and say that people who are tempted to buy drugs on the net should never do it.

In the case of anti-biotics a lot of peope see them as a "cure all" for everything from a mild cold to flu! They only work on a bacterial infection, not a virus like the flu. Increased useage of anti-biotics is giving us a real problem with "super bugs" which are resistant to them. If you need an anti-biotic your GP will prescribe you one. If he does not, then that's because you don't need it. Never try to treat yourself with internet bought drugs.

In the case of other drugs, like Viagra, even if you do get lucky and buy a "proper" viagra tablet, again it might not be suitable for you. It does have interactions with other drugs, and it not suitable for all men.

[Jeff]

In the case of other drugs, like Viagra, even if you do get lucky and buy a "proper" viagra tablet, again it might not be suitable for you. It does have interactions with other drugs, and it not suitable for all men.

Elaine
Have you any evidence of harm resulting from buying Viagra over the net? Is this really about patient safety or about protecting our income?

Jeff

[admin]

Hi Jeff

Elaine wrote : -

In the case of other drugs, like Viagra, even if you do get lucky and buy a "proper" viagra tablet, again it might not be suitable for you. It does have interactions with other drugs, and it not suitable for all men.

From my viewpoint that looks like it means that the public don't know what is good or bad for them, as Viagra is not suitible for everyone ( I won't list interactions etc). The point is it might not be suitable for you, and unless you have some drug trainiig how are you going to know what you can take?

I work as a locum for a few companies, and don't honestly think they make a lot of money from the sales of Viagra. If you mean all drugs should be without a prescription, then that would affect our income.

[Jeff]

Elaine wrote : -

From my viewpoint that looks like it means that the public don't know what is good or bad for them, as Viagra is not suitible for everyone ( I won't list interactions etc). The point is it might not be suitable for you, and unless you have some drug trainiig how are you going to know what you can take?

And I thought paternalism was the province of GP's :wink:

Imagine this - I've seen my GP - he's prescribed Viagra - but since I'm fortunate enough not to suffer from diabetes or polio he's written a private script. I wander down to the local chemist with my script in hand - it's a community pharmacy in the real sense - my sons girlfriend is helping out on the counter and collecting the scripts. I buy a toothbrush- have a chat and leave.
When I get home I order the viagra over the internet (I haven't read yout T&C - who does - but do I get into trouble if I put a link in at this point)

Regards

Jeff

[admin]

Jeff

I can see your point, and the temptation for people with private scripts. I have had e-mails from a guy (in his 70's) asking if I could recommend a site where he could buy viagra and slimming pills! Obviously I couldn't and wouldn't do that, but he says his GP can't prescribe him anything for weight loss as Xenical (the drug of choice) was considered by him to be a lifestyle drug.

One simple search in Google will show you all the hundreds (maybe thousands) of sites selling drugs at knockdown prices. A lot seem to be in Mexico, and you can purchase anything from methadone to dried opium poppies (complete with seeds) for your floral displays!

OK maybe most people can choose drugs for their hypertension/heart disease or whatever else as good as their GP, maybe we should just get the diagnosis from the GP and do the drug bit ourselves? I am not convinced that the outcome of this would be a good one though.

And Jeff we don't have any terms and conditions. We even allow the public (yuk I can hear some pharmacists say) use the forum, and people from strange foreign lands too. Unbelievable to some, but we haven't been harmed by this yet, so it seems to be ok. Most of them are actually very freindly and face the same issues we do.

If you put a link to a site selliing drugs, we'd have to consider removing that, for obvious reasons. But feel free to speak your mind, talk about your own website, anything. This is not the free masons, just a little forum that most people find easy to use and seem to like. And I have to admit that I do like talking to my friends in Iran and Italy in the chat room. I find it interesting, useful and most of all fun.

[mt]

This forum never ceases to amaze me! This is an open forum - i.e. it is open to members of the general public, and not just pharmacists.

Moaning about the public, swearing in discussions, complaining about the stat committee... are just to name a few things discussed by supposedly registered pharmacists. Do these discussions in an open forum aid the professional image of a pharmacist? I think not! Below is an example -

admin wrote:
They are also probably the most rude bunch of people I have ever met!


...and this is from the admin of this site.

"Pharmacists must ensure that they behave with integrity and probity, adhere to accepted standards of personal and professional conduct and do not engage in any behaviour or activity likely to bring the profession into disrepute or undermine public confidence in the profession."

The above is a KEY responsibility of a pharmacist as defined in the Code of Ethics - if you are unfamiliar with this, check out your MEP guide. Sorry I had to remind you of this, but I personally think that tarring a whole pharmacy's customer base as "probably the most rude bunch of people I have ever met!" hardly instills "public confidence in the profession" - this is just one example on this forum.

I implore pharmacists who post on this forum to think before they write. I am sure that they would not say such things to somebody in their shop - please do not express these opinions in an open forum. It does not portray an exemplary image of a professional pharmacist.