Discovering how harmfull most prescribed chemicles are how do you live with yourself?

tokmom, BSN, RN · May 7, 2011

Yeah, and many more live because of medication. Look on the bright side.

For what it's worth, people need to educate themselves on their health and their medications. You can't even begin to know how many times I have heard "It's a little white pill" and they don't have a clue what it's for. Patients need to take some accountability for their health.

tralalaRN · May 7, 2011

I hear you. I've felt the same ethical quandry. Probably the answer is to find an area of nursing that you might be more comfortable with than institutional nursing - say home health care.

Five&Two Will Do · May 7, 2011

I am a third year nursing student who is out of school for the summer. After watchingthe documentary Food Matters, I have discovered and have been busy researching Orthomolecular medicine.Did you know each year, doctor-prescribed drugs kill more Americans than street drugs. Drug Abuse Warning Network statistics indicate less than 10,000 deaths annually from illegal drugs. 130,000 Americans actually die in hospitals each year from prescription medication. (Whitaker, J. in Health and Healing, September 1993 Supplement, Phillips Publishing, page 3). I am becoming a nurse to help and nurture people, how can I go into an industry polluted with greed and lies? If America was healthy who would pay? What do I dooooo!!!!

I wonder what percentage that 130,000 is out of the number of people that were in the hospital for at least one night. I am positive that it is very low. I am very much against the pharm industry and how they highly encourage many doctors and nurses to use their products by giving away all of the stuff like coffee cups and pens etc. If we did not have drugs however, many many many more people would die were it not for something as simple as an antibiotic. We do not have to love the healthcare industry the way it is. I love that i heard an earlier post talk about patients accepting more responsibility for their care. One of my very favorite parts of being a nurse is educating the patient and their family about their disease process and the prescribed tx for it. We can help them need less meds perhaps if we educate about diet and exercise and all of that. People can use less insulin, HTN meds etc. It does work and I am sure you can find your place to fit in and be fulfilled unless you give up and despair. Hang in there

ShayRN · May 7, 2011

Lets see, the average life span of an American 77.5-80. In some areas of Africa the average life span is 40. See, as poisonous as these drugs are, they do good. Sometimes even more good than they do harm. I think that the "evil" drug companies are entitled to earn some money for keeping use alive. How many people would be dead without the discovery of immunizations. How many children would die from complications of diabetes without insulin. There are many forms of cancer that are curable with very toxic medications. Go ask one of those survivors if they are angry that the medicine they were given was poisonous. I am almost 41 years old. Thanks to modern medicine I am in the middle of my life, not the end of it. So, I sleep pretty well medicating my patients, thank you very much.

rn/writer, RN · May 7, 2011

Would you refuse to ever work in the food service industry because people can die from eating at restaurants? Or would you try to find a job in a place that practices good hygiene, complies with Health Department regulations, and offers at least some healthy menu choices?

Of the 130,000 hospital patients that you say die in a year from prescription meds, how many of those were the result of med errors, rather than properly prescribed and administered doses?

How many people's lives do you think were prolonged or saved because of medication?

Keep in mind that balance is important. Watching or reading anybody's manifesto is going to be, by very definition, heavily slanted in one direction. "Facts" can be manipulated. Listen to those who disagree or who provide a coherent counterpoint before swallowing everything whole. This goes triple when arguments are meant to appeal to the emotions. Most often, neither "side" gives you the whole story. You have to assemble it yourself by hearing what a number of people--especially those who oppose each other--have to say.

In the meantime, you, as a nurse, can make sure your own practice is safe by avoiding med errors and also keeping an eye out for doctors' orders that raise an eyebrow. You can educate yourself on the classes of drugs and their actions and provide good teaching for your patients so they will take their meds properly when they go home. You can look to work for docs that believe in complementary and alternative medicine.

I wish you the best.

Fribblet · May 7, 2011

I suggest you bone up on your critical thinking. Not every bandwagon is worth jumping on.

steveogurule · May 7, 2011

I suggest you bone up on your critical thinking. Not every bandwagon is worth jumping on.

That's really nice of you to say considering that this post is part of a thinking process. Would have been nice if you had added something helpful but thanks for the dash of negativity to balance the scales.

GRUNGE · May 7, 2011

Yea, what would the death tolls be without life saving medication like digoxin and synthroid. Or what would the tolls be if we let infection run rampant without antibiotics. We would still be up to our butts in smallpox without vaccination. Medicine is not perfect but we do the best we can. And ask how we live withourselves when we are trying to bring better health to people in need is rude and demeaning.

neuroms · May 7, 2011

You have to consider that part of what makes medicine medicine is it's potency of effect. Medications are only able to improve disease insofar as they cause physiological change. Sure, not many people die of low-dose supplements or energy healing, but they have never cured meningitis either.

steveogurule · May 7, 2011

Yea, what would the death tolls be without life saving medication like digoxin and synthroid. Or what would the tolls be if we let infection run rampant without antibiotics. We would still be up to our butts in smallpox without vaccination. Medicine is not perfect but we do the best we can. And ask how we live withourselves when we are trying to bring better health to people in need is rude and demeaning.

If you think my asking "how do you live with yourselves is rude and demeaning then you did not read my post correctly. The prerequisite for that question was clearly "Discovering how harmful most prescribed chemicals are..."

Please let put your egos away before responding to this post people! I am obviously not attacking you but posing a question for you to pretend to answer....from my perspective. So far only 2 commenter's saw that. There is no reason to become offended unless you have feelings buried...dig them up!

GHGoonette, BSN, RN · May 7, 2011

OP, when you quote "130,000 people die each year from prescription meds", does the source you quote state specifically that these occurred while the people concerned were sticking to the therapeutic dosage? After all, too much of anything can kill you, even baby food! Yeah, ok, it would have to be a humungous amount of baby food...

But you get the picture? Stats can be slanted to support pretty well any theory; all the compiler has to do is leave out one aspect and you get an answer that completely distorts the truth. For example; if a person researching food price costs looks at every supermarket in the country, compiles a list of their weekly specials and runs a comparison with the cost of the same articles last month, they will be able to produce "statistical proof" that prices are dropping; yet you, with access to only one of the supermarkets used in the compilation, will know perfectly well that this is not true.

Make sure the studies you are reading contain all the relevant information; many of the deaths you speak of may have occurred due to 1 - exceeding the recommended dosage, 2 - unexpected allergic response to one or other of the components of the substance (this is why information regarding food allergies is so important while obtaining a patient's history; eg the patient may be allergic to egg white or soya products, fail to disclose and subsequently experience an allergic reaction intra-operatively after being administered propofol) 3 - using medications that were not prescribed for you and 4 - those tragic incidents where kiddies got hold of mom's or granny's meds.