Pushing drugs for the Man bother anyone?

[somebody]

Hello All.

I'm a newbie taking prereqs for a BSN.

I just have one big nagging concern keeping me from fully committing to the program. I want to help people, but I feel that the western allopathic way of surgery/drugs is often very harmful (although sometimes needed in cases of trauma etc).

Does pushing drugs for the giant pharmaceuticals bother anyone out there in the nurse world? I just don't know if I could live with myself doing it all day when I know that many problems could be solved simply by diet change etc.

Please enlighten me!

[EmmaG, RN]

And they bring us free food!

Let's hear it for The Man!

:w00t:

[TazziRN, RN]

They never brought free food and cool pens to the ER..............

By the time people get to the hospital and need to be admitted, allopathic care is NOT going to take care of the problem. Later, once the pt is stabilized, a change in lifestyle might get the pt off the meds, but I guarantee you that when the pt is on the gurney in the ER, eyes wide with fear, sweating because of the chest pain, allopathic care is the last thing on his mind. He wants meds and he wants it NOW.

[ERRNTraveler, RN]

Tazzi- It depends on where you're working. As a traveler, some ER's I've worked in have drug reps bring in food all the time, other ER's never do- some hospitals have policies against this.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I do think that the big companies make a lot of money from their drugs, as do the food giants who push the unhealthy food, the cigarette companies, the liquor companies, etc. It ultimately boils down to individual choices. Realistically, most people will fall short when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. Also, there are environmental toxins that contribute to ill health.

I try to make healthy choices for myself, and encourage my patients to do the same. Meanwhile, I work within the system I find myself in and try to provide safe nursing care and compassion.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

I am very antipharmaceutical (except for the free pens and food). I was unhappy working med/surg because I felt some patients might be on more meds than they should. This was fixed with a transfer to the ER.

I am very comfortable using the lifesaving drugs when they are needed in the ER. For example, pt comes in with blood pressure 220/140. We may have to use several drugs to get it down to a safe level. Then we have a chance for education including diet and life style changes.

Nursing is a very rewarding field with a chance to help so many people. But it is a job for people with open minds because you will see a lot, and some of it you won't be able to do anything about. It probably isn't a good field for someone who wants to be a crusader for a certain cause.

You might enjoy working in community health when you are done with nursing school. That would provide you with a chance to provide the community with much information on diet, excercise and other healthy things to help them avoid drugs as much as possible.

[SarasotaRN2b]

They never brought free food and cool pens to the ER..............

By the time people get to the hospital and need to be admitted, allopathic care is NOT going to take care of the problem. Later, once the pt is stabilized, a change in lifestyle might get the pt off the meds, but I guarantee you that when the pt is on the gurney in the ER, eyes wide with fear, sweating because of the chest pain, allopathic care is the last thing on his mind. He wants meds and he wants it NOW.

I don't think you mean allopathic, considering that most MDs are allopathic doctors. I think you mean holiopathic (sp?).

[BeachBayNurse]

I don't view it as pushing drugs for anyone but the patient's own good. However, I also am not as anti drug companies as some others on here. It takes an unbelievable amount of money to develop a drug and the drug companies also must be prepared to be possibly sued when 30 years down the line the drug has an unpredictable side effect for users. It is just my humble opinion and may change if I ever have to pay more for my own medications but one cannot expect to pay $4 for a medication that took millions to develop and have the option to sue for millions more if the drug does not turn out to be perfect.

[TazziRN, RN]

I don't think you mean allopathic, considering that most MDs are allopathic doctors. I think you mean holiopathic (sp?).

Sorry, you're right......been up since 0500 doing paperwork while everyone is still asleep!

[GeminiTwinRN, BSN]

I think asking a nurse how she/he feels about "pushing drugs for the man" is not really where that question should be posed. If you want to ask about that, it might make more sense to ask the DOCTORS about it. The "man" nurses are pushing drugs for is the one who is lying in the hospital bed, and he is the patient who needs the drugs that have been ordered by the MD. Remember, it is not our job to prescribe. The choice of drugs to prescribe is decided for us. We use nursing judgment, of course, but that's a whole different concept.

I totally agree with Baptized by Fire. :)

I also agree with Emmanuel G- drug reps DO have cool pens!

You have a choice at this time as to where your career path is going to take you. Have you considered looking at other areas, like nutrition? Education? As an RN, you will definitely be pushing drugs, that much we can assure you. We also do invaluable education regarding nutrition, modification of diet, drug/food/drug interactions, and self care in general. We educate on ALL aspects of patient care, while they are in the hospital in preparation for their discharge. Like many have said, compliance is the issue.

I would encourage you to get some more education yourself. :) There are areas of medicine that you may just fit right into. Areas where the focus is on prevention of disease, and management of disease in a less pharmaceutical manner. You could work in one of these offices.

:) Good luck in your endeavors.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

"The man"?

I haven't heard that expression since Woodstock.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

"The man"?

I haven't heard that expression since Woodstock.

:yeahthat:

:lol2: I was thinking that too. It's rather dated.

:smokin::smokin:

[Nightcrawler, BSN, RN]

Is it better for a patient to prevent HTN, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes through diet and exercise? You bet it is. Unfortunately, in the hospital we generally only see patients that already have these conditions. In my opinion, at that point it is better to prescribe the medications that will prevent further damage to body systems, buying them time to make the necessary lifestyle changes. If we keep waiting for the patients to make the changes through teaching alone, the years that they spend struggling with their weight and cholesterol are the years that they are developing heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, and all of the other complications that have a profound impact on quality of life and the patients ability to be active.

If down the line the patient is able to make lifestyle changes, great. Then we can wean them off of the medications, and no harm done. In the end we can be limiting the amount of meds that the patient is taking when they are older by using some medications now to prevent complications and true polypharmacy later. I feel just fine sending a patient home on glucophage, an antilipid and enttan antihypertensive, even if they will be on these medications for the rest of their lives if it will prevent an MI, multiple trips to the cath lab, lifetime Plavix at $5.oo a day, CABG, lifelong dialysis, vascular surgery, amputations, etc.

Patients are often noncompliant for years or decades. The true cost comes when we do not take early preventative steps, and as time goes on, early treatment with medication needs to be the first line, allowing us more time to teach and influence the patient.