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U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

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Re: U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

#121

Post by RichEO »

bargl wrote: post #43
refurb wrote: post #4

Similar to this idea, the province of Alberta in Canada allows pharmacists to write prescriptions for patients with only the only limit that they can't prescribe controlled substances.

100% agree. I'd love to see this in the US. most pharmacists have way more knowledge about drugs, their interactions and other issues that can crop up with prescription drugs. Given a diagnosis they are typically better at prescribing the correct medication than a general practitioner. It's also a lot cheaper than a doctors visit for insurance.

You handwave over “given a diagnosis” like it’s an irrelevant detail.

You appreciate this is the largest part of the problem, surely?

Re: U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

#122

Post by vageli »

mobilefriendly wrote: post #47
Spooky23 wrote: post #38

Sounds like a way to mimic the success of over the counter medications like ibuprofen, whose prices have been slowly creeping up for years. Many of the major profitable blood pressure and statins are off patent, so the drug companies need to make more money. I’m sure this status will limit or eliminate insurance contributions, so now you’ll pay more for generic because 50 million individuals lack the buying power of…

Incorrect. 200 mg Ibuprofen is 2 cents a pill at Walmart. https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=ibuprofen%20200mg%2050...

Pointing at a single data point is not enough evidence to show that an upwards trend does not exist.

Re: U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

#123

Post by EdSharkey »

barftransit wrote: post #103
shub wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One can represent themselves. It might be dumb, but people should have the right to be dumb when they're the only ones getting hurt. That's why I have no problem with engineering requirements: when a bridge, airplane, whatever falls down and goes boom, it's not only the owner who's affected. I'm an adult. It's legal for me to buy and drink bleach. It would be very stupid of me to do that, but I can. I should be able…

Yes, and when you're left alive and disabled you should have the right to become a ward of the state.

> It's my body and my life, not yours.

I suspect @shub would disagree.

Re: U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

#124

Post by sctb »

gbacon wrote: post #112
stochastic_monk wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean the AMA and FDA should stop preventing patients from taking contraindicated combinations or failing to understand the risks they’re taking on by self-medicating? Pharmacology is complicated and dangerous. Letting corporations go hog-wild will harm many people.

Achievement Unlocked: Pearls Clutched

Please stop posting snarky one-liners.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

#125

Post by walshemj »

LinuxBender wrote: post #82
rdiddly wrote: post #64

When you already know what drug you need and just need somebody to sign a prescription, it's a very silly and awkward process to find a doctor, make the appointment, wait for the appointment, show up to the appointment, fill out the history forms and so on, meet with the doc, tell them you've got [disease] and the drug for it is [drug], let them examine you until they agree with your "diagnosis" of [disease], and let…

I agree with this. Many of the supplements I get online are just as risky as anything a doctor can prescribe to me. I already know more about these chemicals and drugs than any doctor I have met. What's more, I have yet to meet a doctor that even cares about the supplements I take.

Yes well I am sure that's what the guy next to me when I was in hospital last year thought until he took supplements plus his prescribed meds and had 100% kidney failure.

Re: U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

#126

Post by walshemj »

jl2718 wrote: post #46

Bravo. The AMA/FDA/insurance cartel cannot die soon enough. I don’t care if you want a free market, or you want socialized medicine, both are preferable to government-enforced racketeering.

You know the FDA stopped thalidomide being prescribed? there was an epidemic of kids born in the 60's with massive deformities in the Uk and Europe.

Re: U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

#127

Post by tssva »

394549 wrote: post #105
thatcat wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a trade off since Doctors have a habit of using their prescription power to force you to schedule unnecessary visits to boost profits and they are not immune from marketing pressure.

> It's a trade off since Doctors have a habit of using their prescription power to force you to schedule unnecessary visits to boost profits and they are not immune from marketing pressure. Citation needed. I'm sure are a few doctors out there who do that, but I have a hard time believing that's so widespread that it's a "habit" of "doctors." For instance, my doctor will reissue my long-term prescription if I call hi…

My experience is that I don't even need to call to get my prescriptions refilled. I login to my doctor's EMR portal, select medication from the menu on the left, select the check boxes next to the medications I need refills of and click the refill button. A few hours or the next day at the latest my Walgreens app alerts me that my prescriptions are ready.

Re: U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

#128

Post by darkerside »

nanagull wrote: post #106
394549 wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's a trade off since Doctors have a habit of using their prescription power to force you to schedule unnecessary visits to boost profits and they are not immune from marketing pressure. Citation needed. I'm sure are a few doctors out there who do that, but I have a hard time believing that's so widespread that it's a "habit" of "doctors." For instance, my doctor will reissue my long-term prescription if I call hi…

For just one example: 33% of doctors always require a pap smear and pelvic exam to renew a birth control pill prescription. This is despite the fact that the WHO and ACOG both advise that the pills can be safely prescribed without the exams. 33% certainly counts as more than a "few" in my book. Citation: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-birth-control/women-seeki...

There's a generalized problem in medicine that it takes a long time for new standards to trickle into common practice. It often doesn't fully turn over until an older generation of doctors retires.

It seems to me that, of many imperfect systems, one where doctors have control is more preferable. They are legally and duty bound to serve their patients. The same can't be said of pharma company marketers, not by a long shot.

Let's solve the right problem (updating doctors with new training), not the wrong one (let people but prescription drugs they may not understand). Not all drugs are as cut and dry as birth control pills may seem to be.

Re: U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

#129

Post by handsomechad »

LinuxBender wrote: post #82
rdiddly wrote: post #64

When you already know what drug you need and just need somebody to sign a prescription, it's a very silly and awkward process to find a doctor, make the appointment, wait for the appointment, show up to the appointment, fill out the history forms and so on, meet with the doc, tell them you've got [disease] and the drug for it is [drug], let them examine you until they agree with your "diagnosis" of [disease], and let…

I agree with this. Many of the supplements I get online are just as risky as anything a doctor can prescribe to me. I already know more about these chemicals and drugs than any doctor I have met. What's more, I have yet to meet a doctor that even cares about the supplements I take.

what supplements, if you dont mind me asking? what what use? (if they are a medical condition and not health or "nootropic" feel free not to say)

Re: U.S. to make More Drugs Easily Available, Cutting Role Doctors Play

#130

Post by Lazare »

ams6110 wrote: post #115
nanagull wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For just one example: 33% of doctors always require a pap smear and pelvic exam to renew a birth control pill prescription. This is despite the fact that the WHO and ACOG both advise that the pills can be safely prescribed without the exams. 33% certainly counts as more than a "few" in my book. Citation: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-birth-control/women-seeki...

Well, birth control pills aren't really safe. I guess they're safe compared to a pregnancy, but they do have potentially serious side effects. It seems reasonable to have periodic checks for those, if you're taking them.

They're safe compared to Tylenol too.

It's a huge step to go from "they're not completely safe" to "...and therefore a doctor needs to be constantly checking up on you". Lost of things have potentially serious side effects, including most OTC medicine. And?

I mean, peanuts are pretty dangerous too; they kill people every year, and the side effects are potentially extremely severe. Does that mean a doctor needs to be involved in the process of me buying peanuts?

> It seems reasonable to have periodic checks for those, if you're taking them.

Reasonable is a low bar. Your suggestion does seem reasonable, inasmuch as I can see a reason why you'd want to do it. I can see reasons why you wouldn't too. We need more than that.

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