Posted in Hard to Swallow on 18 December 2007
reprinted from the Los Angeles Times, December 17, 2007
Think There’s No Difference Between Generic Drugs and Brand Names?
Better Think Again.
IT’S A DRAG when you suffer from depression. And it’s really a drag when the medication you’ve been treating your depression with effectively for years suddenly leaves you feeling anxious, nauseated or even suicidal. Even more of a drag? When you realize those symptoms began when you switched from your brand-name antidepressant to its generic version. But it’s downright depressing when your doctor, pharmacist and health insurance provider insist that you’re wrong …
Read Full Post »
I HAVE LOTS of friends who, perhaps not coincidentally, have lots of pills. Now I’m not saying that my friends are a representative sample of the American public. To be perfectly, perfectly clear, there’s very little that’s scientific about what you are about to read. Still, it may be (slightly) enlightening …
Read Full Post »
Posted in Medication Nation on 16 December 2007
IN 2004 (the most recent year with available stats):
- 64.2% of all physician office visits yielded at least one prescription
- 38.8% of all visits resulted in multiple prescriptions
- 4.3% led to eight or more prescriptions
- 1.6 billion drug prescriptions were written overall
Read Full Post »
Posted in Down on the Pharm on 15 December 2007
WHY IS IT so much easier to get drugs you don’t want than ones you do? Oh, did I say drugs? I mean, medication, a distinction my therapist insists upon making. ( “I’m going to the medication store”? Whatever.) All I wanted was a refill. My Zoloft had run out and my internist’s office insisted …
Read Full Post »
