Love, Hate, and Modern Medicine

Today's blast from the past comes from June 2008.  Mere months before I relocated 180 miles away from my home town to start the next phase of my life.  Moral of today's story-- ALWAYS read the information given to you by the pharmacy.  Make sure you understand it, so you are able to make an informed decision about what's safe for you.  Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself.  You know your body, and doctors can make mistakes.



Gotta love the medical establishment.  Today is case in point as to why MDs either love or hate me.

Went to urgent care today because I need an antibiotic (will spare you details).  Been trying the holistic route and it hasn't been making much of a dent.  And my healer pretty much told me yesterday she wanted me to get a culture, so in I went.  I chose urgent care over my internist because
                  1-- I don't like him much, very brusque
                  2-- he's always hard to get into,
                  3-- he's always running late, and
                  4-- when Papa saw him this AM for a 10:00 appointment, he
                       was already running over an hour behind.

So I went to the clinic and got right in.  Lovely, fun RN took my history.  But the MD, I don't think he really looked at my chart, or at least not in depth.  I say this because as he was walking into the exam room the nurse verbally told him that I'm allergic to sulfa drugs-------------- something that he should have seen on the chart.  Sulfa is the drug of choice for what I have going on, and he still tried to prescribe it.  So he wasn't paying the best attention.

The doc prescribed Cippro, really bringing out the big guns.  I've never had it before, but do take Levaquin on occasion and it works well for me.  Picking up the script at the pharmacy I started reading the paper insert which said, among other things, the following:

                    --- please inform your doctor if you experience............. mood changes, weakness in limbs, dizziness...................  in extreme cases has been known to induce mania.............. do not take if you have a history of neurological problems [or] have taken and anti-seizure medication within the past year.................. may cause mild to extreme sun sensitivity.........

Yeah, SO not taking that.

so back to urgent care I went.  Now convinced he didn't look at my chart at ALL.  Just what exactly are Lexapro and Lamictal? ** [DUH]

Talked to the nurse and told her I wanted Levaquin, she was doubtful but said she'd talk to the MD.  To shorten the tale, I actually had the MD sit down with a PDR [Physicians Desk Reference] while there were no other patients there waiting to be seen.  He seemed amused by me wanting to look at the data as opposed to offended-- good sign.  Levaquin is the same family as Cippro, but the potential side effects are much lower.  And no drug interaction danger.  Plus, I've taken it several times before without difficulty.

So, maybe I need to give my internist a break.  He doesn't make accidental errors like that.  In fact, he doesn't give me ANYTHING without first consulting his PDR on PDA.  He knows he doesn't know jack about psychotropics.

6 of one, half a dozen the other.  Despite the inconvenience of going back, I was still done in at least half the time if I'd gotten in to see my regular doc today.  And, free medical care from the good sisters is nothing to complain about.  Sort of ;)  ***

**  medical lesson for the day.  Lexapro is an SSRI, a class of antidepressant.  Thus, looking for mood contraindications is important.  Lamictal is an anti-seizure, anti-manic medication.  Insert said not to take if you have a history of neurological problems.  Technically, MI is classified under neurology.  And Lamictal IS an anti-seizure. 

*** my home area has a Catholic run hospital.  The good sisters do not require a medical co-pay for people on public aid.