Good Medicine

By Shawn Vuong

This week Dr. Holm talks about the over-use of medications. Sometimes, patients are on too many medications and there are many factors (or maybe the combination of these factors) that could be the culprit. As medicine continues onward so does drug and pharmaceutical research. This will only aggravate the over dependence on drugs we see today. Every day researchers and scientists discover more genes, cell markers, and biochemical pathways to target with new drugs.

As medicine becomes more and more advanced, we may see a decrease in pharmaceuticals. But I predict patients may actually be on more as research shows that therapies which include a combination of old and new drugs work best. What can we do about this over abundance of drugs? The patients can question their physician on why they need certain medications. Doctors can also help battle this by practicing good medicine.

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By Richard P. Holm MD

The other day an 80 plus year old woman came into my office visiting from another state and asked if she could get off some of her pills. “I take too many,” she said, and I agreed with her. We stopped ten of the fourteen she was taking.

We live in a pill-taking society. Some of this probably comes from the human tendency to find an easier way to do things. If we have a choice whether to walk or ride to work, we will likely ride. If we have a choice whether to exercise or take a pill to lower blood pressure for example, we will likely take the pill. A pill is easier than a lifestyle change. And there are other forces also encouraging too many pills.

Some significant medical conditions just call for it. Sometimes it takes two to five drugs to get blood pressure down, or control a diabetic’s blood sugar or help a weak heart pump better. If you happen to struggle with a combination of these or other conditions, you can end up taking a smorgasbord of pills.

Clearly drug companies work very hard to convince doctors and patients that drugs work for almost every ailment. And think about how providers are asked by patients to solve a new problem each time, and how simple and pleasing to give a pill to satisfy their needs.

We have a culture with an inclination to over-rely on drugs and over-play their benefits, but what is worse, we under-play their risks. This is a fact: the more drugs, the higher the likelihood for a significant side effect or a dangerous interaction between medicines.

I am not saying that all medicines are bad, and I’m not encouraging you to stop taking your medicines without careful direction by your doctor. The next time you see your provider, however, ask her or him to review the pills you take and try to get the number down. That would be good medicine.