Prescription Medication Shaming

Posted by covidstinks2023 @covidstinks2023, Jul 3, 2023

I so respect people that can take "all natural" things and eat clean and that takes care of all of their medical issues and they take NO prescription medication. I am not one of them - wish I could be! I have had numerous reactions from "natural supplements" over the years. Sometimes to be honest, I can react worse to the "natural supplements" than medications. I am not someone that can just pop anything into their mouth and it works. I have been shamed several times for taking needed prescription medication . I would never and have never done that to anyone else because I am compassionate toward others. Why are people like this? And what say you?

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The world is full of so much judgement, hate, and ignorance. We should support our fellow humans and anything that helps them! Only judgement anyone should ever feel is when they stand before God! We have no right to judge others..shame how crappy the world has gotten sadly it'll probably just continue to get worse.

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Some people are ignorant. This has happened to me for years! Relatives telling people I was "crazy!" Tell them that arsenic is all natural, but it kills you!

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I agree. In my case I think some people have never had severe pain, let alone chronic.most don,t understand the research I have done to determine what meds are helping and safe. Some say I n red ver take any thing more than one aspirin. I tell them,then you have never had pain.

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@dbeshears1

I’m with you; I’ve gotten “advice” from supposedly well intentioned folks who are completely clueless about my medical condition(s) yet seem to feel like experts on supplements/medications , exercises, and diet that would be best for me. I have found this forum of experienced folks a qualified source of advice, and then I do have to credit doctors for the medical education and learnings they share with us and help in our disease management. I don’t need to listen to the ignorant.
I try to just change the subject on those folks, who are usually family or great friends! If they continue, I respond with something like “I’m glad that works for your Neuropathy” (which they don’t have) or “I’m working with my doctor right now but can see what he thinks about your ideas on my next visit.” Yet, for folks who may see the inside of my home or venture through our personal areas, I keep bottles of OTC vitamins separate from my prescription medication bottles to help keep the judging of my prescribed medicines down. Sadly, I only keep one bottle of each prescribed medicine there; refills or excess bottles due to 90 day supplies (like the 6 bottles of Gabapentin I get each quarter) are buried deeper somewhere. I resorted to that because a relative went all bat crazy with lectures once when I pulled my drawer out to refill my weekly pill container, so it’s easier for me to hide the extra supply so I don’t have to deal with explaining the “quantity” of pills I take. We’ll never fix them, so I try hard to avoid the conversations, which of course you already know is one-sided with these know-it-alls.

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Hi Debbie, I appreciate and agree with your statements. And yet I just shared my anxiety-preventing medications for the very first time on yesterday's post. Guess I have a lot of respect and consideration for the folks on this forum. Ya think????? And especially Connect members like you who have respect for others and realize that the famous saying, "everyone is different" means just what it says.

Have a lovely sleep tonight.
Chris

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About people commenting on my use of powerful medications:

I hope that at least some of them are trying to be helpful. Their comments may range from the insensitive to the outright stupid, but I hope that their intentions are good.

My family members make me crazy about this topic! When they get me angry or aggravated, I try to remind myself of what I wrote in that paragraph above. Doesn't always work!

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@artscaping

Hi Debbie, I appreciate and agree with your statements. And yet I just shared my anxiety-preventing medications for the very first time on yesterday's post. Guess I have a lot of respect and consideration for the folks on this forum. Ya think????? And especially Connect members like you who have respect for others and realize that the famous saying, "everyone is different" means just what it says.

Have a lovely sleep tonight.
Chris

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I don’t know how I would have gotten as far as I have without this group. I am so glad I discovered it - on my own of course, as no doctor in my history ever steered me toward any forum or research (for the record, I’ve never been to Mayo, but hope and assume they inform their patients about it)
Last month I mentioned to my new Neurologist how I get most of my “living with neuropathy” suggestions for maintaining mobility & increasing strength, as well as coping & adaptation ideas, from this Mayo Connect group. She quickly responded with a negative opinion of such groups. It just increased my concern about this doctor as I was already in shock because she had just told me that heat & cold intolerance in my extremities was not a symptom of Neuropathy! (That’s why I had told her about this group of people who many listed as a common complaint, as well as Google) I was just stunned that this symptom of mine that has been with me since the onset of PN and acknowledged by my previous Neurologists was being dismissed by her; and then she dismissed the forum! Perhaps she feels like these groups are a challenge to her authority and expertise, as I felt she was a bit arrogant. Let me add though - in her doctors visit notes on my portal, when she listed my symptom history, she did include the heat/cold intolerance in hands & feet.
Your last comment is so true about everyone of us being different and responding differently. It would be ideal if one size fit all, but I’m glad we can all throw out what’s worked (or didn’t work) so at least we have things to try, or jump ahead in the learning curve because of research and knowledge already accumulated by others.

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I find having cancer is much like being pregnant in that everyone has unsolicited advice, & stories of others having good outcomes from something or other. I just nod & ignore them. I really like sue@inmn’s response, I may use that.

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@dbeshears1

I don’t know how I would have gotten as far as I have without this group. I am so glad I discovered it - on my own of course, as no doctor in my history ever steered me toward any forum or research (for the record, I’ve never been to Mayo, but hope and assume they inform their patients about it)
Last month I mentioned to my new Neurologist how I get most of my “living with neuropathy” suggestions for maintaining mobility & increasing strength, as well as coping & adaptation ideas, from this Mayo Connect group. She quickly responded with a negative opinion of such groups. It just increased my concern about this doctor as I was already in shock because she had just told me that heat & cold intolerance in my extremities was not a symptom of Neuropathy! (That’s why I had told her about this group of people who many listed as a common complaint, as well as Google) I was just stunned that this symptom of mine that has been with me since the onset of PN and acknowledged by my previous Neurologists was being dismissed by her; and then she dismissed the forum! Perhaps she feels like these groups are a challenge to her authority and expertise, as I felt she was a bit arrogant. Let me add though - in her doctors visit notes on my portal, when she listed my symptom history, she did include the heat/cold intolerance in hands & feet.
Your last comment is so true about everyone of us being different and responding differently. It would be ideal if one size fit all, but I’m glad we can all throw out what’s worked (or didn’t work) so at least we have things to try, or jump ahead in the learning curve because of research and knowledge already accumulated by others.

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I love hearing from people who have actually experienced taking a medication. I had a horrible reaction to a heart med for afib years ago and stop taking it after 3 days. I had all the symptoms of a heart attack for 3 days straight. To this day, I believe I wouldn't be here if I had kept taking it. My cardiologist then told me he almost reported it to the FDA. Almost??? And this is why uncommon side effects are not documented. The drug manufactured sure doesn't want to advertise them. Instead, he said he would ask the drug rep if my reaction was possible. What? That's like asking the fox if the hen house needs more security. Didn't he believe me? It started right after I took the first pill and I never felt that way before. The drug rep said no. I'm missing enzymes needed to metabolize a lot of drugs so they sit in my system too long and get toxic, but I'm not the only one with that issue. Frustrating to say the least. When I'm considering a new med, I go to drugs.com to read actual reactions from people taking the med. I realize more people comment if it's negative, but when I see tons of people reporting exactly what I'm afraid of...uh, no deal.

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Individuals who have had reactions to drugs may themselves submit a report to the FDA.

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