Pill not always best for medical woes

DEAR DR. ROACH: I love my doctor. He is very caring. But why do doctors feel they must always give you a prescription if you visit?

When I go to see my doctor, it is because something in my body isn’t right and I want to know what it is. If he has a diagnosis and has medicine to “cure” me, fine. If he doesn’t know, that’s OK; I’ll deal with the pain or discomfort on my own terms.

In my opinion, people take way too many unnecessary drugs because our doctors feel the need to help, even when they can’t.

Why take a painkiller with 10 pages of warnings when a simple tried-and-true aspirin will do? ANSWER: I ask myself that question, too, and I don’t have a good answer. Many physicians want to validate their patients’ concerns by prescribing a medication.

It’s certainly clear that we want to help, and want to feel that we are adding value. However, I agree with you that writing a prescription might be not only unnecessary, but harmful (antibiotics and pain medicines probably are the worst offenders, but any drug has the potential for harm, even aspirin).

There have been many times when I’ve seen a patient and don’t know exactly what is causing the symptoms.

I am comfortable enough to tell my patients that I don’t know, but that it doesn’t sound serious, and that they should come back if the symptom doesn’t go away on its own.

Sometimes clinical syndromes take time to develop, and a repeat exam and history are necessary. However, the physician must be looking for early presentation of potentially serious conditions and stand ready to order tests to evaluate persistent symptoms.

Dr. Keith Roach is a medical doctor and syndicated writer whose column appears in daily newspapers throughout North America.