“It shocked me that she would prescribe a medication with such severe withdrawal symptoms to be taken every two weeks on rotation.”
I am a registered nurse who has always been very leery of doctors since I work with them every day. I recently moved to a new state and needed to find a gynecologist. I always like to “test” my doctors on the first visit to see how quickly they will try to write me a prescription for something. This new doctor failed my “test” miserably. I have severe pms- heavy bleeding, cramps, and bad mood swings. Of course, I informed the doctor of this when she asked me about my periods. She immediately informed me that I had PMDD and needed to be on Paxil for it. She wanted me to take Paxil starting on day 14 of my cycle and then stop taking it on the first day of my period. She also told me that I needed to be on birth control pills despite the fact that I am overweight and smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. (Smoking is known to significantly increase the risk of blood clots, strokes and heart attacks while on the pill.)
Anyway…. I immediately got on the web when I got home to look up Paxil. I am an ICU nurse, and most of our patient’s are unconscious so they don’t usually get antidepressant meds, and I knew nothing about them. I was outraged at what I found out in less than one hour!!! It shocked me that she would prescribe a medication with such severe withdrawal symptoms to be taken every two weeks on rotation. Imagine the state I would have been in had I attempted that!!! I probably would have lost my nursing license for acting crazy or something.
The point I am trying to make here is that these doctors are either handing out these meds without knowing the side effects, or they do know the side effects and just do not care. (Kickbacks from drug reps perhaps?)
I have not yet had the chance to confront this doctor. I may not be able to confront her for fear of losing my job. (The town I live in has two main employers– a huge university medical center where I work, and a drug manufacturing plant.)
Not everyone is as lucky as I am to be wary of medications. Please people; lets get out of the 1950’s. Doctors are not Gods, and they certainly do not always care about their patients. We do not have to do their bidding just because they supposedly know the secrets workings of our bodies. Trust me when I say this, I work with doctors fresh out of medical school. They are spoon fed by the nurses.
Please save yourselves the horror of overmedication. Never ever fill a prescription until you first research it on your own. And, do not do not do not use pharmacists or other doctors for your research. Who do you think pays pharmacy school and med school scholarship programs????— Drug companies, and other big medical businesses with a vested interest in new drugs being handed out to the blind masses like candy.
Sorry this was so long, but I had to get the word out to people.
A Registered Nurse
7/24/2001 2001
This is Survivor Story number 15.
Total number of stories in current database is 34
