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Y&R Discussion Group
With all of the prescription drugs I was on at the hospital, I have some questions for you folks.
1) When you are prescribed a drug, one that you've never been on, do you ask the nurse to describe it's side effects? How it's going to help you?
Do you ask if it is okay to take with other drugs you are taking? or do you just take it and believe it's going to make you better?
2) If you are prescribed a drug, do you check out with other people or look up on the internet if there's a homeopathic remidy you can use instead of a pharmaceutical drug? Why or why not?
3) Can we talk about morphene and dilauded? (which is a synthetic of morphene). How much pain would you have to be in to take this pain medication?
Do you think in a hospital setting you have a choice? and would you reject it in a hospital if you feel you just wanted to bear up under the pain you are in?
4) If you saw a nurse coming at you with a needle and didn't know what she was giving you, would you stop her and ask what it was or just let her give it to you?
5) What drugs would you refuse to take in a hospital setting?
6) Would you take a prescription drug for other uses other than what it's prescribed for?
I'm just curious how you would handle being given all sorts of prescriptions drugs including morphone, vicodin, dilaudid, etc., in a controlled atmosphere such as a hospital. Would you outright reject any of them? and why?
Thanks for your input!
P.S. Miralax and Senokab work great when you're constipated...just a thought.
Keep in mind that I'm a registered nurse so that may affect my answers :)
1) When you are prescribed a drug, one that you've never been on, do you ask the nurse to describe it's side effects? How it's going to help you? Because I'm a nurse I generally look it up for myself if I don't already know, but I recommend that everyone ask about side effects and how the medication is supposed to help you.
Do you ask if it is okay to take with other drugs you are taking? or do you just take it and believe it's going to make you better? Same as above. Always ask.
2) If you are prescribed a drug, do you check out with other people or look up on the internet if there's a homeopathic remidy you can use instead of a pharmaceutical drug? Why or why not? I look but I am not a huge believer in homeopathic drugs. I think they are greatly overrated. Also they can and do have side effects and drug interactions just like traditional drugs but without the benefit.
3) Can we talk about morphene and dilauded? (which is a synthetic of morphene). How much pain would you have to be in to take this pain medication? I do not believe in suffering.
Do you think in a hospital setting you have a choice? and would you reject it in a hospital if you feel you just wanted to bear up under the pain you are in? You do have a choice. If you don't want it you only have to refuse. In fact most painkillers are only giving as needed meaning if you ask for them, the exception being the PCA pumps that people are given after surgery which are usually placed in recovery and can be set to give as a continuous drip in addition to patient administered doses. Again I don't recommend suffering and pain may affect how quickly and how well you heal so if you are in pain, take the darned medication!
4) If you saw a nurse coming at you with a needle and didn't know what she was giving you, would you stop her and ask what it was or just let her give it to you? Absolutely. You should always ask what they are giving you. Always.
5) What drugs would you refuse to take in a hospital setting? I can't think of any.
6) Would you take a prescription drug for other uses other than what it's prescribed for? No.
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I consider myself to be pretty healthy (knock on wood). The only medication that I currently take is for my skin (rosacea).
1) When you are prescribed a drug, one that you've never been on, do you ask the nurse to describe it's side effects? How it's going to help you? I ask what the drug is for and sometimes ask them to describe how it works. The only real side effects I worry about up front are dizziness or drowsiness. Otherwise, I read the literature that comes with the prescription or look it up on the PDR website.
Do you ask if it is okay to take with other drugs you are taking? or do you just take it and believe it's going to make you better? Usually, the practitioner has already run through my existing medication (I only take one) and drug allergies so I don't have to worry about drug interactions. If not, I ask.
2) If you are prescribed a drug, do you check out with other people or look up on the internet if there's a homeopathic remidy you can use instead of a pharmaceutical drug? Why or why not? No, I don't take medications often enough to worry about substituting something else for them. It's usually a very short-term thing.
3) Can we talk about morphene and dilauded? (which is a synthetic of morphene). How much pain would you have to be in to take this pain medication? Considerable, since I have an extremely high pain threshold. Someone else might need it much sooner than I, it depends on the individual.
Do you think in a hospital setting you have a choice? That depends on whether you're able to comprehend the risks, choices, and are able to assess your own condition. and would you reject it in a hospital if you feel you just wanted to bear up under the pain you are in? Yes, unless the doctor tells me not having the medication could adversely affect my condition.
4) If you saw a nurse coming at you with a needle and didn't know what she was giving you, would you stop her and ask what it was or just let her give it to you? Of course I'd ask.
5) What drugs would you refuse to take in a hospital setting? That's impossible to answer without knowing the specific situation and medical condition.
6) Would you take a prescription drug for other uses other than what it's prescribed for? Yes, if I felt it was warranted, if I've taken the medication previously without incident, and if I knew it would be beneficial to my present needs.
I'm just curious how you would handle being given all sorts of prescriptions drugs including morphone, vicodin, dilaudid, etc., in a controlled atmosphere such as a hospital. Would you outright reject any of them? and why? Same answer as above. I don't think anyone can answer that question without knowing specific facts. Outright rejecting the drugs without a specific reason could be just as foolish as taking them with no good reason.
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1) When you are prescribed a drug, one that you've never been on, do you ask the nurse to describe it's side effects? How it's going to help you?
Definitely. There's no way I'd take a prescription drug without knowing what the side effects might be. Or how it's designed to help my current medical problem.
Do you ask if it is okay to take with other drugs you are taking? or do you just take it and believe it's going to make you better?
I'd never take it without checking to ensure that it can be taken with other prescriptions (or natural therapies) that I might be currently taking. In my experience in the hospital, the nurse asked me those questions prior to giving me the drug the Dr. had prescribed.
2) If you are prescribed a drug, do you check out with other people or look up on the internet if there's a homeopathic remedy you can use instead of a pharmaceutical drug? Why or why not?
I've sometimes searched the internet to see what I can learn in addition about a prescription that's been prescribed for me. Just for the extra info. If I was interested in exploring the option of an alternative homeopathic remedy, I'd ask my Dr. first if she's aware of any. Or/and I'd make an appointment with a certified naturopath. Discuss my personal situation, etc. and let them make a suggestion based on my personal situation rather than heresay and suggestions of other unqualified sources. Relying on the opinions of non-medical people - or 'unproven' info found on the internet - isn't a solid enough reference for me.
3) Can we talk about morphene and dilauded? (which is a synthetic of morphene). How much pain would you have to be in to take this pain medication?
I've been very fortunate to have only needed morphine once in my lifetime, and that was years ago when I had my lower back problem. I'd chipped & herniated a couple of lumbar discs and one in particular was pressing against nerve endings - major pain. I was hospitalized for observation, and they started with other pain relievers for the first couple of days, but later switched to morphine. And kept me on it until I had the surgery to remove the disc that was pressing against the nerve endings. I didn't question the need for the morphine ... I just wanted the stuff to stop the pain.
Do you think in a hospital setting you have a choice? and would you reject it in a hospital if you feel you just wanted to bear up under the pain you are in?
Theoretically yes, I think people should be able to reject the medication if they wish... but in practical terms I doubt I'd reject a pain reliever - or any other medication - if it was recommended during a hospital stay. If it's recommended, I'm assuming I'm in enough pain (or having other symptoms) that I'd appreciate the need for it. I would want to know what it was for, and the side effects, etc. prior to accepting it.
4) If you saw a nurse coming at you with a needle and didn't know what she was giving you, would you stop her and ask what it was or just let her give it to you?
I'd definitely ask what it was.
5) What drugs would you refuse to take in a hospital setting?
Probably none, as long as I felt it was necessary and appropriate for whatever medical problem had put me in the hospital in the first place.
6) Would you take a prescription drug for other uses other than what it's prescribed for?
No.
I'm just curious how you would handle being given all sorts of prescriptions drugs including morphone, vicodin, dilaudid, etc., in a controlled atmosphere such as a hospital. Would you outright reject any of them? and why?
As above, as long as I thought the drugs were necessary and appropriate to my medical condition, and understood what they were for, and how my body would react to them, etc. then I'd accept the treatments. I'd only reject them if I found I was having unusual side-effects. If that happened, I'd discuss it with the Dr. and ask if there were other options available.
I'm fortunate that I'm 58 and not taking any prescription drugs of any type - for anything. And I've had mostly good experiences with hospital staff in my lifetime, so I'm still fairly trusting and accepting of their recommendations, etc.
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