Medicine

[birdzgoboom]

Well, seeing as though I rely on medicine to keep me from bleeding out, I do like medicine in general. It's a very good thing.

 

Same goes for vaccinations. The needles scare the bejeezus out of me, but eh, whatever keeps me from getting sick from every little thing a person coughs out is good enough. They very, very rarely have life-altering consequences. Sometimes, yeah, you can get a little sick from having one, but I'd rather get a little sick from a vaccine than violently ill from the real-deal, butt-kicking virus/bacteria. No thanks!

 

However... companies that make medicines seem to still release things that can cause a crapton of problems, so then you see a bunch of commercials for: "It'll probably keep you from getting this one thing, but you'll more than likely have digestive distress, diarrhea (or constipation), coughing, sore throat, fever, swollen tongue, liver/kidney failure, heart palpitations, and oh some people it might kill so, yeah."

Which isn't exactly helping anyone. Of course there will be possible side effects of taking any drug/medicine, but once the laundry list gets long enough that it's the longest part of the commercial, I think it needs to be tested longer.

That's just my two cents on that, anyway.

[HeatherMarie]

However... companies that make medicines seem to still release things that can cause a crapton of problems, so then you see a bunch of commercials for: "It'll probably keep you from getting this one thing, but you'll more than likely have digestive distress, diarrhea (or constipation), coughing, sore throat, fever, swollen tongue, liver/kidney failure, heart palpitations, and oh some people it might kill so, yeah."

Which isn't exactly helping anyone. Of course there will be possible side effects of taking any drug/medicine, but once the laundry list gets long enough that it's the longest part of the commercial, I think it needs to be tested longer.

That's just my two cents on that, anyway.

Oh goodness yes. My mom and I comment on this at *least* once a day (we watch a lot of tv). Like, I'd rather live with some annoying rashes, or dry chapped skin, or whatever, then take the medicine on the commericals that spend more time listing horrible side effects then talking about what good the medicine will do you! It's crazy, some of those commercials are seriously like "if you have blah, this might be exactly what you need... but it can also cause this and that and be careful of it interfering with these things and some people reported this..." Like come on! Goodness.

 

I agree that when the side effects vastly outnumber the good things it might do, maybe a re-evaluation is in order.

[7Deadly$ins]

Well it isn't like the side effects happen to everyone. They're required to put that information in their ads. So for many people with dry skin, taking the medicine will help and that will be the end of it. For some people, they might get stomach cramps and it's up to them which is worse. It isn't as if every side effect is going to come falling down on you, or that any at all will.

[Kestra15]

Also, interesting point about side-effects; doctors are bound to report *anything* that may be considered a side-effect, up to and including the symptoms that are actually being treated by the medication. Whatever the patient says has happened as a 'side-effect' has to be reported, and that says nothing about whether the patient is actually taking the medication as prescribed or not. This is because so many patients seem to think that medicine instantly cures everything, and if it isn't then it is a side effect.

 

Case in point: anti-depressants often have 'depression' as a side effect. Newsflash; anti-depressants are not 'happy-pills.' They don't instantly get you high. They take time to work, and even then it isn't guarenteed. So yes, you are going to continue feeling depressed when you start the meds, and in some cases they will bring you down before they build you up. Depression is a long-term condition after all, it isn't an overnight cure. So yes, when you start taking them you will continue to feel depressed. But patients are expecting a quick fix and when it doesn't happen they attribute their depression and all the symptoms of it - lethargy, suicidal tendencies, etc - as 'side-effects.'

 

Yes, sometimes a medication will exasperate symptoms and make them worse. But when you read the list of side-effects take a moment to consider what you are taking the meds for and wonder whether they really are 'side-effects' or just the symptoms of your illness taking a bit of time to react to the medication.

[Htt71]

Funny enough, some medications actually suppress the ability to heal. Such as deer medications or chap stick. Now for those people who don't understand, let me explain. Fevers are NOT caused by the virus. They are caused by your body raising its own temperature in an attempt to cook the infection until it dies. Chapstick basically lubricates your lips, which is one of the reasons they get chapped, drying and lubricating, so put down the Advil and chap stick people! Let your body do it's work!

Vaccines though, do need to happen often. Prevention is very good to the average person who doesn't want the swine flu. Just saying. To those who have complications that don't allow it to happen, I'm sorry, but I pray you don't get sick.

 

That's all folks!

[HeatherMarie]

I've done the whole "waiting for anti-depressant meds to actually *help*" dance a million times, so I personally know all about the differences between what I normally feel, and how the medicine makes me feel. For example, Prozac is now in my charts as "allergic to" because of the reaction I had to it. Of course they give all the possible side-effects in the bottle-insert, which include depression and suicidal thoughts etc etc. And no, continuing to feel my normal level of depression even though I've been on the medicine for a couple weeks isn't a "side-effect", it's just a "not working yet". However, when the medicine *increases* my normal symptoms to the point of hyperventilating, jerky-movements, and seeing things, that's when it's "side-effect" and definitely not "how I normally feel".

[Kestra15]

Which is fine, sometimes people genuinely do react badly to medicines. However so many expect a quick fix these days that they don't seem to recognise or give them a chance so that we can work out if they are effective (as in my case they have been) or if it is a true reaction (as in your case).

[Momo]

Funny enough, some medications actually suppress the ability to heal. Such as deer medications or chap stick. Now for those people who don't understand, let me explain. Fevers are NOT caused by the virus. They are caused by your body raising its own temperature in an attempt to cook the infection until it dies. Chapstick basically lubricates your lips, which is one of the reasons they get chapped, drying and lubricating, so put down the Advil and chap stick people! Let your body do it's work!

Vaccines though, do need to happen often. Prevention is very good to the average person who doesn't want the swine flu. Just saying. To those who have complications that don't allow it to happen, I'm sorry, but I pray you don't get sick.

 

That's all folks!

Your post is exactly what I'm talking about as far as my family's tradition to "keep natural within reason" goes.

I do absolutely nothing to my colds. Nothing to my chapped lips ( it's winter - come on. ) and nothing to anything that I don't HAVE to. The majority of a cold is the body trying to get one step ahead of the virus. Drowning yourself in simple medicines ( which is where my flipside to medicine comes in ) is not good. at all. It doesn't give your body the chance to work for itself. Do you know what happens to something when you don't use it? you lose it.

All my life, I admit to using hand sanitizer. Most things I touch - the bus railing, doorknobs, my own steering wheel - it's an instinct.

Do you know what happens to me when I get sick? A tiny little cold?

 

I GET SICK.

 

Like nobody's business. You'd think I have the flu or something worth hospitalization. I got sick 4 weeks ago with a cold, and I still have a little cough which is annoying but I let it do its thing.

It's an endless loop - BECAUSE I basically die when I get sick with just a cold, I keep santizing my hands to prevent it, which.. you get where this is going. I've essentially screwed myself up. I take vitamins and other immunity boosts ( good ol' tea! ) since the start of this year and I'm hoping to see an improvement! Going to school and being subject to so many different people helps, but I have to stop covering my hands with gloves JUST to prevent me from touching my face obliviously with dirty hands. A little germs are okay! I'm a hypocrite for that but at least I recognize that.

 

Also, for the Japan vaccinations I mentioned - some friends of mine went to Japan after the tsunami and earthquake tragedy to help out, and they mentioned having to take a ton of vaccinations - which makes sense. They were at a vulnerable time and didn't need illness to be added to their list.

That's generally not what I was talking about ( as Fuzz clarified for me - thanks, Fuzz! ) but yes.

[hazeh]

I'm doing a research paper on vaccinating kids versus not vaccinating them, and I'm tickled by how much information is out there on vaccinating children. I don't think I will ever understand the mentality behind not vaccinating children that are eligible to receive them.

 

@Piccolo:

I'm sorry you had that experience D: She sounds like an awful person.

However, your child is one of the main reasons we advocate so much for the vaccination of children who are eligible to receive them. I know it's been regurgitated a lot in this thread already, but the "herd immunity" plays a big role in keeping children, like yours, safe from those diseases. Otherwise, what barriers would she have beyond just chance alone? Making sure that children who can be vaccinated get those vaccinations will significantly reduce the chance that kids like your own will contract diseases that they otherwise would not have defenses against.

 

 

Also, I wanted to make a point that a whole lot of things can be toxic depending on the dosage-- which is why we trust scientists to formulate medications to the right dosage as to not bring harm to our bodies. So I don't find the "unnatural/toxic stuff!" argument very viable. (plus, the thimerosal, the preservative containing mercury, was taken out of vaccines by 2009)

[Brite]

I'm okay with most medications, except when it comes to allergy medication. Decongestants do NOT work for me in pill form, only sprays. I nose actually became addicted to affrin because I became so dependent on it clearing my nose. I HATE allergies, I prefer a dozen fevers and flu's one after the other in a month than my allergies in one week.

Edited February 19, 2014 by GhostChilli

[King_Max_Cat]

I really believe in more serious vaccines (ex. TB, yellow fever, polio, etc....the works) because that'd really serious stuff. You don't want to mess around with polio or TB; just get vaccinated and boom, no problem. However, having said that, nowadays the "Lysol" mom seems to be getting out of hand. People are sanitizing their hands CONSTANTLY, they're doing what I consider to be unnatural behaviors. Case in point; I saw a mom at a restaurant sanitize (take out a bottle of hand sanitizer-type-stuff) and wipe down the counted AFTER IT WAS already wiped down! I mean, I get that you're trying to protect your kid but that's just taking it way too far!

 

All the lack of exposure (SMALL exposure, emphasis on moderation here) to germs is (likely) causing the rise in autoimmune diseases, allergies to weird stuff like peanuts, etc. I see people going to the emergency room with simple coughs because their doctors won't see them fast enough (true story). I mean, staying healthy and preventing disease is good and all, but people have taken it too far.....stop trying to keep you kid from getting or having a small case of the sniffles.....

[pudding]

I like vaccines. I get sick bad when I get sick so vaccines help a lot. However, I think they shouldn't be bundled altogether in one visit. If you react negatively to one, you need to know which, right?

 

It's funny, really. Shots have never been a problem for me. But getting my blood drawn is awful. I'm not frightened by it but I'd passed out every single time since I was 12. It's the strangest thing but as soon as I stand up, I hit the floor and can't see anything and my own voice sounds distant. It scared the Hell out of the nurse the last time but it seems like it has to happen because I've waited, stood up and still had it happen.

[TCA]

The best part of suddenly being on multiple medications is making pill bottle towers.

[7Deadly$ins]

I really believe in more serious vaccines (ex. TB, yellow fever, polio, etc....the works) because that'd really serious stuff. You don't want to mess around with polio or TB; just get vaccinated and boom, no problem. However, having said that, nowadays the "Lysol" mom seems to be getting out of hand. People are sanitizing their hands CONSTANTLY, they're doing what I consider to be unnatural behaviors. Case in point; I saw a mom at a restaurant sanitize (take out a bottle of hand sanitizer-type-stuff) and wipe down the counted AFTER IT WAS already wiped down! I mean, I get that you're trying to protect your kid but that's just taking it way too far!

 

All the lack of exposure (SMALL exposure, emphasis on moderation here) to germs is (likely) causing the rise in autoimmune diseases, allergies to weird stuff like peanuts, etc. I see people going to the emergency room with simple coughs because their doctors won't see them fast enough (true story). I mean, staying healthy and preventing disease is good and all, but people have taken it too far.....stop trying to keep you kid from getting or having a small case of the sniffles.....

I wouldn't have santizied it either, but to be fair to her, the way a lot of restaurants wipe down tables can spread the bacteria around instead of actually doing anything.

[Fightandspawn]

I have ADHD and ODD and am on meds for it. I forget the names they are so complicated. All I know is that I take three pills.

[Kestra15]

The best part of suddenly being on multiple medications is making pill bottle towers.

Mine are all in boxes sadly.

[DustyBelle]

I definitely believe in childhood disease vacinnations. I, too, remember when friends and neighbors came down with polio. It was rare, but happened. Then we started getting sugar cubes with some med on them.

 

My grandson hates shots, but also hates the nose spray vacines. My sinuses are so messed up, I would hate to try to depend on a nose spray med delivery to receive my vacination.

 

If your child is able to take the vacination, the child should get it. We need to do what we can to protect those whose bodies won't allow them to be bolstered by medication against a disease.

 

Do any of you know why T & A's were stopped as a routine procedure for children who repeatedly came down with tonsillitis? Most US citizens of my generation had their tonsils and adenoids yanked as a child. The doctor would wait until the condition had cleared up and then take them out, especially if you were like me and had gotten severely ill from the disease several times before they decided to surgically remove them. I know absolutely no child or under 35 age US citizen who has had their tonsild removed.

[lightbird]

I believe that childhood diseases should be vaccinated against, as well as serious diseases, or anything that might endanger you because of being immunocompromised. Your child isn't an adult who can make informed decisions about their health, so it's your, as a parent's, responsibility to care for your child's well-being. I mean, why would a child choose to get vaccinated, they'd most likely say no, because needles hurt. /general "you"

 

For myself, I don't get flu shots, because you have to get them every year for a different strain, and chances are that if your immune system isn't very weak or kinda derailed, you won't get sick with flu anyway. I am wary that some years have strains that are actually more dangerous to adults than children or elderly due to risk of sending your immune reaction into overdrive, though, and just try to take good care of myself during flu season.

 

I always get encephalitis shots on time, though, because tick-borne encephalitis is endemic in the area where I live, you don't even need to roll around deep forests to catch ticks, and encephalitis has a moderately high risk of leaving permanent CNS damage, severity depending on how lucky you get. My partner has had encephalitis, he spent a month in the hospital, and another month off work after being discharged, he says that he's been having more frequent headaches since being sick, but is otherwise alright. Thankfully, hospital stay and treatment for encephalitis is compensated over here because, again, endemic disease, and he can't get sick with it again.

 

 

Meanwhile, 3,5 weeks ago I started meds for hyperthyroidism (from current data looks like it's Grave's disease), and so far I haven't had any side effects - but from what I've heard, the nastier side effects manifest themselves during the first 3 months of use, or practically never after that period, so I won't know until mid-August if I'm screwed over and might develop liver problems, white blood cell and/or platelet loss, muscle and joint pain, hair loss etc.

Edited June 3, 2014 by lightbird

[Ripan]

Does anyone have any experiences regarding HPV vaccination? My municipality offers women of my age to get vaccinated for free. I'm trying to look for possible side-effects or negative sides to it, but it's hard to find any information about that that isn't anti-vaxx propaganda. The vaccine they're going to use is probably either Cervarix or Gardasil.

 

[sparkle10184]

I believe kids should get vaccinated for all the serious diseases. Most children don't enjoy shots, but a quick needle is much better than some horrible disease that could potentially kill you, isn't it?

Needles don't bother me and they never really have. When I was younger I would get a wee bit tense right before they gave me the shot, but then it was fine. I don't mind them.

[Obscure_Trash]

Does anyone have any experiences regarding HPV vaccination? My municipality offers women of my age to get vaccinated for free. I'm trying to look for possible side-effects or negative sides to it, but it's hard to find any information about that that isn't anti-vaxx propaganda. The vaccine they're going to use is probably either Cervarix or Gardasil.

I don't recall either my sister nor I experiencing any side effects from the vaccine. IIRC, if you are white* the vaccine is well worth it. I siggest making the appointment and asking them about side effects. If you decide the risk isn't worth it, then you do not have to stay for the vaccine. As I recall, it's a very low risk vaccine. As I recall.

 

*The strains the vaccines are effective against are the strains white folk with cervixes are diagnosed with. Black folk with cervixes in particular tend to be diagnosed with entirely different strains. On mobile so can't do too much in depth searching for all races, but I am fairly positive you will see the same trend - the vaccine is most effective if you are white.

[Kestra15]

Does anyone have any experiences regarding HPV vaccination? My municipality offers women of my age to get vaccinated for free. I'm trying to look for possible side-effects or negative sides to it, but it's hard to find any information about that that isn't anti-vaxx propaganda. The vaccine they're going to use is probably either Cervarix or Gardasil.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/hpv/vac-faqs.htm

[Soruc The Dragon]

I've got a confession to make. My mom's very anti-vax, so the only vaccine I've ever had was the MMR vaccine, which is necessary to attend school in Canada. Because of that, I have a vaccine phobia, even though I know they're probably not even that bad. I personally think that children should be vaccinated. I'm pro-medicine as well.

 

Small story time, my mom's actually a Psychology Nurse and the reason that she's so anti-vax is because 24 hours after my brother took the MMR, he became "full blown autistic," and she blames the vaccine itself and our doctor we had at the time. My brother actually has severe autism, and she's also constantly wasting her paycheck on "treatments" that have little to no effect on him. So, there's Soruc's life story.

[Fightandspawn]

Wait... People are against vaccines??? #HasBeenLivingUnderARock

[Omega Entity]

Pretty sure the original doctor who claimed that vaccines cause autism was not only thoroughly debunked, but he also redacted his claims later.

 

Also - Jenny McCarthy needs to seriously stop giving medical advice.

 

Related vaccine story - my relatives a few hours away are anti-vax. The adults in their family, as well as their small children are currently battling full-blown Whooping Cough. I think that says something right there.