Re: [pyrnet] loss of faith

["GW Gibbs" <gwgibbs@multipro.com>]

WHOA!!!!   Wait a minute!!!!   All drugs have to go through testing before
they are released to the public and if you look at a PDR or a nursing drug
book, the possible side effects are a mile long for just about ANY drug.   I
give chemotherapy in an in and out patient setting and inform my patients of
the main side effects, but don't go into a great deal of detail about every
possible side effect there is because it becomes, to a point , extraneous
knowledge.  Every creature responds to medications differently...in some the
response is positive and in others there are problems....but the MAJORITY of
the effects are good or the drugs would not be on the market.   There have
been a few bloopers, but for the most part, the drugs are well tested if not
OVER tested before they are allowed to be released for public use.

Rimadyl is used safely and effectively for the treatment of inflammatory
conditions ie. arthritis in dogs.   Yes, there are side effects, but most
dogs do not have these side effects.   Just because your vet prescribed this
drug does not make him/her a bad vet...or someone who is in cahoots with the
rimadyl drug rep.

....as for good MDs vs bad MDs....medicine is a profession and as with any
other field, there are good and gifted MDs and there are mediocre MDs and
there are not so smart MDs that still managed to pass their boards and get a
license to practice, but are not so great at what they do...and that is
life.   However, to say that you, as the layperson, have to look up to
verify info to decide if what the doctor told you is true is short sighted
to say the least.   The field of medicine is an overlapping of many
complicated systems and to isolate and research a piece of info will not
always draw a correct conclusion in the total scheme of things.  It's kind
of like taking a Bible verse out of context or looking at the tree instead
of the forest.  The bottom line is your evaluation of the doctor and how you
feel about his manner and his/her ability to solve your medical
problems....and leave the "doctoring" to the doctor that you have a good
feeling about.   There is nothing worse than treating a patient who has been
"studying up" over the internet about their medications.   First of all not
everything you read on the internet is true...and secondly, since you are
not an MD, your interpretation may not be correct because there will be
missing pieces in the logical progression of thought...which leads to
confusion and misunderstanding on the part of the layperson.   Medicine is a
science, yes, but I also feel that it is an art form to a point as
well...and with that in mind, there are sometimes several possible solutions
to the same problem, which make laypeople think that when they get differing
opinions about something that someone must be giving the wrong advice, when
in fact this might not be the case.

...and so my point is....don't think that you have a crappy vet just because
he/she prescribed Rimadyl.


PAM, RN


----- Original Message -----
From: <Reedialer1@aol.com>
To: <pyrnet-l@pyrnet.org>
Sent: Monday, March 18, 2002 8:36 PM
Subject: [pyrnet] loss of faith


> i took mellow off rimady as soon as i read the posts. he took 3 tablets
all
> together. i just got finished reading a web site that barb sent me (
> http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadyl.deaths.html) and it makes me sick to
my
> stomach to see all the complications. i know there are no new posts but it
> doesnt change the facts there.
>  i called my vets office this morning to speak to my real vet (not the one
i
> saw that was covering) and he assured me that rimadyl was a good choice
and
> safe in most dogs. he said that he and a whole large group of vets had met
> very recently with pfizer to discuss the matter of the drug and they were
> assured of its safety except in rare cases.  meeting with a drug company
to
> talk about a product is like having the fox watching the chicken coup isnt
> it? the thing that upsets me so much is that my vet didnt even give me a
list
> of side effects to watch out for.  he said most problems are with labs but
> thats because more big dogs in peoples homes ARE labs.
>     i am so disappointed. i trusted and believed in my vet and i want to
> continue to do so.  my faith is totally shaken in the medical community at
> large for people (and my apologies to any MD's reading this post) because
i
> have a profoundly handicapped child and we've been through more than our
> share of idiot doctors and heard more rhetoric and nonsense than you can
> imagine over the course of her years.  i cant believe ANY of them really
know
> what they are talking about until i look it up for myself.  and thats a
very
> heavy burden on me coz i dont have a medical degree.
>   i miss the innocence of trusting my doctor and trusting her opinons and
> diagnosises.  now i find i dont know if i can trust my VET either!  i'm
not a
> reactionary but i am concerned and i dont want to be sorry after the fact.
> their apologies arent enough if you lose something/someone you love. its
> pretty scary when you have to feel all alone on these things. i dont want
to
> be my own doctor for any of the people or animals i love but how can you
> trust anyone when no one seems to know the 'inside' scoop on drugs? at
least
> they arent sharing.
>   roz, mel, chundo and harley
>
>
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