Stop Medicating, Start Curing - America's Pill Problem

American doctors have taken a "treat 'm and street 'em" mentality to healthcare which has more people on pills and fewer people being cured. Doctors should be taking more care with their patients.

Unfortunately, I have had personal experience with the "treat 'm and street 'em" type of healthcare. When I was younger I became very ill. I had insomnia, depression, weight gain, hair loss, lethargy, mood swings and a host of other symptoms. I spent a great deal of time going from doctor to doctor trying to find out what was wrong.

For the first year, I was given one pill after another to treat my symptoms. I was on sleeping pills, anti-depressants and several other pills. Each pill seemed to cause more side-effects and eventually put me into a suicidal depression. I threw out all the pills, made a list of everything that was wrong with me, every symptom with specific details and told the doctor "Find out what's wrong!" It took doing that to get them to stop giving me pills, do the proper tests, and diagnose my thyroid disorder. Only then was I given the one medication that actually started making me healthy again.

This is a common problem in today's society, and the American people are more medicated than ever. We trust doctors to do what's best for us, but instead they give a pill to treat a symptom, more pills to treat the side-effects, and just try to get us to go away. Some people even have to suffer with physicians telling them that their problem is mental, even through they are actually suffering from a serious ailment.

Another serious issue with the pill-popping "treatment" that many doctors offer is the laundry list of side effects that people suffer from while on these medications. In some cases people are taking multiple pills to counteract the side-effects of other pills, and nothing that they are taking is actually helping the base health issue.

As an example, when I was first seeking treatment for my health issues, I was prescribed Ambien for long-term use to treat my inability to sleep. Depressed mood, thoughts of hurting yourself, unusual thoughts, risk-taking behavior, decreased inhibitions, no fear of danger, anxiety, aggression, feeling restless or agitated, hallucinations, confusion, and loss of personality are all side-effects of this medication. I was having several of these symptoms both before and during my use of Ambien. Unfortunately for me, the doctors refused to look into it and simply prescribed more pills to counteract these effects. It was never even suggested that I stop taking the medication.

After my displeasure peaked and I finally got real answers on my condition, it was found that most of my symptoms were due to the hormonal imbalance caused by my thyroid. I didn't need the sleeping pills, or any of the others, one dose thyroid medication each day took care of everything. Between careless doctors and pharmaceutical companies out for cash, I had been on a mish-mash of pills that nearly caused me to kill myself. Many people are not so lucky, and actually die from reactions or commit suicide due to improper medication.

The American people need to be aware of the dangers of uninformed drug use. Just because a doctor prescribes it doesn't mean you need it or that it is good for you. All patients should research any medications proposed by their health care provider before taking anything. Know the potential side-effects, health risks and drug interactions in advance. Press your doctor to find the actual source of your health issues rather than simply treating a symptom blindly.

Many Americans are spending thousands of dollars a year on prescription medications. It's a booming business, and the drug companies are convincing doctors to prescribe the pills. Whether they are necessary or not, and whether or not they treat the actual cause of the patient's complaints, the drug companies are raking in the cash, and the patients keep paying it.

If patients became more aware of the carelessness with which medications were prescribed, and the potential long-term damage they could do through side-effects or lack of treatment for the real health issue, they could begin to make a change. If patients demanded proper care and not just a pill, doctors would be forced to provide a better level of care and either cure or properly treat their patients' ailments.