Pills not always the answer

A new report from the Mayo Clinic came out yesterday that said that 70% of Americans are now on at least one prescription drug and that nearly half of us are taking at least 2.  These are shocking numbers because all of these pills are not making us better and I know this from personal experience and not because I read it on the internet.  4 years ago my doctor gave me a prescription for a drug called Propranelol to help calm what he thought was an essential tremor.  This is not  life threatening and the drug seemed to help, until it didn't.  For several years I was suffering from a progressive degeneration of my cognitive abilities.  In other words it was becoming harder to think clearly and remain focused.  I was also getting stiffer and having difficulty with my balance.  My doctor told my wife that I was just getting older and there was nothing to worry about.  She also asked if it was possible that I was suffering from side effects from all the medications he had me taking.  A little more than a year ago we went to see a Neurologist who told me I had Parkinsons disease and that the Propanelol if taken long term would begin to attack my cognitive functions. (That's your ability to think)  The Neurologist told me to stop the Propanelol immediately and I did.  When I stopped taking this drug it was like walking out of a thick fog.  My mind became clearer almost instantly and people all around me were noticing a marked difference in my demeanor.  This improvement was very exciting but it didn't happen because of my primary care physician.  He put me on this drug that hurt me, and totally missed the Parkinsons disease.

The medical industry is trying to sell us on the notion that another pill will fix whatever is wrong with you but it's just not true.  If I had just continued to trust my doctor I could be in much worse shape right now, and possibly dead but we got a second and then a third opinion.  We kept searching until we began to get some answers that made sense.  Keep asking questions and don't just trust drugs.  While there are many lifesaving drugs being used today, there is also a profit motive that is killing us.  Doctors are actually making more money for prescribing certain drugs for the manufacturers.  Often they are not paying attention to the side effects you may be experiencing.  It will pay off well for you to ask questions until you get answers.