Should You Ever Ask Your Doctor About a Drug You Saw on TV?
There is a unique American phenomenon that everyone who lives in or visits the states is familiar with: TV commercials are shown full of happy, smiling people. The narrator claims that a well-known drug changes the lives of people, say, those with psoriasis. A faster voice lists the possible side effects of the drug while the actors continue to smile and laugh, possibly dancing (for some reason). The narrator returns with clear instructions, “Talk to your doctor today about [the drug].”
The point, however, is that talking to a doctor about medications can be fraught, especially if you plop yourself in an exam room with a brand name you’ve heard on TV but have no idea what it is. Is this how it’s supposed to work? In the end, these are those who have many years of education and experience. Is it okay for you to offer them what medication you want?
This is normal, but there is no guarantee that you will receive the medicine. This might be okay too. Let’s take a look at how you can talk to your doctor about treatment options.
Don’t be afraid to bring medication with the doctor
If you have symptoms and have done your own research, you may be afraid that the doctor will treat you with disdain if you talk about your interest in drugs, since you are, shall we say, not a doctor. To be clear, they may be – doctors are people too, and healthcare bias definitely exists – but there’s no reason you shouldn’t defend yourself. You may not be an expert in medicine, but you are an expert on your own body.
Dr. Yoni Friedhoff, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa, said he noticed that patients can “carefully suggest to doctors that they have a drug they think they should take or would like to try.” This may be due to negative experiences with healthcare professionals in the past or embarrassment when they say they need medication.
Dr. Joseph Thomas, a New York hospitalist, agreed that “Of course there is some hesitation from time to time because they don’t want to seem pushy, demanding… but I think if patients are curious or if they have questions, if there’s something they’d like to ask about where to start, then yes, be sure to bring it up.”
The bottom line, according to Friedhoff, is this: “If a person has a desire to discuss something with their doctor, no matter what the thing is, ideally they should be able to discuss it with their doctor. The work of a doctor is quite simple. Our job is to educate people about their treatment options and the risks and consequences of what they do or don’t do, but never judge people by the treatment they choose for themselves.”
The doctor’s job is to listen to your concerns and answer your questions, so you have every right to share them.
If the doctor refuses to take medication, ask clarifying questions
Has anyone ever told you, “God answers all our prayers, but not always with yes?” Doctors may be something like this (but they are not God). They cannot make executive decisions about your treatment, and—unlike God—they are available for additional questions when they tell you no.
“There will definitely be times when people will mention drugs that are not necessarily suitable,” Friedhoff said. You are not a doctor, so you may not know that a certain medicine will not help your symptoms or is not recommended at this stage of treatment. You may not realize that you do not meet the clinical criteria for a certain prescription, or your insurance will not cover it. This is fine; you’re not a doctor here, so how could you know? The task of the doctor in this situation is to explain all this to you. A good doctor, Friedhoff said, “will be able to explain this—hopefully in a way that doesn’t upset the patient.”
If the doctor says you do not meet the clinical criteria, ask why not and ask what options exist that you are truly eligible for. Friedhoff recommended asking what criteria are used, for example, in determining the suitability of a medication, and Thomas pointed out that the doctor may have an understanding they can share about your particular tolerance. At the heart of any visit to the clinic is your health, your body and your life. You should feel free to ask as many questions as you need until you have a clear understanding of your treatment.
Consider a second opinion
We’re not saying you should jump from doctor to doctor until you find someone who agrees with your self-diagnosis, but you can absolutely consult someone else, as long as there are doctors in your area who are available to you.
Finding a new doctor can be a solution to a number of problems besides the fact that your current doctor is not prescribing a certain medication for you. As Friedhoff said, “If you have a doctor and don’t feel comfortable bringing up a discussion about medications or treatment options, that should be a sign that you need to either discuss your relationship with your doctor or discuss the fact that you don’t If you don’t feel comfortable, try to figure out why and get over it, or find a new doctor.”
Thomas added: “Unfortunately, I’ve heard too many stories about patients getting fired by doctors, [saying things like] ‘Oh, that’s why you shouldn’t go to Dr. Google’ and stuff like that. This happens, and I think that I and other people in my profession should prevent it. If people ask these questions, it’s usually because they want to take care of their health and want to do their best to get better and feel better.”
See? There are doctors who want to talk and listen. You need to feel confident telling the truth about your symptoms and what you’re going through, no matter which treatment option you choose. If a doctor is being dismissive, not answering your questions, or showing any signs of being biased, you can always go elsewhere.
Be reasonable in these conversations
All that being said, have reasonable expectations here. In the event that you are mistreated or the doctor behaves dismissively, of course, resist and defend yourself, but use your own judgment. If a doctor tells you that you are not a candidate for something and seems ready to have constant conversations about what might help you, listen to him.
“Is there a bias in healthcare? Not a question,” Friedhoff said, but there will be times when medication just won’t work for you, and it won’t be due to prejudice. “Respecting the fact that there are clinical criteria for prescription drugs is worth it.”
Remember that, as we have established, doctors are not God, but they have training and understanding that most patients do not have. Thomas noted, for example, that while monoclonal antibodies have been widely reported in the media as part of the treatment for COVID-19, patients may not realize that they do not work as well with the latest options. You can learn a lot from your own investigations, and while you should feel empowered to bring it all up, be open to learning new things from doctors who have more experience than the average journalist or marketer.
“These discussions are worth it because medical care at this stage is a team effort between doctor and patient,” he said. “This is not the paternalistic relationship that was decades ago.” So it doesn’t hurt to ask.