Killer Doctors!

I know what you mean about stupid doctors. I have seen my share of them. My gyne. gave me samples of Lotronex last summer and smugly said, "Only read the insert if you want to scare yourself." I like to be educated about what I'm taking, so I did read the insert. It's a good thing I did, because the insert was VERY emphatic that the med only be used for IBS-D! Well, like you I have NO D (if anything I lean more towards C, but my main problem is painful spasms). So, this was the WRONG drug for me. I know I got it from a gyne. not a GI, but I was still furious enough to find another gyne because to me ANY DOCTOR should know what a drug is for before dispensing it!!!P.S. Librax is wonderful. I use it occasionally (maybe a 2 or 3 days per month). It works great on the spasms and I have no side effects. I'd find a doctor who will give it to you.Stacey

I have been through the doctors that say "It is all in your head", "She is faking for attention" (really loved that one!), and every medication that came on the market for IBS. I have found many that are uncaring, uneducated about drugs and the disease, and FINALLY, have found a doctor that listens and cares. In our little area, there are only two of us in his practice with IBS...a registered nurse and myself. He encourages me to visit this board and research the web and bring him info when I come in to see him. His time is limited greatly by a large practice. He works with the two of us...and yes...with us, just as everyone else...some things help and some do not. But we keep on searching and learning. I now can't imagine having a doctor that does not respect my intelligence or care what I am feeling both physically and mentally. Keep searching for one that will work with you and is informed. When my doctor put me on lotronex...we spent a long time going over the information, and he made absolutely sure that I understood every word. If all of the doctors that prescribed lotronex to their patients had done this....it would still be on the market....~Pat~....PS...he does this with every medication he prescribes. When you leave his office...you know about the med, what it should do for you, side effects, etc.[This message has been edited by Wauh (edited 01-25-2001).][This message has been edited by Wauh (edited 01-25-2001).]

One of my pet peeves is Doctors who hand you a prescription without discussing it with you thoroughly, and are hesitent to tell you about the side-effects for fear you will psychologically develop them if you know about them, or flat out refuse to take it. This frustrates many doctors, because their original prescription idea didn't "work" and they will now have to come up with yet something else that will take up more time, or mean that they possibly won't be able to help you. The psychological development of symptoms may happen with hypochondriac-types, but they should not assume that the masses of people that go to them are just another one of those! It also frustrates me when you ask them about a side-effect, and whether it is true or not, they will tell you: "Well we will just stop the pill, and your symptoms will go away then." That is not how it always works. You can develop all kinds of complications that need to be treated, and not ignored. Follow-up can be essential. The Lotronex fiasco just accentuated how ill-informed some physicians are when they hand out meds.

Doctors are human, they can make mistakes too. I agree with you that they should grab their reference book before prescribing something with such dangerous side effects. A lot of meds are like that. I'm not defending this doctor, I'm just saying don't put doctors on a pedestal that allows them not to be human when they are. Every industry develops every day and as much as we try and keep up with everything, sometimes it is not possible. Esp with the long hours doctors put in. I know the argument is that a mistake costs a life, and I agree. Sometimes I think that is a secondary job of a pharmacist...to double check what meds the doctor is prescribing.I am very lucky, my doctor is amazing. Not only does he understand, but if he doesn't know something he tells me rather than BS it. If he doesn't feel comfortable doing something he will call the specialist in that field, or refer me. And he will keep calling til he is comfortable with the answer. He also has a photographic memory. Once when he was assisting during surgery, the surgeon and him got into an argument over the correct method. The surgeon said he was right. My doctor said no, then proceeded to quote what book, what page, where on the page and exact words on that page. The nurses looked it up later....the man was correct on all counts.I'm in very good hands.

That is VERY SCARY!!! And sad for those who were so helped by Lotronex! What is wrong with these doctors!! I'm sorry but when it comes down to it, there is NO ROOM for error in this field. If they aren't sure they should look it up! They should CARE about their patients enough to make sure they are handing them the right thing.I've seen a few young doctors lately, and to be quite honest they were all pretty dumb. Made me feel very uneasy the way they didn't know much. Even a pediatrician I took my son to a few months ago sat there for 10 minutes trying to decide what was wrong with him (all he had was a high fever). He had a horrible blank look on his face. I just sat there like "Ummm, hello anyone home in there?" LOLWhen it comes to my life and health, and my families life and health I switch doctors real fast when I come across those kinds of doctors. I know their human, but they knew when they took the job that what they'll be doing is making the difference between life and death. They should be MORE CAREFUL!Jennifer

This is an interesting thread...What I see as the primary problem here is doctors not being informed enough about IBS to realize the variety of symptoms, and that one drug will not treat everyone with IBS.I hadn't thought about ignorant doctors misprescribing it much until the last time I saw the GI doc, who is very irritated by the recall, he seemed to be understanding the situation better...he'd seen a couple of people that day who had C but were prescribed Lotronex by their primary care physicians.I would have hoped if someone was prescribed Lotronex for any kind of gut problems, and they got worse, they would contact their doctor. If it had given me more pain I would have been calling the dr. ASAP. I do read the patient info whenever I get a new drug. (Did you know Levbid is used to treat a variety of things, including bedwetting and some kinds of poisonings??? That's what the printout from the pharmacist said.)Homebound, if older doctors don't make an effort to keep up with new drugs and research, they can be as bad off or worse than a young doctor. If Lotronex had not been recalled, I wouldn't be surprised if med students were taught that it was a revolutionary drug for IBS-D in classes, whereas working doctors get much of their info from drug companies, who of course want to sell their product.I hope this posting makes sense...I've been having horrible trouble getting to sleep, and I'm finally getting tired....thank god I don't work in the morning.

I too had a similar situation. After my Primary Physician died in October. A great loss to the community may I add he was in his 70's and was one of the best G.P's, I have come across in years. Always well informed on all subjects. I'm sure he's spinning in his grave about the doctor that bought his practice out. After waiting 6 weeks for appointment with the new doctor. My insurance was about to change and was stuck going to this man while waiting on the paper work. Anyway I went to see him about my IBS since the Bentyl I was taken no longer was working for me anymore. I told him I was primary P, and wanted to try Donnatal. He came up with Lotronex and I said no, no noooo I was not D so he whipped out this old reference book which was a little bit bigger then a Reader Digest book to show it was good for C & D. Amazingly it actually said that! I wish I could remember the name of the book to send it on to Glaxo for their fight. I'm so upset about the Lotronex fiasco that's going on. It's not often when such a good drug that helps so many comes out. Anyway back to the story lol. I was adamant about not wanting it. He wrote the script anyway. As soon as I got home I came here and saw that Lotronex was withdrawn from the market. Unfortunately I meant to come by before my appointment and couldn't. Was having a lot of computer problems and the BB wouldn't load 90% of the time. So I called him the next day and told him. He was surprised to say the very least. Apparently he doesn't read the local paper since it was on the front page no less. Lucky for me I went the day they took it off the market otherwise something terrible might have happened. Oh BTW way he still didn't give me the Donnatal he gave me something else what I can tell it's on the lowest of the tree of Donnatal's though. Am in such terrible shape right now. I called him first thing still waiting to hear from him.....All of life's big problems include the words "indictment" & "inoperable" & "ibs." Everything else is small stuff.

My old GP was so out of it that ages ago he prescribed metamucil and when i complained that it was giving me too much gas he looked at me blankly-GAS?? he said he had never ever heard of that. so i said, well i know that fiber can cause gas and metamucil is..fiber... he then laughed and said "WELL! I have never heard of THAT!" let me also add that he barely speaks english so maybe he just had no idea what i was talking about! he also prescribed penicillin to me although and i am deathly allergic to that and it shows that in all my charts.there is a myth out there that you have to be smart to get through med school. there are great doctors who are smart and who really care and do their research and then there are lots of lame ones too. doctors ARE human-unfortunately! ha! but...a doctor prescribing something as dangerous as Lotronex is for some people, incorrectly or loosely, is INEXCUSABLE! you are right to be very angry and dump this person and complain.

just to add my two cents..i'm d-type. my gi put me on lotronex, 2 pills a day. i called him to tell him that i was having severe constipation.. he told me to keep taking them as directed and to drink my questran sluge. can you believe that? severe constipation, keep taking two a day. thank god i've been on this message board for a little while now. i stopped taking it for a few days then started on half a pill a day and it was amazing. i want it back.and yet again.. my doctor put me on anaspaz after lotronex was removed. i was itchy, had heart murmers and a racing heart, my hands were numb, i had awful cotton mouth, i was soooo dried out, couldnt sleep and was basically totally wound up, having chills, and shaking. his nurse told me to keep taking the freaking medicine at his advice, but to cut the dose to one or two pills a day!!! needless to say, i called my pharmacist and she told me to stop immediately. i ended up talking to another gi doc and he said my symptoms were the common, very negative symtoms of that med and to stop taking it immediately. he also bitched out the nurse and my doc.whew, got that off my chest! i feel much better now i hate my doctor.know of any good ones in indiana?lindsay