Being prescribed an overdose (again)
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theoretica wrote: »This!
What I am wondering is about pack size - if the drug company really wanted nasal drops to be taken for only a week they would surely put them in tiny bottles with only about a week's supply.
I'll check with a chemist -- definitely a good idea.
I was given a couple of bottles of the nasal drops, so... possibly the manufacturer's really don't intend anyone to take them for more than seven days.I can understand why you do not trust the NHS, going by what you say about your parents, but millions of people are actually saved by it every year. It might just help, even at this late stage, and if you can bear it, discussing the events surrounding your parents with the appropriate doctor, so that you can get some factual answers, and it may help you put to rest your fears or maybe not.
I already have the facts. The NHS decided against a scan as their MRI machine was broken. They considered transporting my father to another nearby hospital for a scan, decided not to bother, and then took a guess at a diagnosis. He was treated for a condition he did not have. The condition that he did have meant that the treatment he was given was fatal. I wanted to pursue legal action (mostly to ensure that changes were made to prevent anyone else dying this way), but my mother was too distraught and insisted against it.
My mother had (what I now know to be) very obvious signs of bowel cancer, yet she was treated for a stomach ulcer for well over a year, when the medication made no difference. Having been unable to eat for three weeks and collapsing, she was told to take laxatives and heartburn medicine. I admitted her to hospital about four times in the next fortnight. Each time she was given a saline drip and discharged, with no attempt to find out why she was unable to eat.
Having been discharged from hospital and collapsing within the hour, I tried to call for an ambulance. The 999 operator's phone was faulty so he couldn't hear me. I tried hanging up and redialling, but the operator had kept the line open blocking my ability to redial, so I had to hunt for a mobile as my mother lay on the bathroom floor. There was a click on the first phone and suddenly the operator could hear me. I asked for an ambulance, but was told that I was wasting their time and would be put through to the police. The police answered and I said that it was an emergency and I'd asked for an ambulance. The police shouted at the operator, who muttered under his breath and connected me to the ambulance centre. :mad:
The ambulance took nearly two hours to arrive as the sat-nav stopped working, so the driver sat in a layby 500 metres from our house just waiting for the GPS to receive a signal. Unbelievable.
After over a month of not eating, she was so weak that when they eventually realised she had stage-III cancer, they could not treat her as she was too weak. So she died.
I haven't even begun to list all the incompetencies we faced, but needless to say, if my parents had any kind of adequate care, they would very likely be alive today.
The one thing I will say about the NHS, is that the actual medical procedures (when they have properly diagnosed you) are excellent. Triage, GP services and nursing are absolutely disgraceful. I don't really blame the staff too much -- it's the lack of time and money. And now the f***ing Tories are trying to kill the NHS (and half the population).
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/14/no-extra-money-for-nhs-theresa-may-tells-health-chief
Sorry if this turned into a bit of a rant. Every area of NHS care provided to my parents (except surgical procedures) was an absolute farce. Losing my parents was devastating. Knowing that I could have fought harder, shouted louder, and battled more aggressively to get suitable treatment plays on my mind. You really need someone determined to fight your corner if you want to survive NHS treatment.0 -
Not to continue my rant, but I was also furious with the oncologist who openly lied to us about my mother's condition. By then, it had been confirmed that the cancer had spread to her ovaries and lungs. But the oncologist repeatedly contradicted this and suggested my mother and I were "confused".
I had to insist that the two contradicting doctors meet face-to-face with us and argue amongst themselves as to my mother's condition. Eventually the oncologist agreed that she had misled us as she didn't want us to "worry unnecessarily".
Just to be clear, at this point, it was agreed by all staff that her condition was terminal. So what f***ing difference does it make?! Why would an oncologist so cruelly and deliberately lie to us?! Argh!0 -
I was prescribed a dose of something for months which was 50% over the max dose in the leaflet. When I challenged my GP he said he'd written to the drugs company seeking advice on the risks of doing so, but that it was his belief that it would be beneficial. They confirmed It was ok, subject to the GP checking extra-carefully for any contra-indications.0
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It just seems strange that the leaflet explicitly contradicts the doctor's advice. Most drug info leaflets say something like, "Do not exceed the stated dose unless advised by your doctor". Doctors are experts in health conditions. Pharmacists are experts in medicines. Please, speak to your pharmacist.
Don't steroids cause problems with the immune system? Is it possible that the LD50 of steroids might be huge, but the complications that can occur indirectly due to overdose might be significant...? Not in a normally healthy individual. You seem to be clutching at straws.
I really don't know much about medicine, so maybe I'm worrying about nothing. But it makes it hard to know who to trust when the people making the drugs are giving different advice to doctors. There should be some kind of campaign to stop people being given contradictory messages over something so important.
There won't be a campaign; the information leaflet is for INFORMATION, and only that - you need to differentiate that the general information leaflet is general information for all patients, and specific medical advice about your specific personal medical history and situation are two completely different things.0 -
I'll check with a chemist -- definitely a good idea.
I was given a couple of bottles of the nasal drops, so... possibly the manufacturer's really don't intend anyone to take them for more than seven days.
I already have the facts. The NHS decided against a scan as their MRI machine was broken. They considered transporting my father to another nearby hospital for a scan, decided not to bother, and then took a guess at a diagnosis. He was treated for a condition he did not have. The condition that he did have meant that the treatment he was given was fatal. I wanted to pursue legal action (mostly to ensure that changes were made to prevent anyone else dying this way), but my mother was too distraught and insisted against it.
My mother had (what I now know to be) very obvious signs of bowel cancer, yet she was treated for a stomach ulcer for well over a year, when the medication made no difference. Having been unable to eat for three weeks and collapsing, she was told to take laxatives and heartburn medicine. I admitted her to hospital about four times in the next fortnight. Each time she was given a saline drip and discharged, with no attempt to find out why she was unable to eat.
Having been discharged from hospital and collapsing within the hour, I tried to call for an ambulance. The 999 operator's phone was faulty so he couldn't hear me. I tried hanging up and redialling, but the operator had kept the line open blocking my ability to redial, so I had to hunt for a mobile as my mother lay on the bathroom floor. There was a click on the first phone and suddenly the operator could hear me. I asked for an ambulance, but was told that I was wasting their time and would be put through to the police. The police answered and I said that it was an emergency and I'd asked for an ambulance. The police shouted at the operator, who muttered under his breath and connected me to the ambulance centre. :mad:
The ambulance took nearly two hours to arrive as the sat-nav stopped working, so the driver sat in a layby 500 metres from our house just waiting for the GPS to receive a signal. Unbelievable.
After over a month of not eating, she was so weak that when they eventually realised she had stage-III cancer, they could not treat her as she was too weak. So she died.
I haven't even begun to list all the incompetencies we faced, but needless to say, if my parents had any kind of adequate care, they would very likely be alive today.
The one thing I will say about the NHS, is that the actual medical procedures (when they have properly diagnosed you) are excellent. Triage, GP services and nursing are absolutely disgraceful. I don't really blame the staff too much -- it's the lack of time and money. And now the f***ing Tories are trying to kill the NHS (and half the population).
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/14/no-extra-money-for-nhs-theresa-may-tells-health-chief
Sorry if this turned into a bit of a rant. Every area of NHS care provided to my parents (except surgical procedures) was an absolute farce. Losing my parents was devastating. Knowing that I could have fought harder, shouted louder, and battled more aggressively to get suitable treatment plays on my mind. You really need someone determined to fight your corner if you want to survive NHS treatment.
I think you need to speak to someone about this - for your own sanity. Perhaps a work with a therapist would enable you to continue on with your life in a positive way.
And if you're unhappy with the treatment your parents received, a complaint should be lodged - if that has been done and you are still unhappy, start legal proceedings.0 -
Sure. At a lower dosage, the steroids I was prescribed could be taken for longer.
You don't think that taking more than the safe dose as advised by the manufacturer constitutes an overdose? What does "overdose" mean, if not that?
Just a heads up - an overdose is a large amount of the drug over a short period of time, and both of those criteria would need to be filled (and in your cases they were not). Related to the LD50.
Maybe google Neuroticism?0 -
DomRavioli wrote: »Maybe google Neuroticism?
Maybe google "passive aggressive disorder"? :rotfl:0 -
Maybe google "passive aggressive disorder"? :rotfl:
You're literally the person who thinks 4 weeks of nasal drops is an overdose. You're a healthcare professional's nightmare, and its people like you who waste NHS money on minor ailments with a GP appointment.
And you still need to sort out that little issue of you being absolutely ridiculous over your parents deaths. Either do something about it, or do something about you. Whinging won't help.0 -
DomRavioli wrote: »You're literally the person who thinks 4 weeks of nasal drops is an overdose. You're a healthcare professional's nightmare, and its people like you who waste NHS money on minor ailments with a GP appointment.
And you still need to sort out that little issue of you being absolutely ridiculous over your parents deaths. Either do something about it, or do something about you. Whinging won't help.
Oh dear... you're losing focus. I take you have nothing constructive to add to the thread?0 -
Drama queen springs to mind :eek:If you change nothing, nothing will change!!0
This discussion has been closed.
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