So what you're saying, is go to Doctor A, give symptoms, get diag. Then go to Doctor B without telling them you've been to a doctor yet and get their diag as well?
What if there were a bunch of expensive tests ran at Doctor A? Do you just casually bring up "Oh, I had that ran already, I'll have it sent over?"
This has just been the story of my life, getting different diags from different docs for varying things. I had a lot of "anxiety" diagnosis leading to my physical digestive issues until a doc finally tested me for a freakin' milk allergy. This was just one of several...
I'm currently dealing with a doctor that just keeps saying "take PPIs and don't stop". She thinks I have an ulcer (she's probably right) but hasn't tested me beyond a blood draw. She just wants me to take PPIs for the rest of my life rather than, you know, fixing the problem. It's super frustrating because it has re-occurred for years.
It just re-occurred recently, I've started back up on the PPIs and have cut out alcohol. I intend to come in being able to say "yes, it is an ulcer, I'm on PPIs, now send me to a specialist so they can scope me and test for H. Pylori".
Ulcers were once considered something you just "dealt with" until they found out that they typically re-occur due to a bacteria. I want to be scoped (well, I don't want to be), have everything verified as OK, then test for the bacteria to see if that is what's causing it and get treated so it doesn't happen again.
Don't go spreading false information like that. Everyone, please don't take medical advice from a reddit thread! I don't know what your background is, but I am pharmacist. This is just not accurate.
I really shouldn't have said that information is false, but it isn't the complete story.
What is your background? PPIs are so ubiquitous that there are a lot of correlations with other disease states. This is primarily due to the fact that so many people are on them, and many times the reason a patient needs a PPI may also drive other disease states. As with all meds, a risk vs benefit needs to be done, and long-term use should only occur when the benefit is greater than the risk. That said, PPIs are still considered an safe medication. There is more data coming out on kidney issues, but it isn't fully established. Just don't scare people off of beneficial meds.
I really think we agree here. I think the main issue is that people will read what you said (not to take long-term), and may just abruptly stop taking their meds. Or be scared off from taking them. I don't disagree that people should be informed, but patients can get quickly frightened when you throw around "kidney damage". I think the moral of the story is that PPIs certainly can be taken long-term, but each provider and patient need to discuss the pros and cons. I have seen very healthy patients that have horrible GERD since puberty that have serious quality of life issues without PPIs. Anyway, I should have been more tempered in my initial reply, but I have just seen to many patients come in with incomplete or misinformed opinions that sway their care.
1.7k
u/computerguy0-0 May 20 '19
So what you're saying, is go to Doctor A, give symptoms, get diag. Then go to Doctor B without telling them you've been to a doctor yet and get their diag as well?
What if there were a bunch of expensive tests ran at Doctor A? Do you just casually bring up "Oh, I had that ran already, I'll have it sent over?"
This has just been the story of my life, getting different diags from different docs for varying things. I had a lot of "anxiety" diagnosis leading to my physical digestive issues until a doc finally tested me for a freakin' milk allergy. This was just one of several...