How much should patients learn about their conditions and the medications they may need to treat them? That topic has been contentious for years. For a telling example, see this post at e-patients.net about a mug emblazoned with “Please Do Not Confuse Your Googling with My Medical Degree.”
Needless to say, both doctors and patients may have different answers to this question. Some patients like to be forewarned with information so they can participate intelligently in discussing various treatment options with the physician.
Some physicians welcome patients who are so engaged that they find out about what ails them and the various ways that it might be treated. Others find it troublesome to have to answer patients’ questions, especially if the patient is referring to information found online with which the doctor may not be familiar. A physician who perceives the patient’s attitude as disrespectful or belligerent is likely to have more difficulty responding well to questions.
This reader relates a conversation with a friend that brings out the significant differences among patients in approaching this situation.
Finding Out About Remicade Side Effects:
Q. My daughter may have to go on Remicade for her Crohn’s disease. We have been researching it for the last two years, since her doctors have been talking about it for a while.
It may be inevitable, but we are concerned about the terrible Remicade side effects. She is very sensitive to all drugs, so she is wary. There is only a 50/50 chance that it will help her condition significantly.
I have a good friend whose daughter has been on Remicade for many years now, and we were discussing it yesterday. When I said my daughter has been reading about it, she said, “Tell her to stop reading.”
I asked her why not know what you are putting in your body? Her answer was that her doctor said not to read everything because if you did you wouldn’t even take a Tylenol. In my opinion, people should be careful of Tylenol, too! Is there any justification for remaining ignorant of what you are taking?
Forewarned Is Forearmed:
A. Not surprisingly, we agree with you. Forewarned is forearmed. When people know about potential drug side effects and interactions ahead of time, they can often avoid serious adverse reactions that could land them in the hospital.
We recognize that some people, like your friend, prefer not to know about possible drug complications. They likely tune out when TV commercials for prescription drugs warn about dire consequences such as heart attacks, liver failure or death.
Infliximab (Remicade) can be very useful for treating serious conditions such as Crohn’s disease, but it makes sense to know about Remicade side effects, since they can be quite serious.
