Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Most doctors don’t like prescribing pills

Melanie Lane, MD
Physician
September 3, 2010
39 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

I am a medical doctor.  I am also called an allopath, someone who practices “Western medicine.”

We allopaths like data, proof, science, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.  We want to know the “mechanism of action.”  We want someone to prove that yoga or medication or some procedure actually helps your depression or blood pressure or back pain and that these treatments are safe before we prescribe them.  We feel more confident about our treatment plan that way, and let’s be honest, we’re less likely to lose a lawsuit if something goes awry.

Here’s something you might not know.  Most of us don’t like prescribing pills.  If there is a safe, natural, noninvasive solution to your problem, we’d prefer to use that.  Shocked?  Consider this:  the more pills you take, the more potential adverse reactions are possible, the more responsible we are for a bad outcome.

It surprised me recently when a well educated accountant accused me of being a pill pusher.  He said, “We all know you doctors get a kick back from the drug companies for every prescription you write.”  What? Not only is that extremely immoral, it’s illegal.

Actually, the more medications we prescribe, the more money we lose.  Think about the time involved in deliberating  the risks vs benefits of prescribing a medication for someone.  Then consider the time involved in evaluating possible drug interactions with your other medications.  Then consider the liability we assume for the possibility that you might have an unforeseen reaction to the medication which results in injury or death.  And don’t forget the time and hassle of writing and faxing and calling them into your pharmacy and then haggling with your insurance company.  Prescribing medication is not a money maker.

Occasionally prescribing medication is gratifying, when you see a severe infection resolve or watch someone’s pain improve.  I am sure the oncologist feels great when a patient’s chemotherapy cures his cancer, or it is gratifying to the rheumatologist when her patient’s rheumatoid arthritis improves.  Medications are absolutely crucial to treating and occasionally curing disease.

In my opinion, most medications prescribed in the primary care setting just allow people to avoid taking responsibility for their own well-being.   Those cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar pills can prolong your life, but they won’t make you happy or well.

I don’t have any randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials to back me up, but I am willing to go out on a limb here.  I believe that most people don’t need more pills.

What they really need is permission to live long, healthy, happy lives.  Sounds silly, right?  Yet I’ve seen it over and over.  My clients and patients repeatedly sabotage their best efforts to adopt healthy lifestyles because they just don’t believe they can or deserve to be happy and well.  They’re waiting for someone to give them permission, for someone to say, “Yes!  You absolutely deserve it!”  So until you can give that permission to yourself, I am writing you a prescription:  a healthy dose of joy, wellness, inner peace, and satisfaction to be taken as many times a day as needed.  Number of refills:  infinite.

Melanie Lane is a family physician who blogs at The Doctor Weighs In.

Submit a guest post and be heard.

Prev

Mail order pharmacies have cheap prices, but also problems

September 2, 2010 Kevin 20
…
Next

The primary care specialist pay gap shouldn't be squeezed too hard

September 3, 2010 Kevin 75
…

Tagged as: Medications, Patients, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Mail order pharmacies have cheap prices, but also problems
Next Post >
The primary care specialist pay gap shouldn't be squeezed too hard

More by Melanie Lane, MD

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    How to be like Betty White when you get older

    Melanie Lane, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    All of us are role models, whether we see ourselves that way or not

    Melanie Lane, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Make the most of the time spent with a doctor to minimize patient frustration

    Melanie Lane, MD

More in Physician

  • The shifting landscape of gastroenterology manpower and compensation

    Brian Hudes, MD
  • Surgical procedures for inpatients: Addressing socioeconomic urgencies

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

    Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD
  • A message of hope for physicians

    Kim Downey, PT
  • From aversion to office politics to embracing independence

    Osmund Agbo, MD
  • Navigating medical decision-making: Embracing limits and growth

    Benjamin Wade Frush, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Ethical considerations in medicine: unity and open discourse

      Andrew Zywiec, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

      Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH | Policy
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • For newer doctors, avoid lifestyle inflation

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Chronic health issues and homelessness

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The essence of medicine: genuine connections in practice

      Jennifer Tillman, MD | Physician
    • 1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

      Patricia Celan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Is emergency medicine your calling? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Exploring disfigurement and self-worth

      Kathleen Watt | Conditions
    • AI is living up to its promise as a tool for radiology

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Tech
    • The shifting landscape of gastroenterology manpower and compensation

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 35 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • 'Con Man' Gets Another Top Hospital Job, This Time at Penn Medicine
  • TikTok Dinged for Misinformation; BRCA Risk Overestimated; Cheers for Oncology
  • Flawed Rules in No Surprises Act Hurt Doctors and Patients, Experts Say
  • IG Live September 25: When the Healers Need Healing

Meeting Coverage

  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • ERS Roundup: Cell Transplant Boosts Lung Function in COPD Patients
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Ethical considerations in medicine: unity and open discourse

      Andrew Zywiec, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

      Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH | Policy
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • For newer doctors, avoid lifestyle inflation

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Chronic health issues and homelessness

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The essence of medicine: genuine connections in practice

      Jennifer Tillman, MD | Physician
    • 1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

      Patricia Celan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Is emergency medicine your calling? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Exploring disfigurement and self-worth

      Kathleen Watt | Conditions
    • AI is living up to its promise as a tool for radiology

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Tech
    • The shifting landscape of gastroenterology manpower and compensation

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Most doctors don’t like prescribing pills
35 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...