The Dr Who Gave Up Drugs (BBC 1)

[Bigboyuk]

Hi folks I urge everyone on meds on here to watch this 2 part documentary I missed the first one and watched about 30 mins of the second episode. Very interesting especially the 500% increase of children and teenagers being dished out these drugs often the doses are way to high and makes the patients much worse. Dr Chris Van Tulleken investigates so going to watch both episodes on BBC I-Player available for 30 days To say I was shocked by the amount of meds dr's prescribe instead of looking at alternatives instead. Well worth watching please comment after watching it here. Thx ATB

[Carnation]

I've seen something like this before, maybe the same doctor. It was based around painkillers and alternatives. If it's the same doc, I found it very fascinating BB. :)

[mezzaninedoor]

Thanks.
Will absolutely look this up as would be interesting to know the thinking behind this.

[Bigboyuk]

I've seen something like this before, maybe the same doctor. It was based around painkillers and alternatives. If it's the same doc, I found it very fascinating BB. :) Yes sounds like the same dr, I was shocked that a teenager was given 3 times the recommended does of a anti depressant (for a youngster) so its well worth watching this doc too :) ATB

---------- Post added at 13:11 ---------- Previous post was at 13:09 ----------


Thanks.
Will absolutely look this up as would be interesting to know the thinking behind this.Np mezz do post back here when you have watched it thx ATB

[vicky23]

I'm just watching it now, I'm finding it heartbreaking to watch. I know some people here have found drugs incredibly helpful and thought that it would be the same for youngsters.
I think that families in this situation are so desparate for help that of course they will try a drug prescribed by their Dr. I'm just wondering if there are any positive stories from youngsters who have found drugs helpful as the show is all very one sided against drugs. I've been on sertraline since I was 15 and find it extremely helpful and I'm so thankful for it but it was prescribed for OCD so maybe it's different :shrug:

I think that there does need to be further investigations though so drugs aren't the first line of defence.

[Bigboyuk]

I'm just watching it now, I'm finding it heartbreaking to watch. I know some people here have found drugs incredibly helpful and thought that it would be the same for youngsters.
I think that families in this situation are so desparate for help that of course they will try a drug prescribed by their Dr. I'm just wondering if there are any positive stories from youngsters who have found drugs helpful as the show is all very one sided against drugs. I've been on sertraline since I was 15 and find it extremely helpful and I'm so thankful for it but it was prescribed for OCD so maybe it's different :shrug:

I think that there does need to be further investigations though so drugs aren't the first line of defence.Ep 1 I take it you are watching haven't watched that one atall and only seen half an hr of ep 2 as it was on last night which the dr said too many people (not just teenagers) are on long term meds which isn't good I say explore all avenues first. He is convinced there are other methods like in ep 2 which I wont spoil for you where he helps a teenage girl get out of her rut :) please post your findings when you have watched both eps thx ATB

[vicky23]

No it was ep 2 I watched about depression. I do think he's right in that drugs need to stop being given out as freely as they are now but I'd like to have seen some stories about when the drugs were beneficial (if they are any!) for a more balanced show. He did say a couple of times 'you should not come off your medication if you are on it without a Dr's guidance' but I worry that families who are already in this situation may watch this (They talk to a mother who lost her teen to suicide and the girl you talked about also had an attempted suicide both while on the drugs) and panic thinking 'is my child going to kill herself because she's on these drugs'

[Bigboyuk]

No it was ep 2 I watched about depression. I do think he's right in that drugs need to stop being given out as freely as they are now but I'd like to have seen some stories about when the drugs were beneficial (if they are any!) for a more balanced show. He did say a couple of times 'you should not come off your medication if you are on it without a Dr's guidance' but I worry that families who are already in this situation may watch this (They talk to a mother who lost her teen to suicide and the girl you talked about also had an attempted suicide both while on the drugs) and panic thinking 'is my child going to kill herself because she's on these drugs'
Absolutely a lot of dr's will simply just reach out to a huge stash of different meds and write a prescription out and send you on your way :eek: Yes it was saddening to watch but also maddening too and it's not just teenagers. did you see that milk formula that beggars belief and that poor girl who wouldn't leave her room but the dr helped her and took her out for the day how cool was that :)


I take it you will be watching ep 1!? Thx for your comments Vicky ATB

[pulisa]

I didn't watch the programmes, BB, but can you imagine the average doctor going out of his/her way to help a patient ie taking them out for the day?? It just isn't going to happen. I think that girl must have been so thrilled that a medical professional actually cared enough to do that...that's half the battle. Whether he did this to enhance his TV career is anyone's guess.
Most teenage patients are just handed a prescription and told to come back in a couple of months. I get a bit suspicious of these TV doctors, I'm afraid.
(Where is Christian Jessen? Hopefully stagnating in some seedy media backwater)

[Bigboyuk]

I didn't watch the programmes, BB, but can you imagine the average doctor going out of his/her way to help a patient ie taking them out for the day?? It just isn't going to happen. I think that girl must have been so thrilled that a medical professional actually cared enough to do that...that's half the battle. Whether he did this to enhance his TV career is anyone's guess.
Most teenage patients are just handed a prescription and told to come back in a couple of months. I get a bit suspicious of these TV doctors, I'm afraid.
(Where is Christian Jessen? Hopefully stagnating in some seedy media backwater) Think you would have enjoyed it. No you are right it's not going to happen sadly. Yes she was the dr said you just have to make it through the day ;) No I believe he did it to show that meds aren't always the answer and there's always alternatives to try:yesyes: Haven't seen Christian Jessen for ages lol so cant comment on that! ATB

[pulisa]

So the doctor said that you just have to make it through the day and that meds aren't always the answer...We all know this though. I did read an article in The Times where a severely depressed girl had been "cured" by spending a day in the woods-was this featured on the programme? If it were that easy surely the psychiatrists and psychologists would lose all their business...and anxiety/depression is Big Business these days after all..

[Bigboyuk]

So the doctor said that you just have to make it through the day and that meds aren't always the answer...We all know this though. I did read an article in The Times where a severely depressed girl had been "cured" by spending a day in the woods-was this featured on the programme? If it were that easy surely the psychiatrists and psychologists would lose all their business...and anxiety/depression is Big Business these days after all.. Yes and I think he was right to say this :) the poor girl never left her room for years and was drugged up come it's no life is it :ohmy: I don't think it was featured in this programme but it was something similar along those lines. This is where the shortfall of this sort of help is needed some groups how ever do great things. Oh for sure it's big bucks for the psychiatrists and psychologists they would rather stick to what they have done for years rakeing it in :lac: ATB

[MyNameIsTerry]

Now he just needs to put forward his plan to increase the NHS budget five fold so we all have a doctor (and they will need specific mental health training) on tap.

It's like saying more mortality rates of heart attack patients can be stopped by having a cardiologist following you around all day every day with a full defib kit ready.

There are better ways but who is going to pay for them? Generic drugs are dirt cheap. So is it just the doctors or does the attitude come from on high? We could all have better treatment tomorrow as long as we don't mind other services taking a major hit to pay for it.

Also GP's are so stretched for time and money and know getting into therapy can take months. They can be faced with the difficult decision of letting you sit at home suffering on a waiting list or try meds and hope for the best.

I'm skeptical like pulisa. The NHS, via the BBC, a while back were reporting Pregabalin was causing deaths & addiction in Northern Ireland. They based their report solely on addicts to push for banning a drug. The figures provided by the NHS showed a breakdown of England, Wales, Scotland, NI which showed a disproportionate level of prescribing of this med in NI.

Now, it's a med used for pain relief too. I can remember quite a lot of violence in NI :rolleyes:...something not even mentioned in the report. The NHS just wanted to ban it, no further research suggested. That just stinks of cost cutting to me.

It's always same with Pregabalin, they focus on substance misuse to tar everyone with the same brush. The one about prisoners getting high off it was just comical... It's not like drugs are a known problem in prison now is it :doh::roflmao:

[pulisa]

I think GPs use anti depressants like a broad spectrum antibiotic-prescribe the cheapest/one Big Pharma are pushing- first, send patient away with a 2 month prescription and forget about them until patient comes back either agitated to high heaven shortly afterwards or feeling better and wanting a new script..Trial and error with potent psychotropic drugs. It would be good to be able to access a doctor at the drop of a hat but that's not reality (unless you pay through the nose for it and even then this doesn't always happen).
I got offered gabapentin or pregabalin for my nerve pain but turned it down due to the addictive nature of these drugs. The GP said she was aware of this too.

[MyNameIsTerry]

(Where is Christian Jessen? Hopefully stagnating in some seedy media backwater)

CBB? Celebrity Come Dine With me?

http://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/subject/t57109.gif (http://yoursmiles.org/t-subject.php?page=6)

---------- Post added at 02:26 ---------- Previous post was at 02:09 ----------


So the doctor said that you just have to make it through the day and that meds aren't always the answer...We all know this though. I did read an article in The Times where a severely depressed girl had been "cured" by spending a day in the woods-was this featured on the programme? If it were that easy surely the psychiatrists and psychologists would lose all their business...and anxiety/depression is Big Business these days after all..

Looks like it's a new thing:

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/ecotherapy-when-your-prescription-is-a-walk-in-the-woods-1.2685975

For years mental health charities have be pushing for more green projects and the government have been funding national programmes. But it's to help, it's not a cure.

There have been anxiety "gurus" who offer weekend retreats too. They tend to put you through days of relaxation therapies and support to then ask you to score your anxiety reduction then make the claim to have "cured" you.

Anyone who says it's that simple is talking BS as we all know. Just like the drug companies who run an 8 week trial, find the drug lowers anxiety and get it licenced without any follow up of how those patients are longer term. What would they? They can sit back and cream it in. Imagine doing that with a cancer drug?

[Bigboyuk]

Just finished watching ep1 which was a eye opener in many ways and Iam convinced that there is a huge over use of certain childrens medications like Calpol interestingly even if a child has a very high temp 40 C instantly parents reach for the Calpol :eek: A specialist in a leading hospital talked to dr Chris about this and clearly states it's a childs unique defence system that crank the body temp up to kill the viruses by using Calpol which will bring the body temp down actually can cause more harm than good. And several children take part in mindfulness through a leading specialist from Amsterdam with good results and no side effects. So any one watched ep 1 yet and would like to comment on what they think!!? ATB