PHARMACEUTICAL DRUGS IN SHORT SUPPLY. But as they are harmful why should this be a problem?

In recent months the mainstream news media have been telling everyone that there are shortages of pharmaceutical drugs. For many people, like myself, who have no use for them this was not the frightening news that it was made out to be. They are dangerous. They harm us. We are better off, healthier, without them.

But it introduces new dangers.  

• GPs have voted for pharmacists to be given powers to dispense an equivalent preparation or dosing regime when the prescribed medication is unavailable, without returning the prescription to the GP.
•  Prescribers are being advised to prioritise supplies of certain medications and to consider switching patients to unlicensed alternatives in some cases, as more than 100 drugs remain out of stock.

Yet to my surprise I have discovered that some doctors agree with my assessment. In Pulse, the GP's e-magazine, one GP wrote this in an article entitled "The drugs don't work, so why worry about shortages?"

               "Call me weird, but I reckon there’s a positive spin to the acute on chronic medicine shortage debacle..... It’s true that we’re reaching the point that shortages are even affecting the alternatives, and when there’s no alternative, there’s no drug. But actually, for me, that’s the positive. Because, frankly, I think we doctors prescribe far too many drugs"

I could not agree more, which is rare for me, agreeing with a doctor about the value of pharmaceutical drugs! He does not mention the harm caused by pharmaceutical drugs but goes on...

               "Assuming shortages continue, and extrapolating this effect, hopefully loads of patients will stop loads of drugs. When the drug unavailability issue whips the therapeutic rug from under patients’ feet, they don’t keel over. A few might suffer, but I’d argue a net benefit on the basis that many won’t notice any difference, and a significant number will probably feel better."

I wondered whether he would receive a hostile response from his colleague, so look at the foot of the article, and found comments that agreed with what he had written. One said, quite simply "Well said", another that it would not last, but another said this ....

               "Marvellous opportunity to discuss stopping HRT with the elderly users who have not yet succumbed to breast cancer and stroke".

A doctor admitting a link between Hormone Replacement Therapy and breast cancer and stroke?

It shows that some doctors do understand that pharmaceutical drugs are causing harm to their patients. It shows that doctor-morale is low, that confidence in pharmaceutical drugs is limited, even amongst doctors who spend most of their working day prescribing them. 

But I wondered how many doctors have been quite as transparently honest - when talking to their patients?