Prescription drugs, what is your opinion of them? I have heard so much negative about them in the past years.?

Question

Are prescription drugs necessary or should we rely upon more natural remedies and lifestyle changes such as natural supplements, exercise, and diet? Do prescription drugs actually harm our bodies over time or do they actually improve our overall health? What is your opinion on this matter?

Answer 1

It totally depends on the drug. Would I trust a natural remedy for something like a cold? Probably. Joint pain? Menopause symptoms? Yes. But I wouldn't use herbs to treat strep throat, prevent malaria, cure a kidney infection, etc.

Healthy lifestyle makes a difference in preventing illness, but for getting rid of infections I would go with conventional medicine. On the other hand, a lot of prescription drugs, like blood pressure pills, oral diabetes pills, etc. would not be necessarily if people took care of themselves in the first place.

Answer 2

Okay, all these answers are idiotic, helpless point-answers.

The thing about prescription medications is that they vary greatly. Obviously, it would depend upon the symptoms+diagnosis. Would I suggest people rely on heavy painkiller opioid agents such as oxymorphone and hydrocodone? No. Because they can, and eventually WILL lead to physical addiction. Now, there are certain illnesses which it would be somewhat "safe" to use such medically-synthesized pharmaceuticals. What you need to find out from your doctor is what the content off the pills is. Street heroin,, for example, is made from the poppy plan and is an opiate. So for a broken leg, you may not want to take heavy painkillers - because they may not be necessary.
I agree, society wants a "magic cure" for everything. Whether a pill, a liquid, or a what-not. We don't want the pain, we want it to go away so we may continue with our busy lives. The answer to "Do they actually harm our bodies?" is yes. The liver is responsible for processing these chemicals. So its a trade-off, mate: either you give your liver a bit of hell for a short time to prevent the pain in-the-moment - or you stick it out with some less harmful, less liver-toxic OTCs. We are too pampered these days. Think waaay back when the primitive man broke a leg. "Ouch" is probably all he thought until it healed. So I'm thankful for the non-addictive alternative pain medicine we have today. It is certainly a step up from the agony our ancestors endured.

Answer 3

depends on the class of drugs, some like antidepressants are used way too much, others like blood pressure meds arent used enough. there are positives and negatives, you need to weigh the risks and benefits. prescription drugs get a lot of bad rap though, especially on the internet.

excercise and diet are great- its pretty well established that people who excercise and eat a balanced diet, dont smoke, and drink in moderation have roughly 90% less type 2 diabetes, 70% less heart disease and 60% less cancer than those who dont. natural remedies are really over rated. i bet 3 out of 4 or more dont work any better than a sugar pill. mainly because when something natural does work, the drug companies patent it and snatch it up, then it becomes an "evil prescription drugs." natural products are the scraps from the pharmaceutical industry's table that they dont want. i try to tell people that all the time on here but nobody listens to me. people dont understand that your body doesnt actually care if it came from nature or a lab, all that matters is how it chemically interacts with your body. so the natural products that do work have risks and adverse effects just like Rx drugs. in fact many Rx drugs come from plants

Answer 4

My 63+ opinion (years, that is!) is that we rely too heavily on prescription medications. Remember, our ancestors had none (of course they died of some problems that could have been solved had they had access to some meds). On the other hand, people my age almost all have allergies at least to penicillin, if not to sulfa, as well. This is because those were the first medications discovered that could solve some of our ills, and they were over-used to the point that now when I actually do need intervention with an antibiotic, there is a very narrow path the doctor can pick because of my allergies. Given that, I vote in favor of using medications only when we have to. I have to routinely take only two meds and am temporarily taking a simple antiobiotic (and I take it only when absolutely necessary) due to a stray cat bite. Exercising more, eating healthier foods and homeopathics are my choice - along with acupuncture if needed. I seldom have to see a doctor and am healthy as a horse, as my doctor says (when I see her!).

Answer 5

I love them! The average death rate used to be 40 or less before precription drugs. The only reason people critize them is the cost. I'm from Canada and you don't here as much critism from the drug companies as the the US citizens. We complain about our banks, because we pay large banking fees, that you guys in the US don't.

Answer 6

Certain drugs have to be taken in order to stay alive. Certain ailments like heart disease are hereditary and drugs are necessary. There are side effects but have no choice. Drugs can also kill if abused.

Answer 7

I would rather take risks with rare side effects of prescribed medication that risk my life with "natural" remedies which may or may not work.

PS My life is dependant on about 5 prescribed drugs!!

Answer 8

I take drugs
Drugs r cool...
They cure things....
They make life bearable when we didn't take care of ourselves from the start or when accidents happen..
~that's my opinion....and another friend made...