Community Chat

[Mary Bailey]

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@sunala wrote:

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@Mary Bailey wrote:

You can check to see if your Dr gets payment or compensation from the drug companies

This was posted by Clark Howard's website 

https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/

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@Mary Bailey wow my internist is on the list, $1200 worth. So can someone explain exactly what this means?

He is always so generous with samples and you leave with a little shopping bag that has saved me many hundreds of dollars.

What did he do wrong?

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@sunala  I don't think he did any thing wrong.  It's a watchdog list.  You have to decide if it effects you or his treatment of you. Our GP is on the list also.  It's not enough that I would confront him with it or switch providers. 

[Lucky Charm]

One of my favorite doctors in the whole wide world is listed at over $68,000, (and I don't care!).

I think we saw another one we know for over $133K.  Worth it, they save lives.  Big time.

[willdob3]

My PCP is on the list for close to $2000. Doesn't surprise me but it doesn't scare me either.

I'm too pro-active and knowledgeable about my own needs (and research anything new that comes up) to be influenced by a doctor interested in prescribing meds instead of actually helping patients get better/improve their health.  My PCP is aware of my drugs-as-last-option point of view and probably keeps me around as entertainment. lol 

[Buck-i-Nana]

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@Q4u wrote:

BTW.... there is growing evidence that Statin Drugs raise blood sugar levels!  Which lead to Diabetes....

There has been a huge outcry that diabetes has become an epidemic.

The Statin epidemic started prior to that!  Any correlation?  I think so.

https://www.google.com/?ion=1&espv=2#q=do%20statin%20drugs%20cause%20diabetes%3F

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A number of anti-depressants also raise blood sugar levels.

[Q4u]

The only problem I can see with this is that the doctor receiving payment may (not necessarily) but may be somewhat biased toward the company the doctor is receiving the money from!

Let's say my doctor wanted me to go off my diabetes medication (old, cheap, reliable and effective, which she HAS recommended I do so)  and wants me to switch to a new diabetes medication that's highly advertised and has a serious concealed problem... is that recommendation based on MY particular case and well being, or the fact that she may receive payments from that pharma?   

My doctor has done this.  AND I've found her name on the list of doctors receiving money.

It leaves me suspicious, and I admit I'm far more suspicious than most.  AND I don't resent anyone making money.  However, it presents a conflict of interest and leads the patient (consumer) to suspect motive.

I firmly believe that my doctor (have had her 5 years) is very competent and has my best interests at heart..... but I can also see that it would be tempting to "recommend" a drug from a company that is paying you (for whatever).

And what about those doctors who have invested money in a new drug (hard to find this info!)....  

From the Business Insider:

"A recent study of 334,000 physicians found that "when a drug company pays a doctor he is more likely to prescribe that company’s drug."

Specifically, when a doctor accepts small payments from a pharmaceutical company (<$1,000/year), he writes about 20 more prescriptions for that company's drugs each year. When payments are greater than $1,000, there can be as many as 60 additional prescriptions, the study found. (The association held true even when the researchers controlled for factors that might confound those findings.)."

http://www.businessinsider.com/john-oliver-takes-down-prescription-drug-industry-2015-2

Also from the Business Insider:

The top 20 drugs the drug companies are paying Doctors the most to promote:

Here are the top 20 and the conditions they're used to treat:

1. Victoza, type-2 diabetes

2. Eliquis, anti-clotting drug

3. Brilinta, blood-thinner

4. Invokana, type-2 diabetes

5. Latuda, schizophrenia

6. Xarelto, anti-clotting drug

7. Humira, arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease

8. Tudorza, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

9. Daliresp,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

10. Abilify Maintena, schizophrenia

11. Abilify, schizophrenia

12. Linzess, irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, chronic idiopathic constipation

13. Pradaxa, anti-clotting

14. Tradjenta, type-2 diabetes

15. Belviq, weight loss drug

16. Copaxone, multiple sclerosis

17. Samsca, hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood)

18. H. P. Acthar, infantile spasms, multiple sclerosis, endocrine disorders, arthritis, lupus

19. Symbicort, asthma

20. Aubagio, multiple sclerosis

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-drugs-are-doctors-paid-the-most-to-promote-2015-1

[Q4u]

Please understand that the information I posted is not to make anyone feel badly regarding their doctor. Many (including myself) are very happy with their doctor.

It's to let you know that doctor's are human and we (as customers) have to understand what our bodies are doing (the best we can).... be suspect and research the drugs that are recommended to us and if something doesn't make sense, to ask questions about it!

[willdob3]

Long-term use of Prednisone can cause insulin resistance and diabetes. 

When insulin is given to those with diabetes II, it may balance blood sugar but it causes higher insulin and actually makes the diabetes worse. This is one reason diabetes II was mistakenly labeled a progressive disease. 

[Trinity11]

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@Q4u wrote:

The only problem I can see with this is that the doctor receiving payment may (not necessarily) but may be somewhat biased toward the company the doctor is receiving the money from!

Let's say my doctor wanted me to go off my diabetes medication (old, cheap, reliable and effective, which she HAS recommended I do so)  and wants me to switch to a new diabetes medication that's highly advertised and has a serious concealed problem... is that recommendation based on MY particular case and well being, or the fact that she may receive payments from that pharma?   

My doctor has done this.  AND I've found her name on the list of doctors receiving money.

It leaves me suspicious, and I admit I'm far more suspicious than most.  AND I don't resent anyone making money.  However, it presents a conflict of interest and leads the patient (consumer) to suspect motive.

I firmly believe that my doctor (have had her 5 years) is very competent and has my best interests at heart..... but I can also see that it would be tempting to "recommend" a drug from a company that is paying you (for whatever).

And what about those doctors who have invested money in a new drug (hard to find this info!)....  

From the Business Insider:

"A recent study of 334,000 physicians found that "when a drug company pays a doctor he is more likely to prescribe that company’s drug."

Specifically, when a doctor accepts small payments from a pharmaceutical company (<$1,000/year), he writes about 20 more prescriptions for that company's drugs each year. When payments are greater than $1,000, there can be as many as 60 additional prescriptions, the study found. (The association held true even when the researchers controlled for factors that might confound those findings.)."

http://www.businessinsider.com/john-oliver-takes-down-prescription-drug-industry-2015-2

Also from the Business Insider:

The top 20 drugs the drug companies are paying Doctors the most to promote:

Here are the top 20 and the conditions they're used to treat:

1. Victoza, type-2 diabetes

2. Eliquis, anti-clotting drug

3. Brilinta, blood-thinner

4. Invokana, type-2 diabetes

5. Latuda, schizophrenia

6. Xarelto, anti-clotting drug

7. Humira, arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease

8. Tudorza, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

9. Daliresp,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

10. Abilify Maintena, schizophrenia

11. Abilify, schizophrenia

12. Linzess, irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, chronic idiopathic constipation

13. Pradaxa, anti-clotting

14. Tradjenta, type-2 diabetes

15. Belviq, weight loss drug

16. Copaxone, multiple sclerosis

17. Samsca, hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood)

18. H. P. Acthar, infantile spasms, multiple sclerosis, endocrine disorders, arthritis, lupus

19. Symbicort, asthma

20. Aubagio, multiple sclerosis

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-drugs-are-doctors-paid-the-most-to-promote-2015-1

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Thank you for posting this. The hospital where I received my stents after a heart attack back in June were giving EVERYONE Brilinta. Everyone.  I came home unable to walk. It left me so breathless that I thought I wasn't going to live much longer. Now I am taking an older drug in place of it because I demanded to be taken off it. I was placed on Plavix and now can walk.

I also keyed in my doctors and found that almost all of them are taking over $10,000.00 a year which gives me food for thought, that's for sure.

[willdob3]

I've been reading today in a book called, The Obesity Code, by Jason Fung, MD. It has a lot of valuable - and current - info/science on obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. I highly recommend it to anyone with any of these issues of who is concerned about them. The info is also available on his website/blog which is easily found by googling his name.

[momtochloe]

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@Trinity11 wrote:

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@Q4u wrote:

The only problem I can see with this is that the doctor receiving payment may (not necessarily) but may be somewhat biased toward the company the doctor is receiving the money from!

Let's say my doctor wanted me to go off my diabetes medication (old, cheap, reliable and effective, which she HAS recommended I do so)  and wants me to switch to a new diabetes medication that's highly advertised and has a serious concealed problem... is that recommendation based on MY particular case and well being, or the fact that she may receive payments from that pharma?   

My doctor has done this.  AND I've found her name on the list of doctors receiving money.

It leaves me suspicious, and I admit I'm far more suspicious than most.  AND I don't resent anyone making money.  However, it presents a conflict of interest and leads the patient (consumer) to suspect motive.

I firmly believe that my doctor (have had her 5 years) is very competent and has my best interests at heart..... but I can also see that it would be tempting to "recommend" a drug from a company that is paying you (for whatever).

And what about those doctors who have invested money in a new drug (hard to find this info!)....  

From the Business Insider:

"A recent study of 334,000 physicians found that "when a drug company pays a doctor he is more likely to prescribe that company’s drug."

Specifically, when a doctor accepts small payments from a pharmaceutical company (<$1,000/year), he writes about 20 more prescriptions for that company's drugs each year. When payments are greater than $1,000, there can be as many as 60 additional prescriptions, the study found. (The association held true even when the researchers controlled for factors that might confound those findings.)."

http://www.businessinsider.com/john-oliver-takes-down-prescription-drug-industry-2015-2

Also from the Business Insider:

The top 20 drugs the drug companies are paying Doctors the most to promote:

Here are the top 20 and the conditions they're used to treat:

1. Victoza, type-2 diabetes

2. Eliquis, anti-clotting drug

3. Brilinta, blood-thinner

4. Invokana, type-2 diabetes

5. Latuda, schizophrenia

6. Xarelto, anti-clotting drug

7. Humira, arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease

8. Tudorza, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

9. Daliresp,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

10. Abilify Maintena, schizophrenia

11. Abilify, schizophrenia

12. Linzess, irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, chronic idiopathic constipation

13. Pradaxa, anti-clotting

14. Tradjenta, type-2 diabetes

15. Belviq, weight loss drug

16. Copaxone, multiple sclerosis

17. Samsca, hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood)

18. H. P. Acthar, infantile spasms, multiple sclerosis, endocrine disorders, arthritis, lupus

19. Symbicort, asthma

20. Aubagio, multiple sclerosis

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-drugs-are-doctors-paid-the-most-to-promote-2015-1

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Thank you for posting this. The hospital where I received my stents after a heart attack back in June were giving EVERYONE Brilinta. Everyone.  I came home unable to walk. It left me so breathless that I thought I wasn't going to live much longer. Now I am taking an older drug in place of it because I demanded to be taken off it. I was placed on Plavix and now can walk.

I also keyed in my doctors and found that almost all of them are taking over $10,000.00 a year which gives me food for thought, that's for sure.

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@Trinity11 this makes me so angry as it made your condition far worse than it had to be based on greed.  God bless you are doing/feeling better and I find this more than sad that we need to scope out our doctor's in terms of big pharma payments in spite of that pesky Hippocratic Oath . . . "First do no harm" . . . I guess unless it lines my pockets . . . boo.