Comments on: Informed Consent Bill On Psychotropics Back In NJ

By: Kat

Kat — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:41:30 +0000

Woohoo! Way to go NJ moms! :-D

I once took both Zoloft and Paxil. They made me feel worse and made me skip classes more than the depression did. I said, “no more! I’ve got to do something else other than take these things.” Looking back, I know I did the right thing.

I think doctors *should* give info, but it is also the patient’s responsibility to take their health into their own hands–take a specific interest in their own well-being, even if it means reading things they might not think they understand. And if it means grabbing a dictionary, so be it.

But I especially support this need for informed consent in relation to medications given to a minor.

BB,
Kat ^.^

By: Lisa Van S

Lisa Van S — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:25:38 +0000

Bob,

I agree with you…

By: Laurie

Laurie — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:26:41 +0000

” Or, the Dr’s who have patients sign without reading? How about if the patient does read and sign, but says they never received any info?”

As I said at the hearing on this Bill..as it stands now you are handed a prescription and off you go. Being asked to sign something will trigger the “why am I being asked to sign for this?”. Yes, this now places some responsibility with the patient, as it should be, and it points the patient in the direction of looking for further information. What they do with that information is up to them, as with any medical information.

By: Dellianan of the Sea

Dellianan of the Sea — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:22:49 +0000

They killed my Dear Brother.

By: Jack2

Jack2 — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:16:01 +0000

I still don’t know the penalty docs could suffer for not telling the warning, but good luck guys. Bob makes a good point. You may want to make an effort to insure that this doesn’t become another piece of paper in a long stack of papers that people are given to sign - which discourages them from reading it.

For example, every time you pick up a prescription at a pharmacy and sign, you’re not signing that you picked up the script, you’re signing that you waived counseling from the pharmacist - the pharmacist must offer to counsel you. But many people just sign it without thinking twice about it.

I could see your piece of paper becoming something like the pharmacy-counseling piece of paper.

By: Pommawolf

Pommawolf — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:18:49 +0000

As a former patient who was given Paxil in early 2000, I was on the drug at an outrageous dosage. The doctor wasn’t even aware of the side effects, let alone the withdrawl. Let me tell you, being on those drugs affect your thinking, how can you think its a matter of patient responsibility when it changes the thought process?
When I stopped takingit, the doctor had no idea of side affects, and I became seriously ill. Knocked me off my feet for a week. The side effects are terible. How can anyone hold a patient responsibility when the doctors and the drugs companies were not open about anything about the drugs? Let me tell you, thedoctors are ill informed about 90% of the drugs on the marlet…and you espect the patient to be all knowledgeabe? I hardly think so. I’m 49 years old, and I will never take another of those SSR, and inform everyone of their danger.

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:07:11 +0000

Lisa-This isn’t a knock.
This is just for arguments sake…
What happens to the Dr’s who only have ass it? Or, the Dr’s who have patients sign without reading? How about if the patient does read and sign, but says they never received any info?
Whatever happened to a person spending ten minutes on the internet and looking it up themselves? I know I do.

By: Lisa Van S

Lisa Van S — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:42:39 +0000

Bob,

How so?.. Your comment sure has me stumped!!

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:25:46 +0000

This is why I have a problem with it:
It removes all personal responsibility from the patient.
If something goes wrong, the patient will have more “ammo” to go after the drug companies, doctors, pharmacists, etc…
We live in a country of morons, and this is just going to make people dumber.
Great.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:35:05 +0000

“There doesn’t appear to be a significant “down side” to this legislation. Any money that companies loose in prescription sales are likely to be gained by lower lawsuit payouts.”

Nathan you are absolutely right. If parent are fully informed about the risks, there is no basis for a lawsuit. This was never about money, this is about informing parents. I afree….there is NO downside to this.