Launching
Prescription Inserts
by Mike Murray Feb 2000
Editor's Note: Human
prescriptions list side effects and potentially
lethal allergic/adverse reactions. Veterinary prescriptions come
do not. DO NOT start your dog on any new
veterinary medication at night or on a weekend.
Mike Murray ©
TheDogPlace Feb. 2000
- With all the controversy surrounding the use of the drug Revolution
(and others) I'd like to propose a
solution. One that benefits everyone, but pets most of all.
I started out by doing a
little research on the drug. The drug manufacturer states under
Adverse Conditions: (<=0.5% of 1763 treated cats and dogs reported
symptoms) which means if you treat 1,000 dogs, five might have adverse
reactions. Now I know that no drug is 100% safe 100% of the time.
Penicillin
changed the world, yet some people will die if given penicillin for
a scratch. Every night on TV I see ads for Rogaine, Propecia,
Prozac, etc. and they always have the disclaimer - some people may
exhibit certain side effects such as vomiting, nausea, etc., be sure
to check with your doctor. So it seems to me to become a question of
what is acceptable risk. Add to this the fact that you are using a
substance that by it's very nature you know is a toxin to at least
some organisms, and is seems that there has to be an understandable
level of risk.
The fault here, in my opinion,
is one of education. The vet should explain to the dog owner the
possibility of side effects, and what to look for. With every
prescription I get, they always put a page of instructions in the bag.
It lists possible side effects, what medications should not be taken
together, and what to do if I do have an adverse reaction. And
certainly, the vet should recognize the possibility of side effects, and
know how to promptly treat them.
I don't think you can
expect a drug company to make a drug that is 100% safe. Even if they
handed out placebo's, a diabetic will react to the sugar pills. But
they do have a responsibility to make it as safe as they can, and
then to educate the veterinarians that will be dispensing the
product. Then it becomes the vets responsibility to inform the pet
owner.
Though pharmacies have been taking heat lately for incorrectly
filling prescriptions, they do perform one added service. They are a
safety check for busy doctors who don't take the time to fully
inform the patient about the drug they just prescribed. The
reputable ones will at least give you a fact sheet on the drug.
Maybe vets should do the
same thing because pet owners need to be better educated about the
drugs their pets are receiving, and the vet is the front man for the
drug companies. If a vet doesn't know or understand a drug, they
have no business prescribing it.
Prescription inserts seem to be the logical answer. In the long run,
it would be cheaper for the drug companies to provide fact sheets on
their product than to settle numerous lawsuits,
and they are providing a service to the end users of their
products. If consumers are better educated about a prescription
drug, that drug in turn becomes a safer product.
So when your pet is prescribed
a medication, ask for a fact sheet just like my pharmacist gives me. In
print that I can read, and terms that I can understand. Drug companies
save on litigation, I'm happier, and my pet is safer and healthier.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Within a week after this was published, Pfizer issued a press
release stating that they were going to begin issuing product
information with every prescription. Coincidentally (?) Pfizer used
wording almost identical to Murray's, even to the same 'local pharmacy'
analogy. TheDogPlace thanks Pfizer for taking this first step but PRESCRIPTION INSERTS will remain a PROJECT until
all veterinary medications contain information warning of potential side effects and
adverse reactions.
Update as of
Feb. 2005 many vets still say there is no insert information available whereas the drug companies claim, understandably, that is not
so.
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http://www.thedogplace.org/PROJECT/Inserts/Prescription-Insert-2000_Murray.asp
PRESCRIPTION INSERT
INFORMATION
