Can someone please explain the doctor’s thinking who wrote the following prescriptions for a healthy woman with no past medical history in her 40’s with severe sciatica and feeling “hot” (but no real fever measured or present in the office), no cough or sore throat, no dysuria, no GI symptoms, or URI things going on? No testing of any sort was done in office – the visit (a few hours before she limped into the ER) lasted 10 minutes and a cursory (I imagine) exam was performed.
A. Tamiflu
B. Augmentin BID for a week
C. Bactrim DS for a week
E. Prednisone 10mg a day for a week.
WTF??!??!?!!?
I gave her some pain meds, NSAIDS, and proper dose of steroids and she felt much better. I swabbed her for flu just for fun and of course it was negative. Her urine was also clean.
Through in some Acyclovir, Tacrolimus, Cellcept, Zofran, Micafungin and multiple the Prednisone prescription by 16 and she could be s/p BMT!
WTF indeed…if only he had remembered the Ambien, she could have slept through her misery…glad you got her back on track.
Well done.
Wow. Just – wow. That’s a whole lot of drugs for a whole lot of nothing! Let’s not even mention the rise of drug resistant organisms…
WTF? It’s like he threw darts at a PDR to decide what to do.
That’s just incompetence.
Did you give her a medrol pack for the sciatica? Had sciatica twice (ouch) and have never been given a steroid. NSAIDS and pain pills yes.
Hmm, was the doctor married to or the child of or the parent of a pharmaceutical sales rep?
WTF WTF? This is surprising to anyone? That would be a typical office visit outcome here in NW Florida – a seemingly attractive place for doctors with questionable ethics and/or intellect to set up shop. The surprising thing would be that the woman didn’t at least try for a narcotic/benzo script from you. What was she doing at the effing E.R. anyway? She wanted something for her pain? She probably thought the NSAID you wrote for contained some newfangled synthetic opiate. Her hot flashes? Maybe a little jones? No telling what b.s. she complained of to that prescription pad happy doctor. I don’t know who I find more boring – idiot doctors or idiot patients.
I was at a loss. She was in severe pain and I did not get the drug seeker vibe from her – and she had never been in my ER before except for many years ago for a broken toe. And yes, I gave her Medrol on discharge as I find it helpful for people with severe sciatica in addition to other stuff.
C.Thorn, severe sciatica hurts like hell..it’s a pretty big nerve. Doubt she was a drug seeker and trust me NSAIDS don’t quite cut it when you’re got an irritated sciatic nerve. Thanx ERP for treating her correctly and compassionately.
Only if you can tell me why a Doc once ordered a chest x-ray for complaints of burnig during urination and yes I made sure he heard me when I said, “she is complaining of pain during urination”. ????
I can only assume that the pharmacy needed to clear some random stuff out and he was just being helpful!
im guessing the doc got two patients mixed up. a frightening mistake!
still, tamiflu and bactrim? shouldn’t it be one or the other?
What no codeine to stop the cough?
I bet that doc did not bother to listen to her lungs with a stethoscope either….
Also: just as well she didn’t have a reaction to any of them!!