Doctor A vs. Doctor B

health related issues, lessons learned, Teaching and Education 2 Minutes

As a result of my recent health scare, I am taking more meds than I have ever taken in my life. I don’t like taking so many meds, but if they help me avoid surgery, then I guess it will be worth it.

But one of the problems is that there has recently become a difference of opinion between two of my doctors on which particular medicine to take.

One of the doctors who treated me during my hospital stay put me on medicine A. When I later followed up with my family doctor, he told me to stop taking medicine A and switch to Medicine B.

I wasn’t sure what to do, so I called the doctor from the hospital to let him know what my family doctor said, and he insisted I stay on medicine A. I decided to go with his advice, thinking that he was the one that saw me in the hospital and might know more about my situation.

A few days later I started to have some side effects that seemed to be related to medicine A, so when I went to my family doctor about it, he told me to stop taking it, after consulting with the doctor from the hospital. However, he also recommended I not start on medicine B at the moment until the side effects went away.

Well, the side effects seem to have faded away, and the family doctor told me to take medicine B, which I decided to do.

I’m a little bit nervous, because tomorrow is my follow-up with the doctor from the hospital. It will be interesting to hear his thoughts…

It doesn’t seem right for the patient to be caught in the middle, and having to decide what is the best course of action. It would be nice if there was an independent party, perhaps a doctor from the insurance company, who provides case oversight, and would be responsible for talking with both doctors and arriving at a consensus.

In the meantime, I try to inform myself, but a lot of what I read is beyond my comprehension (no surprise there).

Hopefully, in a few months, I’ll be medicine-free, and this controversy will just be an interesting footnote…

 

 

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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66 thoughts on “Doctor A vs. Doctor B”

  1. Ugh! You are right, you shouldn’t be put in the middle of 2 Drs! Have you been with your family Dr a long time? Time to have built up a trust with him?
    Hoping with you that things can be settled soon and that you won’t need the meds much longer and no more side effects! Hate side effects. I am a mess for Drs when it comes to pills, for there are so many I can’t take.

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  2. That’s a tricky situation, especially since they’re the experts. I would be interested in hearing what the original doctor says. It doesn’t necessarily mean either one was wrong (every patient reacts differently to prescriptions), but it would be more comforting if they agreed. If the original doctor is a professional (I’m assuming he is), he shouldn’t be defensive about you going with the second doctor’s advice, especiallyafter you reacted to the meds.

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    1. the appointment today went well; the doctor explained his position and helped me make a slightly more informed decision… 🙂

      he was not upset with the other doctor; he understood where he was coming from…

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  3. It is a difficult situation to be in, Jim. When we don’t know, all we can do is take their advice. When it differs, we need someone to help guide us through. A friend is currently in a similar situation. She’s in terrible pain after two knee replacements. A pain specialist prescribed morphine – as much as she wanted when needed. But it made her sick. Now that’s she’s not on it, the pain is intolerable. I hope both she and you find appropriate solutions soon.

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  4. That is a difficult situation, indeed. Wouldn’t it be nice if the two doctors could just discuss it over like professionals, and come to an understanding so you could at least be taking medicine which they both agree to?

    Hope you become medicine-free soon! Stay healthy.

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  5. Medicine, like many other things in life, can have more than one road that leads to the same destination. I think they are both choosing what they feel is the best medicine for your issue, and there may not be a readily discernable choice of one over the other. That being said, if they both accomplish the same thing, then how well you tolerate the medicine becomes the next benchmark to consider. There is nothing wrong with asking why the prefer one over the other, but who you decide to listen to is strictly up to you. I have a tendency to trust my family physician only because she sees me more often and I think has a better handle on my general health. Hope you will be better soon and the medications will be a thing of the past!

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  6. that’s a challenging position to be put into, especially when you are trying to heal and not at your best. as other readers said, they both seem to have good intentions, and have finally discussed it between them. you don’t have to feel bad about consulting your own doctor, as the common advice is to always seek an opinion. it’s important to be your own advocate in the end, and challenging when it delves into an area that is not in your field of expertise. it may be a bit awkward, but hopefully you can get a resolution and a better understanding of the advice given to you. it is unfortunate that there is not a group of trusted people to consult, but they may also have their own advice. not sure I would want insurance companies providing these consultants, though.

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    1. thank you for your thoughtful insight, Beth. The doctor today did explain things a bit better to me today, so that was helpful. In hindsight, maybe an insurance doctor may not be the best choice.

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  9. Call me a cynic, but I’d guess that the ‘independent’ doctor from the insurance company would go for the cheaper medicine, if there’s a price differential. You guys need a healthcare system which isn’t based on profit. Having said that, I hope you get the best outcome and are soon back to your best and off all the meds.

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  10. I’d take the pill that looks the prettiest. But this sounds like quite a dilemma. You want the best outcome for your health, but have two different professionals offering conflicting advice. Sounds kinds of confusing and stressful, to me.

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  11. It would have been nice if the two doctors would consult with each other, argue their case, and come to an agreement as to the best course of action. This way it may be an informed decision, by professionals that hopefully took everything into account. On the other hand, perhaps they are getting kickbacks from different drug companies that want them to push their products?

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  12. Maybe you want to ask your pharmacist for some information. They often know more about medications then doctors do. A lot of doctors get their info from pharmaceutical reps who are trying to get them to use the drug. Or at least that’s how it is here. Hopefully you can ditch them all soon.

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  13. Doctors should explain medication side effects, costs, and alternatives. If they don’t, its up to patients to ask. In the final analysis it is our decision as to which treatments and medication we take. Drug companies sometimes pay doctors to prescribe their drugs and have other ways of influencing their decisions on drugs to prescribe. Drug companies employee reps to visit docs and promote their products. Those reps are compensated based on drug sales. I wonder if all the meds you are being prescribed are necessary. The opioid problem arose because of over prescribing, which resulted from drug company promotion of opioids. Insurance companies have their own biases as far as treatments and drugs. Patients are in control of their healthcare.

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    1. I agree that patients need to be their own advocate, but it would make such a responsibility easier if doctors did as you said in terms of explaining their reasoning behind prescribing such a pill and the possible side effects…

      and we always have to consider someone’s incentive for their behavior…

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  14. This is a tough one Jim. There are so many side affects from medicines these days and adverse reactions and interactions with other drugs. I would suggest that your family doctor has a fuller picture of your health and the hospital doctor has a bigger ego. (They usually do…)
    Hope you become medicine free !!

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    1. thanks for your well wishes, Val. Both these doctors are fairly new to me, so I have not built up a relationship with either one, but they both seem like caring doctors. My previous family doctor went concierge…

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  17. I think that no one size fits all and different people will either have no side effects, some side effects or more side effects also doctors use different medicines for the same illness/disease and generally know more about the particular medicine they prescribe …Your family doctor may have been aware of the side effects of pill A and maybe pill B doesn’t have as many in most cases…A grey area as it depends on an individuals reaction to medicine…

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  19. I would ask each their rationale as which med to take. I have been in that same situation. Sometimes it is a matter of Physician preference but sometimes there is a particular reason why they want that certain medication for you. When I have had a discrepancy with Drs and meds I go with what the specialist says. For example, if it is a cardiac med I follow my cardiologist recommendation as he specializes in this field. If my cardiologist is ordering a no. Cardiac med I find out why and talk with my family med dr on it.

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    1. the doctor did explain his rationale to me earlier this week, and it made sense. And you are right, all things considered, it seems like a specialist may have bit more knowledge about which medication is the most effective…

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  20. My granddaughter was caught in between two different opinions about her left wrist, which couldn’t bear much weight. She has gymnast’s wrist, and will likely need surgery. A third doctor concurred with Doctor B.

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  21. Coincidentally I just went through A and B with hub’s hospital doctor today who decided he wants to test things and changed up some of hub’s meds today. And so funny I’ve been drafting a post of hub’s recent ongoing hospital journey and the two doctors referred to are Dr. A and Dr. B lol 🙂

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