| People
react differently to the same medication – a medication that
works well for someone else might not be the best choice for you.
Often there is no way to know ahead of time which drug will work best
for a specific person. Frequently, the best that science can tell
us are the chances of known benefit or risk by examining health results
in a group of people who may be similar to you or different from you
in important ways. |
This
is similar to what happens in a lottery. Each person has so many chances
to win or lose, based on estimates of the odds of winning or losing. |
About
Drug Families
Many drugs are so similar that they are considered to be in the
same "family" or "drug class." Drugs in the same class
are often substituted for each other even if research has not been done
for each of the specific drugs. If one type of medication has not worked
for you, there may be another drug in the same medication "family"
or "drug class" which may work very well. Be aware, however,
that drugs in the same family may differ in both their effectiveness and
their side effects. You do not always have to change to a newer, more
expensive drug to find a solution. However, sometimes a newer drug may
be the best solution for you.
About
New Drugs
Many of us become hopeful when we learn about a new drug on the
market. But new does not always mean improved. We need good science, through
evidence-based medicine, to learn if a new drug really is better –
or even as good as – the older drug. And sometimes this takes time
before we know.
Many patients
begin treatment with lifestyle changes and older drugs that are frequently
“over-the-counter.” Many of these patients do well without
ever needing the newer and usually more expensive medications.
There are
some definite advantages to taking this more conservative approach:
| Advantages
of a Conservative Approach to Drug Use |
| Safety |
- Older
medications may be safer.
- Newer
medications are sometimes found after a year or more to have unsuspected
side effects or health risks.
- Most
long-term risks of newly-approved medications are not known until
physicians discover unsuspected side effects in their patients
over time. (For example, it took several years before it was discovered
that certain drugs used by millions of people to treat heart attacks
actually increased heart problems.)
|
| Effectiveness |
- Many
newer medications provide little improvement for patients.
- Even
when effective advertising and marketing make it appear that the
newer medications are “breakthroughs,” often they
are not.
|
| Cost |
- Cost
is a real issue.
- Older
drugs are frequently less expensive than newer medications.
|
However,
many new drugs are significant advances in health care. You need to make
a decision based on what you feel may be most right for you.
|