Have you ever gone to the doctor for a problem and left with OUT a prescription for something?

I have to see doctors way too often to go bother them with little things. I generally wait until something is going on that will indeed require some sort of treatment. Sometimes, however, rather than a prescription for medication, I get a referral to a specialist, a surgeon, or a physical therapist.

I’m very happy if a symptom turns out to be nothing to worry about.

yes
i went to see the doctor for a wart on my head.
he cut it out.
no prescription

Many doctors feel like the patients will complain if they don’t write a script for an ailment. I don’t. Sometimes, I just want the doctor to give me advice on a problem, or order some bloodwork to see what’s going on.

I actually stopped seeing two doctors because I didn’t feel like they were listening to me. They just wrote a script and sent me out the door.

Yes, several times. We have a National Health Service here so the emphasis is not so much to dispense drugs that have to be paid for (and line the pockets of the drug companies) but to deal with the problem. If the problem can be solved by following a little advice from a doctor then that is what they will do.

Did I come across as a little cynical there? Good, that’s what I was going for

Yes, my doctor understands that I prefer to use a drug as a last resort.

My doctor appreciates that I think of my body like any other of my possesions: If I’m going to have one I might as well understand how it works as well as possible.

I research the symptoms before I go in, and if medication is recommended I also research which ones are considered the best. Another thing I do is write up a summary of what I’m going in for, and present this to the doc along with what I think might be the best course of action. You would be surprised how many doctors agree with the conclusions you’ve reached. A little research on the net goes a hell of a long way.

Kind of got off topic there: I don’t mind taking medications, but I do read up on what the doc has given me. Medications for various ailments can be extremely beneficial.

Speak for yourself.

Also, perhaps you are going to the wrong doctors. Are you seeing one of Michael Jackson’s physicians?

@Marina I don’t go to the doctor unless it’s really serious, like “I might die” serious!. And I didn’t really think this question through. Lots of times the solution is minor surgery or something.

@Marina: Low blow, but a funny one.

I don’t go to the doctor very often but the few times I have for something other than a check up, I generally don’t get drugs. Antibiotics every now and then, which are necessary, but most times I’ve gone, it’s to have whoever looks at me go, “You have the flu. Here are some decongestants so you can breathe but don’t do anything strenuous!” Usually, I don’t know what I have which is why I go so this is a very helpful thing for me. :)

Are you addressing me, Marina? I’ve read over my post a few times and can’t find anything that would warrant such a reply.

Yes, for anxiety and depression. Anxiety had always been a problem for me, depression as well though it was very very mild. My mother being diagnosed with cancer tipped me over the edge of being able to handle things on my own.

That doctor was a fucking idiot. I have never been bad enough to contemplate suicide or intentionally hurt myself as a release from anything, but if I had – based on what I told the doc I’m sure I have had many similarities to those who have they would have made a huge mistake. They told me to buck up. Smile more.

I could have screamed.

That night, I did. In the form of a three hour panic attack – which was somewhat common for me. I don’t wish it on anyone.

Luckily, the next one I saw wasn’t a fucking idiot. Gave me some meds, and I’m good now. But if I had not persevered, I would never have gotten help. That shouldn’t be the case for people like me.

Most of the time I leave without one. I very rarely get ill, most of my doctor visits are the annual check up. The most recent “emergency” visit I had was to see if I needed stitches in my hand—I probably did, but the doctor did not give them to me and my hand healed incorrectly as a result.

The last time I went to the doctor and left with a prescription was in 2006. And yes, it was a terrible prescription that frankly, I should not have been given, but that’s what you get when you go to the student health center sometimes.

Yes.

I haven’t taken any medication outside of Tylenol and other flu/cold medicines and vitamins since I was 5 years old. This is coming from a known hypochondriac. I’ve been to the doctor for smaller things like ear-related things (for some reason I lose hearing in my right ear for a day or two once a year it seems) and other odd occurrences that happened to me, and never received drugs and didn’t really want them. There were remedies that didn’t require drugs and sometimes what I was complaining about went away on its own without any intervention.

Even if I know the thing isn’t too serious, sometimes it’s just nice to hear what a professional thinks about it. Still, I pinched a nerve in my right arm a few weeks ago and had an odd extremely sensitive feeling in my arm for 3 days. I never went to the doctor and it went away on its own and hasn’t reappeared.

@Val123 I’m sorry if my reply came out snarky. I only meant that I look hard for doctors who communicate well, listen to me about my body, take the time to answer my questions, and tolerate my search for the best alternatives.

There are some doctors who do get RX happy, but we should reward them by going elsewhere.

@KatawaGrey You were right. I was trying to be funny, but I think I should have taken the Q more seriously. I thought a lot of the early answers were very good and did not think I could add anything serious.

@FutureMemory Oh, goodness no! I GA’d you. I do much the same. I thought your answer was wonderful.

I usually only go when I need medication, because they can’t do much for a virus. If I feel sick enough to see the doctor, it’s probably an infection that needs antibiotics. Otherwise, I suppose I could go without getting a prescription…like if I hurt a body part and it didn’t warrant a narcotic.
I don’t think anything when a doctor tells me it’ll go away on it’s own, and I don’t need a prescription….doctors are the experts and the whole point in going is to be sure it is not serious. So, that doesn’t bother me either.

All the time.
I rarely go to the doctor for anything besides check ups. The only prescription I’m on at all is birth control, but that’s because I asked to be on it, not because they told me I should be.
Although I’m not taking them anymore, I was given pain medication when I broke – and then re-broke – my ankle. The first time I was given Norco, the second time Vicodin. I tried not to take them too much and usually only did so when the pain was so bad that I was having trouble sleeping. I’ve still got about ⅔ of the prescription left actually.

I don’t take medicine for colds or allergies. If I have a flu, I’ll take some NyQuil before bed (but that’s not a prescription).

Yes! The majority of the time I don’t need a prescription.

I almost never need or get medication from a doctor. It’s been ages since I’ve been to one, but when I go it’s usually just a check up.

My back hurt terribly. I could barely stand up straight. I went to the doctor, and when he walked in, I told him I had a problem with stiffness, especially in the morning.
He wrote me a prescription for Viagra.
True story.

I’m perfectly happy to leave the doctor without a prescription. I don’t even remember the last time I saw a doctor for an illness of my own, but my kids get sick periodically. I don’t even take them to the doctor unless I suspect that have something that does need attention other than Tylenol or Motrin. At this point, I’m pretty good at telling the difference between a virus that needs to run its course and an infection that needs treatment. If I at all suspect something more serious, I don’t hesitate to call, and would never insist on antibiotics for a cold or flu.

I love our pediatric group and have never felt like they dispense meds just to get you out the door faster.

@filmfann You always crack me up!

Yes actually, i have the FMF disease and because I did not live in a mediterrenean country, the doctors could not figure out what is wrong with me, they would just say stuff like : she needs attention, its a psychology thing… she is doing this to get her parents attention…. and to be honest, i hate being sick at anytime, so why would i do that, in addition the pain was unbearable at times… so until i went back to Lebanon did the doctor know what i got and prescribe something to help…. Its a really good thing that I kept on trying different doctors !!

I’ve lost count of patients who complain after not getting a prescription. It’s not always necessary and some things are better dealt with in other ways. In my own experience colleagues who get prescription happy tend to either try to avoid the complaints or are just not listening.

Yes. I see my doctors on a regular basis due to a mental health issue. A previous doctor used to try and palm me off with a prescription every time but my new doctors have always been very respectful when I have said that I am not there for a prescription but for advice. I always make that known straight away nowadays so that neither of us wastes our time.

@Dr_C That’s more along the lines of what I was talking about. I did a crappy job wording this question!

Yeah. Every time I go in wanting a perscription, I don’t get one. :(

@avvooooooo Well, you can’t just go in and say, “I want drugs!” You have to have a reason! LOL!
One time, before we were married, my fiance was having some severe leg muscle cramps. He didn’t have insurance, I did. I went to the Dr. complaining of muscle cramps in my shoulder. He checked my shoulder and said, “Oh, yah! I can feel how tight that is!” and gave me muscle relaxers. What’s funny is, the muscle was tight because I was in excellent physical condition! I had tight muscles all over the place!!

@Val123 “I need drugs, I have strep throat, over-the-counter cough medicine is merely making my cough laugh at me with derision.” “Yeah… Not happening.”

“I’m allergic to this and this which are the most commonly prescribed things for this, is there anything else you can give me (since I know there is, not a big deal)?” “Yeah… No.”

At least my orthopedist writes me pain pills without an issue since I use them at such a slow rate and my eye doctor has decided that I do indeed know how to self-diagnose myself with a sty and will write me a script for the stuff every year at my checkup instead of making me come in so someone there can confirm that I have what I already know I do.

LOL! Yeah. I hate it when you know exactly what’s wrong, and what you need, but the doctor has to see you to prescribe anything.

I don’t visit doctors anymore. Its probably been about four years. Its my decision not to go. I really believe that we have too many antibiotics in our bodies. Besides, my Mother is a nurse – and most things can be fixed easily.

By the way, I’m sick pretty frequently. Americans dont know how to deal with pain.

@pinkparaluies I totally agree! Things do tend to clear up on their own if you give it time. However, I’m kind of prone to eye infections, and to not treat it kind of scares me. BUT did you know you can wash your eyes out with baby shampoo? Yes you can.