In sour economy, people cut back on medications

As reported October 22 in the New York Times, people around the country are responding to economic hard times by scaling back on prescription medications.  For the first time in a decade, fewer prescriptions are being filled.

"People are having to choose between gas, meals and medication," says Dr. James King, a physician from Selmer, Tennessee.  Dr. King reported patients who have stopped taking cholesteral-lowering medicine and others who have stopped taking osteoporosis medication.

According to the Times, "The trend, if it continues, could have potentially profound implications.  If enough people try to save money by forgoing drugs, controllable conditions could escalate into major medical problems.  That could eventually raise the nation's total health care bill and lower the nation's standard of living."

Dr. Thomas J. Weida, a family physician in Hershey, is referenced in the article.  One of his patients ended up in the hospital because the patient could not afford insulin.

An Associated Press story published October 22 highlights other aspects of the same problem.  In recent months, emergency rooms have seen an uptick in admissions, according to the American Hospital Association, while the number of elective surgeries is decreasing.  Office visits for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma and diabetes are down, as are prenatal visits by pregnant women.  "The longer it goes and the more skipped visits, the greater the opportunity there will be for bad outcomes," says Dr. Ted Ebberly, a family physician who practices in Idaho.  "It's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when."