Deciding Which Medical Treatments to Use Whenever you are faced with a condition that requires medical treatment, sometimes the choices and the consequences of those choices can feel overwhelming. Illnesses almost always catch us in an unexpected way. Usually, it will be after physical exam, or related to some other symptom, when the doctor will identify a particular source of your symptoms. Once that source is identified, the next step is obviously choosing the medical treatment that is right for you.
Many billions of dollars have gone into pharmacological research. When an illness canít be cured with over-the-counter remedies, pharmaceuticals are typically the next step in treating symptoms or curing a disease. However, often a particular illness will have several options for medical treatment, each with its own pros and cons. In some cases there will be significant side effects, or in other cases there may be none. It is important that you ask your doctor the following questions about medical treatment options in order to make an informed decision for your own well being.
What medical treatment do you recommend, and why?
Many times, a medical doctor has seen specific illnesses a number of times. Whether itís a skin condition, an internal problem such as high cholesterol, or any other illness Ė doctors see it all. Every day they treat hundreds of patience, and they have experience and knowledge regarding which treatments seem to work more often than others. So first, tap that insight and ask your doctor for advice.
What are the side effects?
If treatment involves medication, you want to make sure that you understand the most common side effects of the drugs. Side effects are the effects that medication has on your body other than the intended effect meant for medical treatment. Often these side effects include drowsiness, gastrointestinal discomfort, excitability, irritability, and often even worse symptoms such as seizures. Your doctor should make all potential side effects very clear to you.
However all medical treatments also have positive effects, usually those effects are what will treat, and sometimes, even cure, your illness. So itís important to understand the potential side effects, the potential positive effects, and the efficacy (success rate) of the treatment.Taking all of this information into account should help you weigh your medical treatment choices in order to make the decision that is right for you.