Posted by OldSchool on April 3, 2002, at 21:14:30
In reply to Be Realistic and Respect Dr. Kramer's Position, posted by fachad on April 2, 2002, at 23:32:35
> I really appreciate Dr. Kramer being our guest psychopharmacology expert. It sure has stirred up a flurry of posts. More, I'm sure, than Dr. Bob or Dr. Kramer ever expected.
>
> But I think we really need to appreciate something about Dr. Kramer's position. He is a physician, a professor, and a columnist. He's not our personal free Internet pdoc.
>
> I don't mean to be abrasive or accuse anyone here, but we're all acting like he is our own personal pdoc.
>
> Think about it for a minute. He CANNOT POSSIBLY recommend medications to someone he has never met or seen in a clinical setting. He has never met any of us, never talked to us, doesn't know our history, couldn’t even pick us out of a police lineup!
>
> It would be irresponsible and foolish for him to tell anyone here what meds to take. He keeps saying things like "you need to talk to your pdoc about that" and then someone blasts him for not "knowing" the answer. I'm sure he has an opinion on it, but HE CAN'T SAY IT because he is posting AS A DOCTOR.
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> The rest of us can just freely spout off our opinions - we have plenty of them - and it's not really unethical or improper because we all know that we are all full of it, and as PEERS we take each other’s advice with a grain of salt.
>
> But if "the expert doctor" made a recommendation, and it was taken as medical advice, it could have disastrous consequences. So please don’t interpret Dr. Kramer’s reticence to provide specific advice as a lack of knowledge or expertise. Rather, see it for what it is – responsible professionalism.
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> I think it would be much easier for Dr. Kramer if we asked GENERAL type questions, rather than asking for specific medical advice.
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> Instead of asking,
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> "Dr. Kramer, should I quit Zoloft, which is not working anyway, and start Remeron instead?"
>
> you could ask,
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> "Dr. Kramer, have you found Remeron to be effective in cases where Zoloft has failed?
>
> or better yet, you could ask,
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> "What pharmacological properties of Remeron might account for it being more effective than Zoloft in some cases?"
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> That way, it's a general question, and not medical advice. He would probably feel much more comfortable, and would likely be much more generous about sharing his expertise and knowledge if we ask questions in that fashion.
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> I think we can get the most out of the time with Dr. Kramer on board if we respect his position, and ask him questions in a way that he can feel good about answering.
>
> Okay, I'll step down from my soap box now.
I totally agree with you he is not an "online Pdoc" who can answer personal med questions with accuracy. However, he should be able to give better answers. He obviously has no clue when it comes to prednisone and depression. This is rather disturbing to read a psychiatrist claiming that prednisone is only bad for "bipolar" depression and not unipolar depression. This is very inaccurate.Old School
poster:OldSchool
thread:3753
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020308/msgs/3789.html