Guest guest Posted February 7, 2001 Report Share Posted February 7, 2001 I went to my allergist about a year ago & asked for my Zyrtec(Cetirizine or Reactine) dosage to be increasted to 10 mg twice a day. He also refused because of its " sedating effects " . This is the same man who put me on a combination of Atarax(Hydroxyzine) and Periactin(Cyproheptadine) for a while several years ago, then on Doxepin(Sinequan) long term! I was a zombie back then! Why the big turnaround? The only thing I can figure is that there has been a case somewhere in which a doctor was held liable for what a patient did as a result of the drugs that the doctor put him/her on. I work for an insurance company & handle a lot of auto claims, so I'm naturally thinking that someone fell asleep & caused a bad auto accident. Just as bars & bartenders have been held liable for drunk drivers, so, I imagine, can doctors be held liable for sleepy drivers. Maybe it hasn't actually happened yet but perhaps someone within the AMA is afraid it will happen & has warned doctors. It seems like people in America will sue each other at the drop of a hat. Many seem to want someone to be held responsible & to pay them whenever something bad happens to them, whether actually negligent or not. I worked on a case in which an obese woman sued her son because a chair that she sat on in his home broke under her weight & she got (slightly) hurt. Another one sued her daughter because she stepped in a gopher hole in the daughter's back yard & broke her ankle. (The suits were NOT necessary in order to get a settlement. We settle fairly with many people who never get lawyers & who never go to court.) And then there are the ones who make quite a good living by slipping & falling in Wal-Mart or by slamming on the brakes of their car so that the car behind them rearends them. I have worked with many people who have been genuinely injured in bonafide accidents and who truly deserved the settlements they received. They're the ones I go to work for every day, & I can't do enough for them. Unfortunately, I have also worked with far too many who bounce around from doctor to doctor, running up large medical bills so that their settlement will be greater, then miraculously no longer need medical care after the insurance company gives them their money. I had one couple ask for directions to our largest mall before they left my office, then the poor injured woman was actually seen SKIPPING out to their car! Sorry. Didn't mean to stand on the soapbox for so long. I could tell you stories that would turn your stomach, but that's really NCU. My point is that the high cost of malpractice insurance & the high incidence of suits in the US has probably affected our doctors' opinions & need to " CYA " . For those who are on the extra Zyrtec or other sedating meds & who drive, be extra careful. If you are found to be at fault in a bad accident, you will be questioned about your meds. If you are taking any that are on the " sedating " list, you can be held at least partially at fault just as if you had consumed some alcohol. The latest trend is to hold sleep-deprived individuals criminally negligent, just as if they were DUI. Prescription drugs are no different in a lot of minds. Cover your own a**. Take care. Peggy in Kentucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 8, 2001 Report Share Posted February 8, 2001 My doc put me on Claritin in the morning and Zyrtec at night. Maybe that'll work for you. Barbara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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