That said, the lay discussions regarding OTC and other basic interventions for common ailments should be perfectly acceptable. I think most DUers can recognize when something is getting into a higher "risk" territory or suggests a more serious problem and will back off appropriately.

It is always on the topic of conservative management of non-life-threatening conditions. However, I will stop offering advice if it is causing trouble. If anyone wants my professional assessment and/or opinion, they can PM me with their question.

If someone is seeking advice that obviously requires a doctor for diagnosis or treatment, most of the posters usually say, "Go to the doctor." I don't have a problem with posts, such as "I have pain from XYZ. What do those of you who suffer from XYZ pain do to relieve it?" I don't have a problem with advice on common ailments, such as colds. But, obvious medical emergencies need to be locked. Ditto for those who seek diagnosis on symptoms. None of us are Bill Frist, and we are not capable of giving a definitive diagnosis over the Internet.

AFAIK, there is only one vet here, and she almost always advises seeing your own vet. Sometimes we can help with behavioral issues, or in coping with common illnesses, like chronic renal failure. However, a visit to the vet is usually the best thing one can do for their ailing pet.

can often be very different from actual signs presenting. Pediatricians encounter that as well--it just sort of goes with the territory. When the patient can't speak for themselves, a rigorous physical exam needs to accompany the reported "history" in most cases.

I didn't know any other way to find out what the community standard is.

I am not suggesting they be stopped, I just wasn't sure.

My hips and back are just beginning to hurt. That is strange. What are your best tips for

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101843258

Particularly the part about "just beginning" to hurt-- (i.e., not increasing pain, intractable pain, or new symptoms).

Edit:

And I felt it was unfair, because since that time I've seen people ask for a lot more specific advice, get answers, and the post doesn't get locked. It feels like a lounge popularity contest when some people get their post alerted on and locked, while others don't.

and they were going by DU2 rules. I don't know if you appealed back to the host as allowed by the system but I do know that host has since resigned as they didn't want to host anymore (not because of this particular issue as far as I know, just because they prefer to participate in general and didn't want to host)

The alert on your thread was the original genisis for my thread about this issue in the hosts forum.


oh and I can probably go back and unlock that if you want? EDIT: no I can't - apparently her status as host superceded mine even after her retirement. So only a host who was before her in the list can unlock it. Or an administrator.

and I did appeal but I never heard back. Its not worth quibbling over - I did get a lot of responses before it was locked. But it certainly seems like there is no clear and agreed upon standard for what people are allowed to ask regarding medical advice.

Most people do not go to a doctor when they feel a cold coming on- they self medicate, so I feel that is within the range of what you ask on a message board. I think if you ask 10 doctors that question you will get 10 answers.

For more serious issues you ask a doctor or go to the ER.

"But it certainly seems like there is no clear and agreed upon standard for what people are allowed to ask regarding medical advice"

hence BOTH of my threads - this one and the one in the host forum - trying to establish the standards so we don't have things like uneven locks over threads like yours.

I wasn't giving medical advice, just explaining my situation. You know, like 'do you like habanero peppers or anaheim peppers?'

People are not posting as much. I'm not posting as much either. I think as Kali says we are all adults here, we're not talking life threatening stuff.

Bluebassman just made a good bye thread here, something about not getting enough replies. I asked what was wrong but it appears he is gone.

Posting on a message board is an optional life activity and if one isn't happy with the experience naturally they will leave off doing it.

Later, I guess.

... you can get any and every medical opinion on the internet. What could be better?

Oftentimes, we think our problem is too trivial to take to a doctor, or at least we're hoping it is!

is not even a likely possibility.

Seriously though, there's a huge difference between sharing experiences (as in "Fentanyl freaks me the fuck out and makes me vomit constantly", which is true) and telling someone to do something specific like taking forty-five ibuprofen tablets and drinking a bottle of mouth wash or something similarly dangerous. The general "advice" really is "see a doctor", but it can be helpful if you recommend a specialist like seeing an ENT for vertigo.

It can also be comforting to know that you aren't the ONLY one who gets some weird side-effect from specific drugs. There are usually alternatives available but again, talk to your doctor, but the more you know when having that conversation the better equipped you are to ask questions. For example, "will Oxycodone cause long-term hearing problems"? Answer I got: "Not with the dose you're taking." I had a terrible reaction from two incompatible medications (both prescribed) so now I look up every drug I'm prescribed for known interactions (U of M and NIH both have great sites for this). DU is a great source of knowledge, if for nothing else than to get a simple link to a reputable source or search terms you might not have considered. It is still up to each individual to weigh the integrity of whatever "advice" they receive.

So, my advice to you is to start drinking heavily.
(Damn. Now I want to watch that movie again.)

a drug interaction site.

Drugs.com : http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html

U of M : http://www.umm.edu/adam/drug_checker.htm

NIH : http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/drugreactions.html

Most pharmacies have one as well, but these are the main three I use.

"Oh, there it is, right under the 'J's."