Drug Cautions

Just got off the phone with the wife of a patient whose doctor recommended a new drug to treat her husband’s mesothelioma. They were excited to try this new drug until she spoke to her cousin, a nurse, who looked up the drug and cautioned against using it. We spoke soon after this call and were able to sort out what the common reported events associated with this drug vs rare and fatal reactions. I compare this to the pages of adverse events associated with Aspirin, one always compares the risks vs the benefits with any medication either by prescription or over the counter. When discussing treatment and disease status it is important to do so with a professional trained in oncology or even better mesothelioma. They are more qualified to help you to understand the risks vs the benefits and most will have had experience with particular drugs or other drugs that fall into the same drug classifications. Be cautious as every one means well and wants to help but sometimes this can result in information overload and needless anxiety.

~Mary Hesdorffer, NP