Prescriptions and Doctor Visits

I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse back in 1990. I underwent an extensive (and expensive) series of tests that found it. I had actually been suffering from the symptoms for 16 years prior to that. The usual diagnosis prior to those tests were: I was too thin, I was too tall, I got up too fast, etc.

Anyway, after diagnosis, I was given a prescription for 50mg of Tenormin to be taken once per day for the rest of my life.

I always have to go to a doctor and get my prescription refilled. Some doctors decide to give me a 6 month prescription, others one year. So every 6-12 months, I have to pay a doctor that spends a total of about 5 minutes with me to give me a prescription that I'm supposed to take everyday for the rest of my life!

Now, some doctors tell me that it's so they can keep me apprised of new medicines that might be more helpful with my condition. Well, that was the case once. One doctor prescribed a new medication for me. However, it didn't work as well as the old one and had far more adverse side effects! I had to go back and ask for my original prescription - and pay the office visit fee again!

Hmmm... that just doesn't seem right to me. If you think about it though, it's a really good marketing strategy... repeat business built right in!