Giving and Getting Medical Advice Online
Basic rule--don't do it. This applies to any kind of medical advice.
We can bring up possible reactions that a person may have from quitting--and we may say at times that this symptom or that symptom may occur when quitting. But that does not mean symptoms should be ignored or written off, especially any symptom lasting beyond a couple of weeks.
Then there are those symptoms that may happen the first few days, which are very likely from quitting smoking but, because of the nature of the symptom, can't safely be written off either. Symptoms such as chest pains, which are common when quitting, can also be a warning of something happening totally independent of quitting and needs to be evaluated, even early on in a quit.
If someone tells you to try a medication or not to take another, ignore the advice. Any questions involving your medications should be resolved between you and your doctor and pharmacist.
If you are concerned about a person who is on a medication, whether it be online or in your real-world life, who is having what you may think is an adverse effect, be a real friend and tell them to call their doctor who prescribed it, or, if they are unavailable call their pharmacist, and if symptoms or reactions seem really threatening, call their local hospital emergency room.
Let these people who are familiar with the patient or familiar with emergency procedures tell the person to stop it if they feel it is a problem. Just telling a person to stop or start a medication is possibly stopping a medication that really might be necessary, or one that may require medical supervision in order to get off of it safely.
We have posted on the board numerous times about giving medical advice on the board. Please honor this policy for it is in fact a membership requirement. Posts that give medical advice will be pulled and repeating of such posts will result in posting privileges being revoked.
There is only one piece of medical advice that we are comfortable saying applies to everyone here at Freedom. That is that smoking is deadly, and avoiding ever relapsing to this deadly addiction requires continuing to swallow our tough medicine of knowing to Never Take Another Puff!
Joel
Knowledge is a Quitting Method
