MrConsumer was taken aback when he saw a nationally televised commercial by The Wellness Company selling an emergency kit containing eight prescription drugs that you keep at home just in case you need them at 2 a.m. when pharmacies and doctors’ offices are closed.
You get bottles of these eight prescription drugs to self-treat conditions such as parasites, strep, pneumonia, lyme disease, bacterial infections, GI and urinary tract infections, and more.
To get the kit, you have to fill out a health form, and have a brief consultation with a health professional at the company who can write the prescription.
Once you get the kit, how exactly do you diagnose yourself with these conditions? They give you a handy booklet about what to use each drug for, or you can speak to a health-care professional at their company during regular business hours for an extra fee, presumably.
And how much does this kit cost? $299.
*MOUSE PRINT:
In their FAQ section they reveal a key fact:
To the best of our knowledge, no state pharmacy boards or consumer authorities have taken legal action against the company because what they are doing may not be outside current medical, legal, and ethical guidelines. One state pharmacy board reportedly denied a drugstore’s request to carry a similar kit in their store.
Some things are very unsettling about this whole proposition:
Please offer your thoughts in the comments.
My thought exactly! I noticed this company (as well as some other dubious health-oriented companies) only advertise on certain networks, the ones that pander to the “we’re enlightened and know the real truth” crowd.
Yeast infections, hm, uh, OK, maybe, but self-diagnose for ANTHRAX? How can this possibly not be illegal? Someone get the AMA on the phone.
Honestly, I know how to diagnose simple conditions and if I have the correct medicine left over I just use that particular pill.
Doctors don’t answer phones. They have voice mail and no one gets back to you.m for days.
If you go to emergency the copay is 500 and the new facility fee 700 and then you have to meet maybe a 2000 deductible and wait 5 hours in the waiting room. Plus they really don’t diagnose very well.
Urgent care also has long waits and if that particular urgent care does not employ emergency physicians they usually are not very good. Plus many of us are taking care of very sick elderly because hospitals dump their very sick patients out too soon and we can’t get to a doctor’s office.
When I saw this, I thought great. At least I don’t have to take old pills and I am very careful about not overdoing antibiotics as I know the consequences.
When I saw the word “Peddling” I knew where you were headed and your attitude toward the issue. 🙂
Can’t comment specifically on the price as I know nothing of several contents, but it does seem high.
At 81 I’ve been through enough symptoms on a repeated basis that I consider myself well qualified to self-diagnose *certain* symptoms. I suspect any mother who has more than one child has her own short list of qualifications, also.
We keep “extra” medications, especially nearing and during hurricane season. When power is out the pharmacies have a real problem. And if we have to evacuate, the old “they are a chain and can fill it anywhere” is basically true but sometimes NOT easily done and NOT for some prescriptions; been there and done that — Walgreens FL versus LA and MD, for example. And if they need to call the doctor, his/her power is out here, too, and they may be bailing water out like some of us.
My doctor knows what I “stock” and prescribes refills for that purpose. I think it all boils down to common sense and a certain level of experience.
In my opinion pharmacies have no business getting into what is prescribed for me other than legality and drug interaction. Beyond those two criteria, if the doctor wrote it, fill it. Pharmacies are dispensers, not diagnosticians.
Will “stored” medications expire? Of course they will. Are we to assume, as you seem to be doing, that everyone who uses the practice is too ignorant or uncaring to manage such?
Though you have centered on one product/company, to dismiss and condemn the general practice is not appropriate in my opinion.
lol, so a quack “dr” peddling products on TV is appropriate? [edited]
Never said it and never implied it.
You are really comparing apples to oranges. Keeping drugs on hand that you have already been prescribed for recurring conditions that have already been diagnosed by a doctor is quite a different thing than getting a grab bag of medications about which you’ve received no guidance from a doctor or pharmacist for conditions that you haven’t previously experienced and may not be able to accurately assess.
Ivermectin as an emergency medicine?? ‘’Quack ‘’ said the duck.
What are you basing this comment on? The biggest reason Ivermectin is considered quackery by many is TDS. That and it is very inexpensive – no real profit to be made.
All the network news shows have become nothing but HSN type outlets now selling products. It’s disgusting
Taking any medication, prescription or over-the-counter, without medical advice from a qualified and licensed medical professional who knows one’s health history with precision, is a risk. This is particularly true with respect to antibiotics, whereby taking an antibiotic on speculation, without prior detailed medical assessment, can mask symptoms, delay diagnosis, cause antibiotic resistance, and in some cases, can result in a serious or fatal allergic reaction. Finally, if one suddenly feels ill, especially where there is pain, fever and/or nausea, whereby one concludes an antibiotic might be needed, one reasonably and wisely proceeds to an urgent care or emergency room setting without delay.
Well on the positive side, it will help weed out the stupid.
In Germany some antibiotics are over the counter. My friend brings back a supply whenever she goes.
Does no one remember that many drugs were a prescription like a proton pump inhibitor. Since insurance pbms don’t want to pay for them they are now over the counter.
Because our healthcare system is so broken and it can be very difficult to get treated, things like this have popped up. I called a physician and I begged for an appointment and it would be a year and a half. Another 8 months. Since many physician’s practices are owned by the hospital and the doctors receive a paycheck, the hospitals employ less physicians so the ones they do employ have no chance to breathe and kept overly busy.
Do you remember that needless overuse and misuse of antibiotics has rendered many of them useless with more falling by the wayside every year and it’s not just the fools who misuse them that lose the benefit. We all lose when infections become resistant to antibiotics.
Ok, Ivermectin is available at any feed/farm supply store, no prescription necessary.
But my biggest concern is, are they true active ingredient pills or is it a $400 box of placebos?
My thoughts exactly
Don’t we have issues with antibiotics… super bugs …not taking the whole bottle, over use, giving to friends that might not be feeling, virus vs. bacteria. I’ve heard these commercials on radio and wonder how can drugs be given in this way? For that cost?? Before you know it we will be a very sick society and unable to cure