Study finds many patients skipping meds

It’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” when it comes to money. Doctors generally don’t ask their patients whether they can afford their prescription drugs. And patients generally don’t tell their doctors when they cut back on their meds because of cost. A new study, funded by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, found that about two-thirds of chronically ill adults who cut back on their medications because of the cost didn’t tell their doctors in advance.

The study surveyed more than 4,000 adults taking drugs for diabetes, depression, heart problems or high cholesterol. More than 600 said they had skipped some medication during the previous year to save money. And two-thirds didn’t tell their doctors in advance.

The study was published in the Sept. 13 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers from the VA Ann Arbor (Mich.) Healthcare System found that the patients who didn’t talk to their doctors said that the doctors also didn’t ask about whether they could afford the drugs.

But most patients who did discuss cost with their doctors found the docs to be helpful. Some patients received free samples and some received a prescription change to a less-expensive or generic alternative drug.

So remember: “Ask and ye shall receive.”

Heart attack symptoms

Many heart attack patients, especially women, experience no chest pain. Their symptoms are less dramatic. Harvard Medical School’s HealthBeat newsletter offers these tips for recognizing symptoms of an impending heart attack:

“ Heart attacks can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, burning, tightness or pain in the center of the chest. It usually lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.

“ A heart attack can trigger pain or other uncomfortable sensations in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

“ Shortness of breath can occur before or during chest discomfort.

“ Symptoms also can include nausea, lightheadedness, fatigue or a cold sweat.

Toenails studied

What’s in a toenail clipping? Perhaps the key to better health.

Harvard researchers found that men with diabetes and heart disease had lower levels of chromium in their toenails than did healthy men. The study is in the September issue of Diabetes Care.

Of course, more research is needed to determine whether supplementing the diet with chromium might make a person healthier. But, while the scientists are puzzling that out, sources of chromium include brewer’s yeast, liver, oysters, wheat germ, eggs, bananas and spinach.

No hoax

The Atkins diet works, according to a review of research published in the Sept. 4 Lancet. But people on the diet eventually regain weight and sometimes experience side effects, such as headaches and diarrhea, that are associated with carbohydrate deficiency, head researcher Dr. Arne Astrup told WebMD.

WebMD also interviewed Atkins proponent Dr. Mary Vernon, a member of the Atkins Physicians Council. She said carb deficiency shouldn’t be a problem:

“For me, the great thing about Atkins is it allows people to find their own level of carb tolerance. You go down to 20 grams of carbs at first, then you go back up until you find your own level. … An Atkins maintenance plan would have whole grains like barley and vegetables like baked squash at various levels according to your personal metabolic needs.”