Here's another thing which I think is highly underappreciated. Even for mundane, routine and innocuous sounding drugs (or interventions) that don't kill a bunch of people, the degree of safety and efficacy is rarely discussed.
There are two thing your doctor is not going to tell you about: NNT/NNH. The Number Needed to Treat versus the Number Needed to Harm. In fact, I'd bet anything that your MD or (more likely) your CRNP has no idea about those numbers for the scripts that they write routinely.
NNH: 1 in 10. One out of every ten people are harmed.
Yeah but the benefits, right?
NNT:
- 1 in 125 were helped (prevented death)
- 1 in 67 were helped (prevented stroke)
- 1 in 100 were helped (prevented heart attack*)
Take the millions of people using those interventions and divide by ten. That's the number harmed. Harmed how? Well, go look up those side effects on the inserts. That's how. Those things that you thought, "will never happen to me". They happen to every 10 people in some form or fashion.
Is the science settled? Has your doctor ever laid out a single script in these terms?
Here's another thing which I think is highly underappreciated. Even for mundane, routine and innocuous sounding drugs (or interventions) that don't kill a bunch of people, the degree of safety and efficacy is rarely discussed.
There are two thing your doctor is not going to tell you about: NNT/NNH. The Number Needed to Treat versus the Number Needed to Harm. In fact, I'd bet anything that your MD or (more likely) your CRNP has no idea about those numbers for the scripts that they write routinely.
Go here: https://www.thennt.com/
Look up your favorite "routine" medication or intervention. For a good example, how about:
"Blood Pressure Medicines for Five Years to Prevent Death, Heart Attacks, and Strokes"
https://www.thennt.com/nnt/anti-hypertensives-to-prevent-death-heart-attacks-and-strokes/
NNH: 1 in 10. One out of every ten people are harmed.
Yeah but the benefits, right?
NNT:
- 1 in 125 were helped (prevented death)
- 1 in 67 were helped (prevented stroke)
- 1 in 100 were helped (prevented heart attack*)
Take the millions of people using those interventions and divide by ten. That's the number harmed. Harmed how? Well, go look up those side effects on the inserts. That's how. Those things that you thought, "will never happen to me". They happen to every 10 people in some form or fashion.
Is the science settled? Has your doctor ever laid out a single script in these terms?