Can We Learn About Medication Via Internet Chatrooms

Today's video from www.live.wsj.com (see link below) is an interesting one for people with neuropathy and other illnesses (including HIV) because it highlights something many people already know. There is much more information available on the internet about drug interactions and reactions than your doctors may themselves be aware of. Visiting a trustworthy forum and seeing how other people have reacted to certain drugs, can help build up your knowledge base before discussing it with your doctor. That's not to say that you should believe everything you read on internet forums; far from it but if you notice that a significant number of people have had the same experience, it may be worth taking that information with you to your appointment. For people with neuropathy and HIV for instance, the number of different drugs being taken can be alarmingly high. Knowing what they can potentially do to you may be very useful - knowledge is always power in this respect.





Can Web Chatter Make Medication Safer?
From live.wsj.com - October 10, 2012

Is it possible to make medication safer by analyzing information publicly available on the internet, such as patient complaints on web chats? The medical community is starting to think so, reports Shirley Wang on Lunch Break.

http://live.wsj.com/video/can-web-chatter-make-medication-safer/46F629BD-8D3A-4BF2-8917-F6201DB60C9E.html#!46F629BD-8D3A-4BF2-8917-F6201DB60C9E