In my limited experience with my mother who had alzheimers and heart disease, hospitals and nursing homes don't pay attention to this list. While hospitalized and very anxious and confused she was administered Haldol to calm her down. It was done in the nursing home too. This is a potent antipsychotic drug. It's on the list. My sister and I requested that Haldol never be given to her but since we weren't there every minute of every day and we didn't have authority any way, I don't know whether this request was honored. My mother was in her early 90's at the time

When she was in her 80's and functioning very well a doctor prescribed her ativan to help her sleep. This doctor didn't explain either how addictive this benzodiazepine was or how you had to wean off it slowly. Benzodiazepines are on the list also. While I was visiting her she decided to stop taking it cold turkey. I was unaware of this when she first stopped it. Of course she could not sleep at all and she became extremely anxious. I had to explain to her that this was the effect of going cold turkey off the drug. This was before there were any obvious signs of dementia.

I find this all pretty horrifying. I already stay away from doctors as much as possible but there may come a day when I can't protect myself from the harmful effects of what is called healthcare, but as Dr Davis points out in "Undoctoring", really has nothing to do with health and is in fact harmful.

Jean