Have you ever stretched the truth with your doctor? What about telling them something that was completely false?
It happens. People do it for all sorts of reasons. Maybe they know they have made unhealthy choices and they feel ashamed. Maybe they’re nervous to talk about specific symptoms. Maybe they just feel uncomfortable being honest with a doctor they don’t know very well.
No matter the reasons, here’s the truth: You need to be honest with any doctor who’s treating you. You should never lie or stretch the truth.
For instance, people sometimes tell doctors they are not using medications or supplements when they actually are. This is a problem because the doctor could prescribe something that interacts poorly with whatever they are already taking. The doctor could also miss clear symptoms of an illness because they don’t know everything about the patient’s health.
In other cases, doctors tell people to take certain medications, but they neglect to do so. They then lie when asked, knowing what they should have done. The doctor may think that the treatment isn’t working — when it actually would have if the patient had followed their doctor’s orders.
Just be as open and honest as possible. That gives your doctor the best chance to treat you properly.
Of course, even when you do everything right, the doctor can still miss key symptoms, make a misdiagnosis, overlook an obvious illness and mishandle your health. This can lead to serious complications. If it happens to you, make sure you are aware of all of your legal rights.