There was a time when a doctor’s prescription pad was treated like gospel, the final answer to nearly any ailment. But medical science evolves constantly, and treatments once thought to be small miracles have revealed complicated side effects, limited effectiveness, or simply better alternatives that have come along. Many physicians today are more cautious about what they prescribe, not because they’re afraid to treat patients, but because they now understand how certain medications can create more problems than they solve.
Whether it’s outdated antibiotics or misunderstood mental health drugs, the medical world has learned a great deal from experience, research, and—yes—mistakes.
