After I had surgery on my ankle in college, my dad took away the pain medicine the moment it was no longer necessary (1 day later) and just gave me Advil after that.

I didn’t fully appreciate why until I saw somebody go through it.

But then I got the entire picture. This man struggled. Hid it from his family. Finally confessed it to his wife who stuck by him and sent him to a rehab program to get clean. He was gone for about 4 months and got clean. Got his life back. Got his family back and got back to work.

And then his old dealer came back around. It took another family member telling the dealer he’d shoot him on sight if he ever came around again to get that predator to leave.

Of course it is. Doctors work for you and offer advice. They can't force you to take medicine unless you're involuntarily commited.

Do your own research. Get a second opinion. Etc. I rarely end up taking medication that's prescribed to me and overall I think I'm the better for it.