Pharmacists Push Back Big Time Against Media-Driven Hysteria on Dexamethasone Treatment for Trump

AP featured image — President Donald J. Trump works in his conference room at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Oct. 3, 2020, after testing positive for COVID-19. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

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During his Sunday press briefing from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley disclosed to the journalists in attendance that President Trump had been given dexamethasone as part of his treatment for the Wuhan coronavirus:

Dr. Conley: “Over the course of his illness, the president has experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation. We debated the reasons for this and whether we’d even intervene. Is was the determination of the team based predominantly on the timeline from the initial diagnosis that we initiate dexamethasone.”

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Dr. Brian Garibaldi: “In response to transient low oxygen levels, as Dr. Conley has discussed, we did initiate dexamethasone therapy, and he received his first dose of that yesterday, and our plan is to continue that for the time being.”

Predictably, the mainstream media pounced and seized on this news as supposed “evidence” that Trump’s condition was far more serious and grave than his medical team had led anyone to believe.

Here are just a few examples:

— Politico: “The announcement concerned medical experts because the drug is typically recommended only for patients with severe or critical cases of Covid-19.”

— L.A. Times: “Experts had said previously that a decision to put Trump on the drug would be a major development. […] The disclosure that Trump is receiving dexamethasone is a clear signal that his illness is a serious one, said Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.”

— NY Times: “Use of Dexamethasone to Treat Trump Suggests Severe Covid-19, Experts Say – Many of the measures cited by his doctors are reserved for patients severely affected by the coronavirus.”

Ben Walsh, a senior finance reporter for Barron’s, was one of many who glommed on to media reports on how Trump being given dexamethasone was proof that his condition was far more severe than we knew, tweeting out these excerpts from the Times’ piece:

Dexamethasone is not a drug that studies have shown should be given to Covid-19 patients as a precautionary measure

— Ben Walsh (@BenDWalsh) October 4, 2020

The problem with many of these “reports” about the use of the steroid drug to treat Trump is that they rely more on the opinions of random physicians (including one who just happens to be a Trump critic) and not pharmacists who know far more about the drug and what prescribing it for patients actually does and does not mean.

Matt Dawson, who is affectionately known as “Twitter’s pharmacist”, was one of many to weigh in:

Pharmacist here, none of what he’s saying is true https://t.co/kdIp382IcA

— Matt Dawson (@SaintRPh) October 4, 2020

Ok, Twitter’s Pharmacist here. Dexamethasone is super cheap, been around for-eh-ver and is used all the time. It’s not last ditch. It’s not special. It’s not rare. I literally have 1000s in my pharmacy no and dispense it everyday

— Matt Dawson (@SaintRPh) October 4, 2020

Dexamethasone is not an unusual drug. You are not a doctor because you read an article. You are not on Trump’s medical team because you retweeted a journalist from Vox. Just breathe and live your life and wait like the rest of us on some good news

— Matt Dawson (@SaintRPh) October 4, 2020

Again Pharmacist here, Mr Wong B.A Journalism is overdoing the importance and emphasis on Dexamethasone for means of prognosis. This is not helpful Mr. Wong and you are not a medical professional. You are getting clickbait by fear mongering https://t.co/iLetP9zoUP

— Matt Dawson (@SaintRPh) October 4, 2020

I prescribe it every day for various eye problems…it’s the “dex” in Tobradex

— Jason Webb (@JasonWe03556661) October 4, 2020

Another pharmacist here- you are absolutely correct.

— J to the RPh (@juliesrph) October 4, 2020

Pharmacist here too. I agree.

— MadisonSpock (@Spock34918498) October 4, 2020

Also a pharmacist and can attest that this untrue. Amazing how our betters in the media can morph into experts on whatever subject suits their TDS need.

— Live Free or Quarantine (@fugaldat) October 4, 2020

We use dexamethasone for kids with croup in the ER.
0.6 mg/kg usually does the trick.

— James (@liberty_james1) October 4, 2020

As a clinical pharmacist I would completely disagree with this article from NYT. Dexamethasone is very helpful to reduce systemic inflammation and inhaled corticosteroids have been very effective in early onset therapy to reduce pulmonary information.

— Dr. Jason Cavolina (@DrJayMax) October 4, 2020

Here are responses from other pharmacists to suggestions being made about Trump being prescribed dexamethasone:

As a pharmacist, I have seen doctors start this drug immediately. Covid is an inflammatory disease. Dexamethasone seeks to treat the devastating inflammatory nature of the Covid-19. It can help with the long term effects that this disease does to the micro vascular system.

— casavaldez (@casavaldez) October 4, 2020

I’ve never seen that adverse effect in people taking dexamethasone short term, in 36 years as a pharmacist.

— CG Walker (@CGWalker30) October 4, 2020

You have ZERO idea what you’re talking about. Low to moderate doses are well tolerated. You don’t need to wean dexamethasone after a 10 day course as is used for COVID. FTR I’m a pharmacist of 20+ years and have been directly involved in the care of over 250 COVID patients.

— James (@JamesInCLE) October 4, 2020

Imagine if the mainstream media had made a concerted effort to talk to people who prescribe this drug every day for patients instead of making beelines to “medical experts” who tell hysterical reporters looking for a “Weekend at Bernie’s” angle to push what they want to hear?

As someone who has observed and analyzed media reporting for well over 20 years, there are few times I’ve been as disgusted with how they’ve treated a story as I have been with their unhinged hysterics regarding Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis.

They have done nothing since the story broke but to attempt to craft a narrative that Trump is on his deathbed and doesn’t have the ability to lead the country. They haven’t approached it from the angle of “let’s find out how he’s doing and report on it.” They’ve approached it from the “we know he’s got to be seriously ill so let’s set about proving it” angle — and they’ve done so without any evidence.

I even saw one reporter (sorry, I didn’t save the tweet) over the weekend note the “irony” of how positions had been reversed and how Biden was no longer in his basement while Trump was in the hospital battling a deadly disease and unable to campaign, which in my view inadvertently gave insight as to why the media has been pushing the “Trump is seriously ill, family members are being called in to say their goodbyes” angle from the get-go.

There are no lows to which some in the media will not stoop. Their behavior in “reporting” on this story has been nothing short of appalling.