How do you know if you are on too many pills?

[HVAC]

I have been really sick lately. Then last night I thought what if it is all the different pills I take. I can't go to my PCP she is too busy. I get 10 minutes tops. I can't go to my Neurologist he is too busy and some of the medications are not for MS. I may talk to a doctor friend who is a pharmacologist. His specialty is drug interactions.

I take medicines for asthma, hypothyroid, allergies, migraine, muscle spasms, neurological pain, stomach, and gynecological.

I get more and more symptoms and get prescribed more medications. Now I am wondering if the medications or interactions are causing many of my symptoms. I would like to back off some of the drugs one by one but even that is complicated. I used to be good at not going on medication. Now it seems I have been lulled into taking a medication for everything.

I did not know you have to back off Baclofen slowly. It can cause all kinds of problems if you go off to quickly.

I feel kinda of embarrased to even bring it up to my doctors. Heck they hand you a script and do not even go over how far to spread all the medications out in a day. I have like a bunch of pills that just say twice a day which would be fine except you have so many. It can't be good for your liver to just take handfuls of pills at one time.

I was so sick late last night I wanted to go to the ER, but what could they really do? I am dropping weight and there is no medical explanation. I really think I have reached my max of medications. I have so many drug sheets from the pharmacy I just have gotten overwhelmed them. Then I have sample and over the counter drugs and the inserts with writing so small I can no longer read it. None of them go over the interactions of every drug I am on. Not to mention multiple drug interactions with each other causing a problem with a third drug.

Alex

[twopack]

Alex, I don't know where the shutdown is but olive oil could be slowing things down even more.  Any high fat food slows digestion.  That's why fatty foods make us feel full longer.

If it's a problem with constipation, generic Miralax works well.  If it's bloating from higher up you are going to need some longer term plans.

Let us know how you're doing.  You sound miserable and should be seen if this doesn't resolve itself.

Mary

[HVAC]

Thanks.

Alex

[Lulu54]

gosh Alex, you got lots of words of wisdom here.  I just hope you feel better by morning.  gentle hugs, L

[beema36]

Alex, I have some of problems u mention. This sounds too simple but after weeks of nothing moving I ate a bunch of prune right before bed and it worked over everything else. I thought it was coincidence but as this is a chronic problem had to try it again and again it worked. Might be worth a try.
Feel better. U sound miserable.
Beema

[RazCarver]

Hope the antibiotics help. might still be a good idea to check on the drug interactions too. seeing as the cause hasn't been found yet. lots of drugs interact with OTC drugs and natural supplements as well. if nutrients are not being absorbed maybe meds aren't either or correctly. just a thought.

Raz

[HVAC]

Thanks for your support Mary. Grady says Woof. He was being an angel today until my husband put his groceries on the table. We chased him around with an avocado. Finally Polly got it away from him. That is one way to Guacamole.

If the pressure keeps building I am going to explode. I have tried drinking olive oil day after day. I have been drinking hot water. Tomorrow I will call the PCP if nothing happens. I am afraid of something rupturing at this point. This is beyond discomfort.

Alex

[twopack]

As in gastroparesis shutting down?  It makes sense Alex.  Maybe then all those spasms are happening to try and force the food through?

This type of shut down is associated with lots of things and you have already mentioned several - hypothyroid, drugs side effects, brain stem lesions or damage to CN10 (vagus), and GERD (reflux) to name a few.  Your high fiber diet probably has a harder time getting through a gut that wants to shut down too.

Some antibiotics can get the gut moving (especially erythromycin).  Most people complain about that when they take it but maybe that part will help you short term.  You are right though that the cause isn't being addressed.  

Of course all of this depends on if this is really the problem.  I may have jumped to a wrong conclussion so I'll wait to say anything else.

Mary

[HVAC]

It turned out not to be the drugs for some reason my gut is shutting down. I am going on antibiotics which treat the E. coli overgrowth from the gut shutting down. It does not address the cause. Meanwhile nothing is moving and nutrients are not being absorbed.

Alex

[twopack]

There is a tool called a Drug Interactions Checker on the Drugs.com site that I have found very helpful.  You plug in your information for Rx and OTC stuff you take.  It will also offer potential food interactions.  The process is a little lengthy when you have a lot to enter but you can save it and edit once the basic info is entered.  Here's a link.

http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html

Pharmacy info is great as far as it goes and in an IDEAL world where all healthcare disciplines work as a team for the patient's best outcome.  (Let me know when you find that!  Like us, it's a work in progress.)

True, the pharmacy has a record of lots (maybe even all) your scripts.  They don't know what OTCs you take.  They notify the doc with glaring problems (sometimes).  They don't know info about your allergies, etc unless you give it and update it.  They don't know you and how your system reacted to the last medicine you bought.  It's hard to get good info from rather generic info printouts.

All of us need to take advantage of every tool available.  Thanks to visionary geeks of yesteryear, everyday people like us have internet access to help us understand today's complicated world of being / getting / staying healthy.

There is a diagnosis called Polypharmacy.  It has nothing to do with the explosion of drug store construction on every corner (at least not directly).  It has to too with too many people (usually with multiple prescribing doctors) taking too many drugs and having too many side effects from treating multiple medical conditions.  There are specialists who help sort the problems out.  In fact, I think Ren was going to see someone about that this week.

Ess is right about this being common among the elderly.  There are lots of reasons for it to be so bad in that population.  She is also right that we can investigate on our own BUT here's a ***CAUTION: take the information you gather to someone who is able and willing to go over it with you carefully.

Stopping, starting, and changing a medication dosages is seldom as easy as it appears.  Any change you make to one medication has the potential to change how all the others work.  (Remember the bad stuff Dr. Quix went through when giving up a med, even when she tapered off properly?) It is NEVER as easy as pitching it all in the trash.

Ess, don't give up hope if you think you need to make adjustments.  Just be prepared for a lengthy process.  There has to be adequate time to adjust, observe and evaluate each change.  

Alex, you probably need to get at this sooner than most.  I hope someone can spot obvious Rx offenders quickly so you can get feeling better soon.  You may be onto something important when you mention timing and which pills you take together.  Many drugs need specific conditions to exist at the moment they are taken.

Good luck with this.  If the answer is there I know you'll find it.  Since the legislatures aren't listening right now, it's the perfect time for our best supporter (you, of course) to advocate for ALEX.

Mary

[essdipity]

Just a note that many drugs are metabolized through the kidneys, not the liver. Of course we need to keep our kidneys heathy too.

Standard blood tests will show whether either of these organs is working too hard, and meds can be prescribed or discontinued accordingly.

ess

[Guitar_grrrl]

Ugh, Alex!  I feel for you!  I hope you find answers, soon!

I've always been leery of starting new meds myself for the same reason.  We only have one liver!

(((Thinking of you)))

[HVAC]

I called my PCP today. I could not get in until next week, which is bad because the pain I am in. The nurse called me back concerning all the tests I had apparently I have something wrong with my gut causing an infection. This is probably setting off my MS causing other symptoms. It explains a lot. I hope they can get the infection under control. The next question is what caused the infection in the first place. Could be diverticulitis, pancraetitis which would explain the extreme pain, or something else. Nothing is ever simple.

I have one pharmacy and they have all information as do all my Doctors. There is just so much stuff, the cross interactions are near impossible to keep up with. Then there is liver processing. The liver can only process one substance at a time. I am taking 19 a day.

Alex

[essdipity]

I see where you're coming from, Alex. I hate the idea of all the meds I have to take, and wish I could stop everything. But of course that's not possible.

I think your first choice would be your PCP. Even if you just get squeezed in, a list of all your meds and their strengths would speed things along. Or even write or email ahead with your question.

I also think Kathy's idea of going over all of them with your pharmacist is a good idea. And if you have a friend who is a pharmacologist, go for it!

Personally, I would try all three routes. We read in the paper all the time about elderly people who are so overmedicated they seem like zombies and are thought to have dementia, and then when someone intervenes they get better almost magically. We are not elderly, so can do our own interventions.

I know you are quite worried about this unexplained weight loss--anyone would be, not to mention all the pain you've had lately that doesn't quite seem neurological, so I agree now is the time to get proactive. Maybe you don't even need some of the meds, or if you do, you'll be able to find substitutes that work better with your body.

There's no way I can get off anything I'm on now, but I sure wish I could.

Good luck on this, and let us know.
ess

[torikat32]

Do you go to the same pharmacy for every script? when you get a new script and its entered into the system it automatically will bring up drug interactions with meds you are already on. if it is a serious interaction then the doctor will be notified and a change should be made. I can understand the frustration you are having with all the meds you are taking . in my opionion I would first consult your doctor about backing off some of the meds they need to be backed off slowly but a change might make you feel better just would want some insight from a doctor .

Kathy