How many pills in your daily schedule?

[redduck]

I take a high blood pressure med and a Lipitor knock-off. Then, I take low-dose aspirin, Vit. D, folic acid, flaxseed oil (I have no idea why), Vit. D, fish oil (I have no idea why) and calcium. So, that's total of 9 things I swallow that aren't food. Oh, and Centrum Silver. So, now we are up to ten.

Now, this isn't particularly interesting to me either, but I'm in a competition with MooreBonds (MB doesn't know about this, so don't tell): I'm trying to see if I can get to 500 posts before MB gets to 500 different investments.

 

[NW-Bound]

I think that's from the flash...I'm still quite tanned right now.

You suntanned the armpits too?

 

[NW-Bound]

I take a high blood pressure med and a Lipitor knock-off. Then, I take low-dose aspirin, Vit. D, folic acid, flaxseed oil (I have no idea why), Vit. D, fish oil (I have no idea why) and calcium. So, that's total of 9 things I swallow that aren't food. Oh, and Centrum Silver. So, now we are up to ten.

Well, I would count flaxseed oil and fish oil as food. Miniature droplets of food, but food they are.

 

[ERD50]

The cost (in terms of your health) of taking statins may actually be higher than you (and your doctor) think. Here is a quote from one of the articles below:

"... the use of statins in this population is not without considerable risk. Statins frequently produce muscle weakness, lethargy, liver dysfunction and cognitive disturbances ranging from confusion to transient amnesia. They have produced severe rhabdomyolysis that can lead to life-threatening kidney failure."

After doing a lot of research on statins, I personally would not take them.

The truth about statin drugs

5 reasons not to worry about your cholesterol numbers

Though I take statins, I am skeptical and try to find out what I can.

However, what does "frequently produce" (list of symptoms) mean? I also get skeptical with vague statements like that. Just about every drug has side effects. How 'frequent' is 'frequent'?

-ERD50

 

[jclarksnakes]

Looks like bruising in the armpits to me and I would worry that the nosebleeds are related. Have you heard anything back about the bloodwork?

 

[Nemo2]

Looks like bruising in the armpits to me and I would worry that the nosebleeds are related. Have you heard anything back about the bloodwork?

Not yet......our doctor was/is going to contact the hospital to see what their tests covered, and whether he should run subsequent/expanded tests to delve further..........the initial hospital bloodwork didn't indicate any problem(s), but perhaps their test wasn't comprehensive enough.

No nosebleeds last night....they MAY have ceased........which may also indicate that there isn't a coagulation problem......it continues to be an enigma wrapped in a mystery.

 

[rockymountainhigh]

On a daily basis currently I take the following supplements:
50+ multi
Zinc
SAM-e
Boron
Vit D
Probiotic

No prescription drugs yet, but I am scheduled for a check up and my doctor my push something for my borderline high blood pressure. My cholesterol is high but I have not been taking anything for it so he may push something on me for that too. I guess at some point resistance is futile.

 

[Nemo2]

I guess at some point resistance is futile.

When my doc just put me on a diuretic, (knowing that I've done everything possible to avoid meds), he said "Hey, don't take it personally".

But I DO take it personally!

 

[bo_knows]

On a daily basis currently I take the following supplements:
50+ multi
Zinc
SAM-e
Boron
Vit D
Probiotic

No prescription drugs yet, but I am scheduled for a check up and my doctor my push something for my borderline high blood pressure. My cholesterol is high but I have not been taking anything for it so he may push something on me for that too. I guess at some point resistance is futile.

Have you considered changing your diet to improve this? Also, have you ever had a VAP test done for cholesterol? The VAP test actually directly measures the LDL particles and their density. The standard cholesterol tests only estimate your LDL. Research in the last 5 years indicates that not all LDL is bad (there are 2 different kinds). Rather than go by LDL, the research has stated that a broad comparison that is more effective at predicting cardiovascular disease is the ratio of Triglycerides/HDL. If this ration is < 2, you're pretty much golden, regardless of LDL (because this ratio indicates that you have all of the good LDL).

Obviously, don't take medical advice from a complete stranger on the internet. But, if you want diet advice, I can certainly entertain PM's.

 

[jclarksnakes]

When my doc just put me on a diuretic, (knowing that I've done everything possible to avoid meds), he said "Hey, don't take it personally".

But I DO take it personally!

Did you start taking the diuretic before or after the nosebleeds and bruising?

 

[Nemo2]

After......(and the jury's still out on the bruising )........last two (home) readings I've taken, post-diuretic, are 136/77 & 128/83........so, if all it took was a diuretic, (no ACE inhibitors), to achieve normalcy then (I have to wonder) what caused the spike, the nosebleeds, and possibly the 'bruising'?

 

[rockymountainhigh]

Have you considered changing your diet to improve this? Also, have you ever had a VAP test done for cholesterol? The VAP test actually directly measures the LDL particles and their density. The standard cholesterol tests only estimate your LDL. Research in the last 5 years indicates that not all LDL is bad (there are 2 different kinds). Rather than go by LDL, the research has stated that a broad comparison that is more effective at predicting cardiovascular disease is the ratio of Triglycerides/HDL. If this ration is < 2, you're pretty much golden, regardless of LDL (because this ratio indicates that you have all of the good LDL).

Obviously, don't take medical advice from a complete stranger on the internet. But, if you want diet advice, I can certainly entertain PM's.

Changing my diet is preferable, I have had some major changes in the last few years due to celiac desease and migraines. All this will be up for discussion when see the doc. Although VAP I understand is propriatary but I will mention it to him.
Thanks

 

[bo_knows]

Changing my diet is preferable, I have had some major changes in the last few years due to celiac desease and migraines. All this will be up for discussion when see the doc. Although VAP I understand is propriatary but I will mention it to him.
Thanks

Yeah, VAP is just a brand name for the "LDL Density" test. I know of at least 2 others that give the same results.

My suggestion to you would be to look at the "Paleo" diet. More or less eating just Meats, veg, fruits, nuts, seeds and nothing else. Changed my bloodwork quite a bit.

 

[oldtrig]

I am borderline old. oldtrig

 

[frank2009]

Most of you guys are lucky....My story:I am 53 years old. Don't smoke, drink about a 6 pack a year, workout 3 days a week and walk almost every day. My cholesterol is 146; clear arteries. Just diagnosed with heart failure after an ER visit for shortness of breath. I now take about 20 pills a day of unpronounceable stuff. Glad to have retired at 48. You just never know.

 

[Moemg]

Most of you guys are lucky....My story:I am 53 years old. Don't smoke, drink about a 6 pack a year, workout 3 days a week and walk almost every day. My cholesterol is 146; clear arteries. Just diagnosed with heart failure after an ER visit for shortness of breath. I now take about 20 pills a day of unpronounceable stuff. Glad to have retired at 48. You just never know.

So sorry about your problem ! I hope the medication let's you live a long life .

 

[Helen]

Most of you guys are lucky....My story:I am 53 years old. Don't smoke, drink about a 6 pack a year, workout 3 days a week and walk almost every day. My cholesterol is 146; clear arteries. Just diagnosed with heart failure after an ER visit for shortness of breath. I now take about 20 pills a day of unpronounceable stuff. Glad to have retired at 48. You just never know.

Life isn't fair, is it? I'm sorry about your health problems. I hope 40 years from now they reference you as an example as someone who lived a long and happy life.

 

[JBmadera]

I was always quite smug when it came to meds. Back then I was a fit, 49 yr old Cat II cyclist, no smoking, no drinking, 20 BMI, and no meds of any kind. Fast forward a couple of years and now the counter top is littered with prescription meds. I guess it's karma. I've dropped the whole "geez, if you just did what I did you wouldn't need to take all that cr*p" attitude.

 

[Mulligan]

I was always quite smug when it came to meds. Back then I was a fit, 49 yr old Cat II cyclist, no smoking, no drinking, 20 BMI, and no meds of any kind. Fast forward a couple of years and now the counter top is littered with prescription meds. I guess it's karma. I've dropped the whole "geez, if you just did what I did you wouldn't need to take all that cr*p" attitude.

I am curious JB, if you don't mind what transpired between not having any, to taking a bunch. I am late 40s, and take no meds outside my self prescribed krill oil pill and CQ 10. Did one med lead to another to counter the others side effects, or did you just get hit with some unfortunate health issues at once?

 

[JBmadera]

I am curious JB, if you don't mind what transpired between not having any, to taking a bunch. I am late 40s, and take no meds outside my self prescribed krill oil pill and CQ 10. Did one med lead to another to counter the others side effects, or did you just get hit with some unfortunate health issues at once?

Hey Mulligan - not sure if there is any cause/effect, surgeons and dr's say that there really shouldn't be, but this is the chain of events:
crashed in a several races, had a few surgeries (shoulder, hip, wrist), after my last surgery I started having BP and irregular heart beat issues so the cardiologist prescribed a number of meds for those issues. It's be a long process with many tests and numerous different combos of meds. Then my arthritis really started to act up (don't know if any of the heart meds had anything to do with it or if the surgeries had an effect) so the dr gave me a couple of meds for that, finally my stomach was just a mess, guessing from all the aforementioned meds, so I'm now taking something for that.

I'm way, way more understanding now when people have health issues.

Love krill btw -

 

[Mulligan]

Hey Mulligan - not sure if there is any cause/effect, surgeons and dr's say that there really shouldn't be, but this is the chain of events:
crashed in a several races, had a few surgeries (shoulder, hip, wrist), after my last surgery I started having BP and irregular heart beat issues so the cardiologist prescribed a number of meds for those issues. It's be a long process with many tests and numerous different combos of meds. Then my arthritis really started to act up (don't know if any of the heart meds had anything to do with it or if the surgeries had an effect) so the dr gave me a couple of meds for that, finally my stomach was just a mess, guessing from all the aforementioned meds, so I'm now taking something for that.

I'm way, way more understanding now when people have health issues.

Love krill btw -

Thanks for sharing, although the whole process would seem very stressful and painful. I should go in for a check up as its been 3 years, but I go to these health fairs and get my cholesterol and BP checked and it's fine. Those doctor visits are very cursory anyways, but I don't want to go looking for trouble because I may find it.

 

[Rambler]

I'm on 2 rx meds. Doc put me on BP med when I had a pretty bad spike last August...he read it at 168/110, which was in the range that I saw on my home BP monitor in the few days before I saw the doc, although it had gone as high as 195/125 on the home monitor. He put me on what he thought was a minimum US dose (this was in Japan). It took about 10 days or so, but BP came back to normal. The spike was after a heated, very heated, discussion with the big boss about what I felt was inappropriate behavior of another senior colleague.

Fast forward to retirement at the end of 2012. BP was floating around 115/75 upon waking, on the same med. Now fast forward another 6 weeks. BP sinks to 96/56 plus or minus, several days in a row. I foresaw this, and asked Japan doc to give me three months of half his original dosing in case my BP dropped due to lower stress level. So for about three weeks now, I'm on the lower dose. Past couple of days have been around 102/56. I'm thinking the best RX for the BP was ER.

I'm also on aciphex for chronic gastritis...which doc told me was likely due to stress...I don't drink or smoke. Last scope was clean, after a year of the med.

I think it's time to visit the doc here in Cali to see about getting completely off these two meds, due to the stress relief afforded by ER.

I also take a variety of supplements, a multi, fish oil, niacin and red yeast rice to try to keep cholesterol from going over the line, glucosamin/chondroitin/MSM to support the knees, CQ10, garlic, b-complex, and finally Culturelle with metamucil to help ward off another diverticulitis attack.

R

 

[gerrym51]

I was always quite smug when it came to meds. Back then I was a fit, 49 yr old Cat II cyclist, no smoking, no drinking, 20 BMI, and no meds of any kind. Fast forward a couple of years and now the counter top is littered with prescription meds. I guess it's karma. I've dropped the whole "geez, if you just did what I did you wouldn't need to take all that cr*p" attitude.

i'm a pharmacist. don't feel bad. although some young people have to take multiple drugs usually those past 55 suddenly have HBP,cholesterol problems,etc etc.. no matter how good you take care of yourself body parts just start to wear out. In general heredity is the most important factor. some of us just have better genes.

 

[W2R]

i'm a pharmacist. don't feel bad. although some young people have to take multiple drugs usually those past 55 suddenly have HBP,cholesterol problems,etc etc.. no matter how good you take care of yourself body parts just start to wear out. In general heredity is the most important factor. some of us just have better genes.

I really think that is true about age taking its toll and the influence of genetics. I made it to 59 with no prescriptions at all (despite considerable overweight and a completely sedentary lifestyle), and then had to start on one for cholesterol. The week I retired (at 61) my internist added two more, for BP and blood sugar. It was like a punch in my gut, until I looked around and noticed that most others I knew in their 60's were at least on BP and cholesterol meds. I was lucky to get some pretty good genes, but they aren't enough to keep me med-free in my 60's I guess, especially if I don't lose some more weight.

 

[JBmadera]

i'm a pharmacist. don't feel bad. although some young people have to take multiple drugs usually those past 55 suddenly have HBP,cholesterol problems,etc etc.. no matter how good you take care of yourself body parts just start to wear out. In general heredity is the most important factor. some of us just have better genes.

Yeah, I think you're right and I'm just feeling sorry for myself.

But at least I was focused on FIRE so that now I can really enjoy ER.....