View Single Post
Old 04-22-2015, 08:03 AM   #194
ladyjane
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member
 
ladyjane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 27,490
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by pstinard View Post
Different people cope differently with all of the information that is out there. I'm taking several medications myself, one of which is necessary for my survival. That one drug has many interactions with other drugs that make treatment for other conditions much more difficult. I basically have to triage what illnesses I can be treated for, and whether the side effects are worth it. I have high cholesterol that can't be controlled by diet, and even though my main drug does not have any known interactions with the statin drugs, I can't tolerate Crestor or Lipitor. My doctor has started me on a third, less effective statin in one last Hail Mary to see if I can be treated for my high cholesterol. If I can't, I'll just have to live with high cholesterol. It's very interesting to me that my main drug/cholesterol drug interactions have never been documented--it could be that those combinations were not tested before these drugs were released, but hey, I'm willing to live with high cholesterol, and I don't feel any animosity towards the drug companies, because my life span will be much longer than it would have been 20 or 30 years ago, thanks to the drugs that I CAN tolerate.

From my point of view, some drugs are essential for the treatment of certain conditions--if you don't take them, you will die a premature death. But when you are prescribed a drug, you need to inform yourself thoroughly about the risks and benefits, and when you add another drug to your regime to treat another condition, you need to proceed very cautiously, starting out with a low dose, just to make sure something unusual and never-before-seen happens. This happens often enough to me that my doctor understands my situation thoroughly. I wish all doctors were as cautious. But, I don't blame the FDA or drug companies--it's impossible to test every combination of drugs under ever circumstance in animals or humans before a drug is released, and ultimately, even if they did, some individuals have their own unique interactions with medications. I have reached the stage of acceptance and caution.
I took estrogen for years for severe menopausal issues. The doctor was hesitant to provide it to me and started me on a med that simply did not work. I finally told her I would rather use her for my gyn care but that if she did not give me what I needed, I would go elsewhere. I offered to sign a release. I knew the risks and I was willing to take them because the symptoms I had were interfering with my life. I did get breast cancer a couple of years ago...was it the estrogen? Perhaps,,, perhaps not. I choose to not think about it. I made an informed choice. Do I blame anyone? NO

Last edited by ladyjane; 04-22-2015 at 08:06 AM.
ladyjane is offline   Reply With Quote
Welcome Guest!
Not Registered?

Join today and remove this ad!