Take any prescription meds?

I try with every fiber of my being to never take prescription drugs. Those carbons always need to pass through the liver and they normally have a long term effect. Plus drugs are not designed to cure they are designed to treat. Can’t make any money curing now can you?

Blood pressure medication, thyroid medication, vitamin D. I quit having headaches, short term memory improved, less tired, lost 25 lbs in 6 weeks without changing eating habits, which are relatively decent. The downside is that I have developed a persistent cough, which is a side effect for 20% of all people on certain types of blood pressure medication, and have chronic constipation (managing through diet) that can lead to rectal bleeding bleeding if I’m not careful.

I try not to think about it.

Insulin for quite awhile.Iwill have to take it for the rest of my life.It can be a pain in the @ss,leg,arm,belly,or back depending on my mood XD

The only prescription med I have is my albuterol rescue inhaler. If I start having an asthma attack, I try to control my breathing before using it and only use it as an absolute last resort. I’ve had a rescue inhaler since I was 14 and will probably have to carry one around for the rest of my life (though I usually leave it at home and don’t even carry it around).

I haven’t had my prescription renewed in over a year because I don’t want to be on medication any longer. My doctor had me on an extremely low dose of two kinds to treat my migraines: Tylenol 3 (one at night every other day) and Xanax (only if I was experiencing anxiety attacks that prevented me from sleeping.) Regular pain medication doesn’t work for me (Tylenol, Advil, Ibuprofen, Excedrin—you name it, I’ve tried it. Doesn’t work.) T3 works but I hate getting rebound headaches. I access daily whether my migraine is intolerable enough that I need to treat it with medication. It’s been months since I last swallowed a dose of the stuff.

I haven’t taken Xanax in a long time. My anxiety attacks cleared up a couple months after they started. I wanted to get off that medication as quickly as possible.

I also don’t have health insurance. So there’s that too.

Hydrochlorothiazide and amlodipine- both blood pressure medications. I have no side effects at all. I may have to take them for the rest of my life. They work beautifully.

Both of my parents had strokes at a relatively early age, so I asked my doctor to consider BP meds as soon as my BP started creeping up. And yes, I also cut down on salt and am exercising a lot more. So my BP is now usually low normal.

It’s silly- and often deadly- to regard all medications as “toxins.”

Blood pressure medication as well as gabapentin for nerve pain. I don’t want to stroke out nor be in constant pain all the time. Medications do not stay in your body for a long time. Most are metabolized and excreted in hours. This is why I must take doses ever day. Just because the pill sellers make lots of money does not make medications intrinsically bad. Most are life saving. There is no cure for high blood pressure, it must be treated.

Valsartan 80mg (Diovan) daily for control of essential hypertension. Our family does high blood pressure really well. General agreement with @faye and @crisw, but understand the viewpoint of @muppetish. I have MS and avoid prescription drugs, preferring to take care with diet and to exercise as and when. It is likely I shall take the BP meds for life, unless I can use mind-over-matter to better effect!

Sympathies with @BarnacleBill; the BP med you are on may be causing the cough – it can be changed, might be worth looking into. I had the cough and throat tickle side effect with Lisinopril, no side effects now.

@BarnacleBill

Oops- missed the cough bit the first time I read your message!

I assume you are taking lysinopril? Have you asked to have the medication changed? I had the same problem with lysnopril. That cough is a bear. You shouldn’t have to live with it; there are many other effective medications to choose from.

None for the past decade. In the mid 90’s I did get addicted to muscle relaxers and pain meds but got off after threats from my job to be fired, used acupuncture to ease off.

@choppersangel: both my mother and bf take lisinopril, mom doesn’t cough but bf does- what did you switch to?

@Neizvestnaya

I switched from lysinopril to the hydrochlorothiazide and amlodipine I mentioned in my post. No more cough! Hydrochlorothiazide acts as a diuretic, but any excess trips to the bathroom are usually a temporary side effect.

@crisw: Thanks! I’m going to research it some, trying to find something that doesn’t do him in while working outside most of the day.

Oh, lord.

For my ulcerative colitis:
Mesalamine, an anti-inflammatory. I’ve taken this every day for about four years. I don’t even think it does anything for me, but I’m too scared to experiment with stopping it. Fortunately I don’t think it really has any negative effects, or at least, not that I’ve noticed.

Prednisone, a cortisone steroid. It works like magic for some UC patients, but has never done a thing for me. Even so, my doctor always puts me on it when I have a flareup, which is incredibly irritating, because it has about a million side effects and does far more harm than good. I’ve gone on it for periods of a few months several times over the last four years, and am on it currently.

Infliximab, a biologic immunosuppressant. Since UC is an autoimmune disease, sufferers can benefit from immunosuppressants. Infliximab is an infusion that I have to go to the hospital to receive once every six weeks. I started it about 1.5 years ago and for a while it was my miracle drug, but it’s losing its effectiveness. It’s a relatively new drug and it’s powerful stuff… in all honesty, I don’t think anyone has a good idea what all it might be doing to me, which is a fairly unsettling thought. I’ve had a few beastly lung infections while on it that I think are related to having a suppressed immune system.

I’m getting surgery soon to remove my colon, which will cure my ulcerative colitis. I won’t ever have to touch any of this stuff again. I think I’ll be a lot healthier for it.

It is rather interesting that I, someone who didn’t take anything before, now has no choice. I am perscribed Lamictal for seizures, Actos to help avoid diabetes, Synthroid to help my thyroid. Trileptal for my bipolar II. That’s in the morning. In the evening I take Lamictal and Trileptal again, and also Seroquel for bipolar and to help me sleep, beztropine to not have a reaction to the Seroquel, and Macrobid to avoid UTI. Such is my life now. I would rather not take anything, but because I’ve had a seizure already, know what no bipolar medicine is like, and can’t sleep without the Seroquel, I think that it is a small price to pay to avoid the problems no medicine could cause.

Answer to @Neizvestnaya, I take Valsartan (Diovan) 80mg daily. The ‘cough’ that I had with Lisinopril was horrible, I would choke until vomiting on occasion (sorry for graphic detail!). Took a change of Doc to actually accept my symptoms were the Medication. It was not every single day, could vary in severity, but began within a week of starting to take the Lisinopril. Have never had any probs with current medication and very glad I got it changed. Good luck for your BF.

big sympathy for @Mariah, hope the surgery goes well and gives you the relief you seek :o)

I am currently taking four prescription medications and apparently this is a life long state. I am being treated for thyroid malfunction (one pill), high blood pressure (two and a half) and high cholesterol (one). I am also on a strict diet/exercise program for pre-diabetes.

I take coumadin to thin my blood since I had blood clots in my lungs this summer. I have to avoid spinach and not eat too much romaine lettuce or broccoli. I get my blood tested weekly. I bruise easily. I will likely be on this for another month (and then hopefully never again). If I get pregnant while on it… there is a chance of miscarriage and a greater chance of birth defects.

I take Nexium for reflux and to protect my stomach while I am on the blood thinners. No noticeable side effects. I can probably go off of this when I go off the blood thinner.

I am supposed to be taking Zoloft for my history of anxiety/depression. I needed a refill a few weeks ago and didn’t get it in time and haven’t taken it since. I know I should go back on… but I don’t want to. I completely lose my sex-drive and for some reason just feel better not being on it. It probably has some minor side effects that I can’t quite put my finger on. I am a little nervous about having awful PMS, depression or anxiety without it… but I’m doing quite well. I guess I should call my psychiatrist about it… I was having PTSD dealing with my son’s father in court… but that is over now. I will probably need this kind of medication on and off forever. I hope to need it less frequently for shorter durations.

I have a history of taking an anti-inflammatory medication for back/joint pain that I can’t take while I’m on the blood thinner… so I’ve occasionally been taking tylenol when my pain is very bad. I have a feeling that some day I will be diagnosed with arthritis or lupus or something… but all tests come back fine so far. I am in pain every day, so I will likely deal with anti-inflammatory/pain medication forever.

I occasionally take a muscle relaxer for pain/sleep. See above.

Yes, when I need to. That’s enough info.

No

My medicines have changed some. Now I no longer take Actos, benztropine, and no longer take Seroquel. I’m allergic to the smaller dose tablets. Instead of the Seroquel I take Remeron to sleep, but have no replacement for either the benztropine or Actos.