A report in today's edition of the Daily Mail page 8 says millions of pensioners
are being given drugs they don't need due to 'systematic failings' in the NHS.
So clearly all you lovely folk are being drugged up to the eyeballs. Shocking ?...
well No ! I've thought this for some time now, so mine is a daily low dose aspirin
to keep my platelets separated. I DO worry about friends who on a daily basis
take multiple multiple drugs.... and yes I DID say that word twice intentionally.
I tend to agree cycleman especially about things like statins and BP meds. My GP and I have an agreement on such matters and she no longer pushes stuff I don't think I need. BP in particular is a cash cow for drug companies who have systematically driven down what is considered "correct" levels for years. I read here people saying there BP is such and such and too high yet at that level I would fall over everytime I stood up.
I believe it all started several years ago when Big Pharma cunningly introduced to the NHS the wonderful idea of polypharmacy. Elderly people were easily persuaded to take a daily barrage of pills in order to prevent medical conditions happening, whether or not they had any signs of ever needing them. Big business and big profits ensued...
People are living longer than ever before. I believe some of those drugs are responsible for that. Thank God for them.
You are probably correct. It’s a spectrum though - we are talking about pills that will not help you live longer or improve your QOL. Many, many drugs are not doing that in fact they cause more problems because the interactions are not taken into account. Atol Gwande writes about this and about how we need to be more mindful and informed.
Pills often beget new pills for the side effects! At one point they had my father on 16 different pills a day. He was suicidal. I brought him to live with us and took him to a doctor that we really trusted. He concurred that many of the pills were for side effects caused by some of the drugs he was taking and also noted that he was overweight from his poor, carb laden diet. He weaned him off of all but one BP med, but after he lost 40 pounds at our home (no longer ate sodium laden frozen food meals) on a healthy diet, even the BP med was taken away. He died at 89 and up until the day he went into the hospital for the last time he was on no prescription drugs and he was sharp as a tack until the end.
Thanks Mollybear for your reply. You say all that needs to be said ! All the very best to you for ever !!!
I'm wary of statins after reading a book called the memory thief and agree BP meds are overused
Here in New Zealand we have to have a bp that is lower than 120/80 and a cholesterol reading of less than 4
Surely not as low as this
What's it like in other countries?
Very similar. I refused and will continue to refuse statins, all HR rate and anti arrythmia drugs and PPIs. My total cholesterol = 6.5 -7 and my GP has also given up on me and just alerts me when it exceeds 7 - she has to - we have ‘the discussion’, she ticks her boxes and I go home. It’s ridiculous.
I take 3 drugs - an immune suppressant which I frequently try to decrease the dosage but unfortunately cannot without suffering, an anti-coagulant which I do think is a sensible prophylactic - given what we know about AF and stroke risk and one which acts like a neurotransmitter without which I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed much - for those 3, I am very grateful but I also know all 3 come with significant risks and may harm as well as help so for me it is always weighing the odds between helping and hindering my QOL which for me is far more important these days than longevity.
Thankfully our GP does not take any notice of such nonsense . My BP ranges from 120/70 to 140/ 80 depending on how distressed I am about the problem that has driven me to the doc in the first place! He is happy with both readings and anything in between. My total cholesterol is over 5 and he has never suggested a statin - nor has my cardiologist. He does know that I hate meds so maybe he thinks it's not worth it though he was keen for me to take the anticoagulant.
I would love to talk to somebody about the drugs I actually NEED. I take 9 different types and some of those I take because of the side effects of others. I then take vitamin and iron supplements which I'm sure are because of the tablets I already take as my diet is good.
Oh how I wish I were brave/fool hardy enough just to stop them!
You cannot ‘just’ stop a lot of pills, you need to wean off them!! I’ve not long been prescribed Bisoprolol, NO mention of side effects OR that you need to wean off them!!
I just stopped Biso and immediately felt so much better, do you know the reason why you need to gradually reduce? I don’t. I don’t get this weaning off Biso. Anti-depressants, sedative, anti-psychotic drugs I do get why you would need to wean off them but I don’t understand why you wouldn’t just stop some of the others - after taking medical advice of consequences of course. I have heard some doctors say reduce gradually and others who say just stop?!
I do get that the body gets used to certain chemical components and titrating down may prevent your body reacting in an uncomfortable way - I have one drug I do need to titrate up and down but I have really good bio-feedback symptoms as to how much I need and how much could be too much but I think that is rare and you need to be really body aware.
Hi CDreamer to be honest if you feel good to be rid of Biso don't worry, I weaned off cos I thought it was the right thing to do. Best wishes.
Here is the Age UK report on the subject for anyone interested. I agree with bob, have read a lot of research on statins, PPI And other drugs.
I try to avoid the Mail as they have a habit of publishing things that are not true or blatant lies
I agree but it's fun and we buy it for the crossword, not the misleading lies... lol
So are you a "Times" person ? more lol !
I read a Times article, probably about 10 years ago, that made my blood run cold. A woman (I think in her 60s) had heart problems, was eventually admitted to hospital and her family were told to prepare for the worst. Through their intervention, eventually a different consultant came to see her and read through her entire notes and checked everything meticulously. It transpired that through mismanagement of her medication and treatment she was overdosing and suffering catastrophic effects from the mixture and history of the drugs. He radically changed her regime and within days she left the hospital better than she had been in years. He openly said that often when someone with a complex history is admitted medical staff don't have time to study the detail.
I have searched and I can't find this article, so sorry for the sparse detail, which might not be entirely accurate. But I still recall my horror.
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