High number of medications

[Doublef]

I take 14 medications for heart failure, diabetes 2, GCA, High blood pressure, COPD and a CRT-D fitted. Yet I feel worn out and depressed. My legs are weak and losing muscle tone, my blood pressure crashes when I take my medication.I hardly go out now. Each department has this competition to change or increase doses. Bisoprolol, Ezetimibe, Spironolactone, Rosuvastatin, Changed, Metformin, Elipata powder inhaler,My wife picked up my medicines and had a chat with the pharmacist and she has offered a review this week to take to my GP. I do hope it can be sorted so I can get back to my dog walk, garden and fishing,or is it a bridge to far.

[Lowerfield_no_more]

It is a positive step that you are to have a medication review by a pharmacist especially since you take a large number of different drugs. When you speak to your GP to discuss the results I suggest you explain how you feel and give the GP opportunity to decide if there is an additional medical reason for your lack of energy, for example your COPD may mean you have low oxygen which could be contributing, and ahead of that you could buy an oximeter to see if that is the cause. As for muscle wastage that will happen if they are not used so I suggest you talk to your GP about arranging seeing a physio to help, or look up some general exercises off the internet, but certainly do something ,even a daily walk will help, trying to progressively build up how far you go. Finally get your fishing stuff out and give it a go again, its a low level activity, and will give you something to look forward to.

[EdtheDead]

In the same boat as you. Bisoprolol is playing havoc with me. I also now have Pericarditis and A-Fib. The Bisoprolol is giving me severe chest pain and has been for the last month. Despite the warnings for this Med stating it can cause Chest Pain and Heart failure, can't get my head round that one as they give it to Heart Attack patients, various departments keep tinkering with the dosage. Also on Ticegralor which can cause A-Fib and give you chest pain. Hoping for a full review of Meds next week. For the two weeks after my heart attack I felt fine, but for the month following I've felt dreadful. I'm 63 by the way

[jerry12953 in reply to EdtheDead]

Ask for the bisoprolol to be changed. there are alternatives and you shouldn't have to suffer.

[Tedthedog in reply to EdtheDead]

I’m on 7 tablets a day and when they upped my Bisoprolol I felt exhausted for about 3/4 months until my body got use to it..

your doing the right thing having a review then speak to your GP.. Good luck let us know how you get on ..

[RufusScamp]

We had this with my mother, Heart doc said to take X,Y and Z. Diabetic doc said why she taking X,Y,Z? Should be A,B,C. Rinse and repeat. We never did get a coherent solution.

[devonian186 in reply to RufusScamp]

I call it the traffic lights syndrome. The council puts up a set of traffic lights to deal with one problem which changes traffic flow and then requires a new junction, then a roundabout, which causes congestion and needs another set of traffic lights and a one way street and so on.

Someone needs to go back to the reasons why the initial traffic lights were needed and whether everything else has just made things worse.

I think this review would greatly help doublef. But it needs to be unhurried and go back to basics and in that respect a full description of all the aches and pains and what is actually supposed to be treated needs to be compiled.

[Qualipop in reply to devonian186]

That's exactly what happened to my mother in law. In her 80s she'd been gradually given more and more tablets for HIgh BP, aches and pains, arthritis etc until she started blacking out. After a fall on teh stairs and a blackout in the road, she was taken into hospital and ALL medication was stopped. They discovered that she'd been treated for high BP for 50 years when she didn't have it at all. The tablets were dropping her BP so low she was passing out. She came home with NO medication except a mild painkiller and lived to 98.

[wischo in reply to Qualipop]

This would really make you wonder if most of what we are on are a hinderance more than a help. I am having a review early December with my cardiologist and am going to push this to see why I need 6 medications long term.

[Qualipop in reply to wischo]

I was in hospital for 4 days a month or two ago and was put on tablets for a sudden arrhythmia(not AF) plus more for angina. I came up in a rash from the arrhythmia tablets so they were stopped. I have never ever had angina, either before or after a heart attack. After a discussion with my GP he decided no I don't have angina and nor do I need the other tablets so why was I given them in he first place? I think some doctors dole out tablets like smarties in the mindset that if people have tablets for something they will automatically think something's being done and will feel better . I wonder how many patients he's ever sent away saying "NO you don't need anything, it will be fine without."

[wischo in reply to Qualipop]

Fully agree with you and fair play to your GP for stopping them as most will not make that call.

[Qualipop in reply to wischo]

Since HA, my GP - in consultation with cardiologist has stopped ALL my tablets except aspirin, a statin and famotidine for stomach. He keeps me up with an annual echo scan and all the blood tests of course. I Just wish I could see him every time; the others all throw tablets at you. I will happily t ake those I NEED but not those that "might help a bit."

[itsok in reply to devonian186]

Good analogy, how many of the med's that we are on are helping the original problem, and how many are trying to counteract the side effects of all the others ?

I have just backed out of having cardioversion after seeing how many people have had it and are now taking handfuls of pills every day.

[JessicaRed]

I currently take 10 diff things some once day, some twice a dayI'm rattling and fed up

But battling on

Good luck with yr med review

[valeriep in reply to JessicaRed]

Me too. Sometimes I feel there aren't enough hours in the day to fit in all the medication! But when I feel down about it, I tell myself that the specialists have all worked hard to put me back together in the best health I can be and it's up to me to do my bit in maintaining it by taking my meds.

[JennyRx]

my friend is a geriatrician. When she sees inpatients she generally takes them off everything so she can see what is actually going on and starts from there putting in what’s needed. However to get to be an inpatient means you’re pretty ill so you don’t want to go there.

Weight management helps hugely with both T2D and COPD. Is weight an issue for you? If so, most CCGs have a protocol for your GP to refer you to a programme. And if you need to manage your weight, it’ll help with your heart health and general wellbeing. Small steps. Also most areas have exercise programmes for COPD patients which specifically are aware of how exercise is v difficult for COPD patients.

Just some thoughts. Also seeing friends and family is very good to lift our mood. Works for me when I’m feeling a low.

[Nanatotwo]

I am the same age as you and have accepted my limitations as my cardiologist has said there is no magic wand. All my medication and hospital appointments can be very depressing but I see people who are far worse than me.

Try to find pleasure in what you can do and keep going!

[Territorial]

I have COPD heart failure type 2 diabetes poly neuropathy and Atrial fibrillation amongst others i know how you feel i am sick to death of tablets..

I recently got rid of my blood pressure meds as they were giving me low blood pressure i think my weight loss did the trick..

Good luck with your visits to the doctors i advocate for myself and always go armed with a sheet of questions...

[Doublef in reply to Territorial]

Which meds did you stop

[Territorial in reply to Doublef]

Perindopril and Furosemide the latter is a diuretic i had to ask to get off it and only got off Perindopril because it started to lower my BP and i take Trelegy for COPD i wish you luck with everything i hope you can get off as many tablets as possible..

[jerry12953]

Is this a case of asking you to take one med to counteract the side-effects of another? it sometimes seems to me that the main aim of some GP's and consultants is to get their patients on as many meds as possible - for life. I feel like I'm beginning to constantly fight this tendency among the medical profession. Interesting to see JennyRx's comments about her friend the geriatrician, who takes her inpatients off everything to see what is really needed. Best of luck!

[wischo in reply to jerry12953]

No I think what they do is prescribe a set of drugs as recommended by protocal. Example almost all stent and heart attack patients are on an ace inhibitor, a beta blocker, an antiplatelet and Aspirin and generally a PPI to protect your tummy. This is a standard medication regime which can be done without thinking. People are different with different levels of disease etc and probably do not require all these drugs at all. Then if you develop anything else another tried and trusted few tablets are added resulting in 10 or more different medications which have to have interactions for the patient!! but with that many meds which ones are causing your life to be so miserable. A GP is very reluctant to stop any of the above medications at least without replacing them with something else which will likely cause different problems. Oh to go back to when two aspirin a few times a year were all you ever took!! happy days then.

[Auiron]

At the age of 80 I've found leg weakness an increasing problem as well. Due mainly to sitting down too long and not moving my legs very much.

In January I started to exercise more by having a tennis ball under my foot and moving my foot about. Early on doing it far too much caused my legs to ache. Now I've worked out how much is best for me and manage a 5,000-step walk quite easily and achieved 7,000 steps yesterday. This is a simple way to get improvements but don't expect it to work all at once.

The well-known saying 'If you do not use it you lose it' is so very true so no time to waste - very good luck to you.

[Schuberttrout]

I do sympathise , I feel my meds are doing me more harm than good and am going to request an overview with someone in cardiology so that I can express my concerns . I need to know whether there are alternative meds that would suit me better and wouldn't require even more drugs to counter the side effects of my current prescriptions .

best wishes , Ann

[LaceyLady]

🤦🏼‍♀️ This is not untyped get a pill for one thing then one to counter side effects and it gos on 😳 A drug review with your pharmacist is a good idea. My brother was on many medics including one for angina. He died, I won’t go into that but the autopsy showed NO ANGINA! He had a big box full of medications, been on a raft for all his life!

[Doublef]

I take 14 medications some once or twice a day. I recently had a dry powder inhaler changed the instructions said not to be taken by diabetics ! I have stopped using it and will ask at the review.

[Dollywow1999]

Statins can affect your muscles for sure only a 5 mg of creastor seems to be hydrophylic type that may not affect your muscles