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We recently had a very useful post from someone who spelled out the changes to a particular medication over a decade or so. My DH has had migraine for many years, and had given up trying to find solutions. He found that there were new developments he didn’t know about.



I have just done something similar. I am one of the 5% who can’t tolerate ibuprofen or voltaren, which is a real pity with scoliosis as it would avoid me taking codeine, a stronger opioid. A specialist has just told me that I should have been told nearly 10 years ago that there was a new alternative that didn’t upset the bowel. I’m on the third day, and it’s working!



So this is to suggest that people don’t just give up when they find that something doesn’t work. Ask again. And of course, that goes for the people we care for as well. They are even more likely to have given up on long term problems, without realising that there is something new.



Yours, Margaret

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Margaret,

You made several valid points. I agree that if a particular med isn’t working, then it is good to look into alternatives.

My brothers have serious heart issues. Neither one can take a statin due to side effects. They are taking injections of Repatha now instead of a statin.
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Of course it’s best to minimise unnecessary medications. My post is about long term chronic conditions where you’ve given up asking. Like DH’s migraine, and my ibuprofen problems with my spine, which looks much like King Richard III’s skeleton except it’s a double curve. Look it up!

I also think that pharmacists are under-utilised, but once again you have to expect a change in order to ask either a pharmacist or a doctor again. It was a bit of a shock this time. Margaret
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MargaretMcKen Aug 2023
Thank your for your comment. It’s great to be understood! Did you Google “Richard III's skeleton”? Poor bloke. Backs deteriorate over time, and mine wasn’t so bad in high school, when we had Richard III as a set text. Guess who I was cast as when we acted Scene 1? It doesn’t seem funny now!
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Doctors have no idea what side effects a medication will give a person. Why do u think people are so over medicated. The person who knows the interactions and side effects of medication is your pharmacist. Doctors get information on new drugs. They also get kickbacks if they prescribe it. I have never had a Dr ask me any questions before prescribing me any medication. If a side effect is, it may upset ur stomach, it will upset my stomach. I get my side effect info from the pharmacist. He also catches interactions.

We all need to be our own advocates. Its logical, you start on a new med and you have side effects, its the new med. Dr. Increases the dosage and you feel worse, its the medication. Me, so far I don't take anything. Either does my DH and we r 73/76. We take Advil for aches and pains but not often.
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Grandma1954 8/8/23

I often say one of the best sources for current information without "undue influence" might be your pharmacist.
They know the current medications and are not beholden to a drug company to push one or the other. And they are more apt to help you if you are looking for drug interactions or problems you might have since they know your drug history.
And they usually have a bit more time that they can spend with you answering questions.
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The opposite side of the coin - don't let doctors push the newest thing on you when the tried and true has been working well. Every time my mom ended up in hospital the resident doctors wanted to change up her prescriptions, as if they somehow knew better than her specialists!
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Good idea!

I’ll add to that:
Check side-effects also! Sometimes our LOs have some strange ailment, and only later we realize it was a side-effect of the medicine. My personal policy for my elderly mom is: only the absolutely necessary medicine. Remember, all these medicines have side-effects, some severe.

In fact, a friend of mine was given anti-malaria medicine. It caused huge side-effects: some lasted years. My friend wouldn’t have taken the medicine if he had been warned by his doctor of the very serious side-effects.
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ventingisback Aug 2023
“In fact, a friend of mine was given”

It was the doctor’s duty to inform.

It must be informed consent.
A patient can’t possibly guess or know the severity or probability of serious side-effects. The doctor greatly failed in his duty. It became a legal case.

(Ventingisback)
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