Scared of heart medicine

[Pie]

Why, oh why are people afraid of taking medication "for the rest of their life"?
It makes no sense to me. I have been on certain medications since I was 24; I will undoubtedly be on them till I die -- with the help of said meds, it may be much further off, I hope!

Can someone explain to me why taking a baby aspirin, or a statin, or allergy medication, or .... 'for the rest of your life' is so damn scary? Or more scary than cancer, a stroke, a heart attack or even hay fever?

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Pie

Why, oh why are people afraid of taking medication "for the rest of their life"?
...Your good outcome...
Can someone explain to me why taking a baby aspirin, or a statin, or allergy medication, or .... 'for the rest of your life' is so damn scary? Or more scary than cancer, a stroke, a heart attack or even hay fever?

Necessary meds are important but for example I was told I'd need acid blockers for the rest of my life, instead I gave up beer/wheat... problem solved.
Some people are susceptable to liver damage from long term relationships with meds. Take my dead mother for instance who was put on statins for the rest of her life which fortunately turned out to be only a couple years before the liver cancer killed her. Few things are scarier than cancer.

[Pie]

Originally Posted by Griff

Necessary meds are important but for example I was told I'd need acid blockers for the rest of my life, instead I gave up beer/wheat... problem solved.
Some people are susceptable to liver damage from long term relationships with meds. Take my dead mother for instance who was put on statins for the rest of her life which fortunately turned out to be only a couple years before the liver cancer killed her. Few things are scarier than cancer.

Sure. So I get a liver screening every year.

If lifestyle changes are sufficient to fix the problem, bully for you. Drinking less coffee helped my reflux, too.

Somehow, I don't think Cloud's daughter is in that boat.

For all the statisticians out there, it's an expected value problem: what is the integrated short-term and long-term risk and consequences of the medication versus the short-term and long-term risk and consequences of the disease or condition? If the latter is larger, take the drugs. :shrug:

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Pie

Sure. So I get a liver screening every year.

As did she.

[Griff]

Sorry about the hijacking Cloud. Obviously, I have a problem with over-medication just as Pie has with under-medication. We're both working off of personal experience hers good mine bad. I apologize if I came off as snippy Pie.

Good luck with your daughter.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Griff

Sorry about the hijacking Cloud. Obviously, I have a problem with over-medication just as Pie has with under-medication. We're both working off of personal experience hers good mine bad. I apologize if I came off as snippy Pie.

My best friend's father had high blood pressure at 50, mostly from a heavy meat/fat diet and crappy eating habits. So his doctor put him on drugs and he changed his eating habits significantly. Every time he'd go back to the doctor they'd check his blood pressure and say it's fine, keep taking your meds. At 60 he was on kidney dialysis.

Not once in those ten years did the doctor ever try reducing the meds to see if less would be sufficient. Nor did he ask about lifestyle changes that might come into play.

[Pie]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

My best friend's father had high blood pressure at 50, mostly from a heavy meat/fat diet and crappy eating habits. So his doctor put him on drugs and he changed his eating habits significantly. Every time he'd go back to the doctor they'd check his blood pressure and say it's fine, keep taking your meds. At 60 he was on kidney dialysis.

Not once in those ten years did the doctor ever try reducing the meds to see if less would be sufficient. Nor did he ask about lifestyle changes that might come into play.

High blood pressure itself causes kidney failure.
Beta blockers have no such side effects.

correlation != causation