Medication

[Rydia]

Do you like taking medication?

I only ask because it seems that everytime I take medication, I end up with the worst side effects possible.

I took a cough suppressant a few weeks ago, and got a very itchy full body rash that was so bad, I had to call off work. (Yeah I know, lame) I would have just rather delt with the cough.

A few years ago, I took a steroid to get rid of respiratory infection and it made me very mean. I'd yell at anyone who even slightly annoyed me.

I got a bad blood clot from birth control that landed me in the hospital. A bad stomach ache from penicillin, midol did shit for me, became very lightheaded from something else, Luvox made my anxiety worse, and when I went off it, I became severly depressed, so it gave me even more problems. A flu shot ended up giving me the flu.

The only thing that has not given me any problems is Ibuprofen, which I pretty much take for everything. And, due to all the problems I've had in the past, I do not like taking medicine that much.

 

[Amizon]

I don't like taking medication, but if it's to help me get better, then I'll do it.

I only really take paracetamol or painkillers for my headaches or migraines. But I mainly hate taking solid tablets because I came really close to choking on some a few years ago and have developed a fear of choking to death on any medication I take, so I prefer the ones that are dissolvable.

 

[Pandora]

I never take meds. Ever, and thank God I don't need any prescription drugs. As much as they may serve their purpose for other people, it's mainly the side effects that I worry about. The only type of 'medication' I'll take is one or two tablets of aspirin/ibuprofen if I have a massive headache or anything related. But other than that, no. Because I kind of think taking pills is like adding unnecessary chemicals to your body, whether their purpose is to help cure or relieve something or not .
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[StrungOut]

I don't mind taking medication as long as it does not have a lot of side effects. Due to my medical condition, i have to take medication every day for the rest of my life. Three years ago, I developed Schizophrenia, a mental disorder that is characterized by auditory hallucinations and paranoia. I thought for a couples of weeks that I was in a matrix (yeah like in the movie) and that I was doomed to live in a artificial world. I thought that people were talking about me on television, the radio, on the street, etc..My mental state disintegrated itself to the point that I passed 3 weeks in the hospital.

Since then I take Risperdal (an anti-psychotic) everyday and it's saving my life. I went back to school this fall and I work, things that most schizophrenics can't do. The only thing different with me from before is that I am more reserved, I don't really like meeting new people and I tend to avoid social situation. I only have a few friends but nobody except my family knows about that because there is a lot of misunderstanding about that disorder and people can be really judgmental. It's weird that I talk about that on a Final Fantasy forum but this topic made me though about how my medication made my life better.

Unless scientists finds a cure, I will take pills for the rest of my life.

 

[Valvalis]

I don't take anything unless I have to to save my life (which I'll count birth control under that category). The wrong medicine almost killed me when I was 2, I hardly ever get sick to begin with, and someone in my family has had to have thousands of dollars worth of surgery done because she took one of those "new medicines" listed on tv a few years back--you know, one of the millions of 'em that's supposed to be a "miracle drug" and then it ends up getting recalled 2 years later because it did the opposite of what it's supposed to It's completely f***ing ridiculous, if you ask me. I know that all the 30+ year old medicines that are out there now had to be tested on someone when they first came out, but they're in such a rush to make whatever money they can lately that they'll put stuff on the market before it's been adequately tested. And if it's lifesaving then that's one thing, but most of the ones you see on TV are for things like allergies, osteoporosis, and other things that are chronic conditions that are annoying and painful, but that sometimes you can still live with. For something like that, I would really much rather go with something that had known, concrete effects for a few decades, and might not work quite as well, than something brand new that gets recalled five seconds later, it happens WAAAY too often lately

 

[StrungOut]

I know that all the 30+ year old medicines that are out there now had to be tested on someone when they first came out, but they're in such a rush to make whatever money they can lately that they'll put stuff on the market before it's been adequately tested.

I agree with you. My doctor asked me if eventually I would like to take part on a study for a new anti-psychotic but I refused categorically. I don't want to try something that has potentially more side-effects than what I am taking right now. The risperdone I take has been approved by the FDA since 1993 and I'm good with that. The only problem is that it has a lot of side effects like headache, tremors, dizziness, restlessness, tiredness, constipation, indigestion, sleepiness, weight gain, pain in the limbs, and dry mouth. Luckily, I only have sleepiness and tiredness but I will have to live with that.

 

[Martel]

I don't take anything unless I have to to save my life

This.

I won't take any pills I have to swallow whole either, because I choke. At one point in my life I was on four different medications, and I had to have them all in liquid form, because even if I take it them water pills make me choke. Its quite annoying, but its never really been absolutely critical, because I haven't had reasons to take medication very much in my life.

 

[Kandy-Sugar]

I don't exactly like taking medication but if it's either that or insufferable pain, I will take the meds every time.

Usually if I'm in a position to sleep off a headache or whatever, I will do that over taking medication, but if it's at work, I need it to keep going as I'm constantly staring at a computer screen 10 hours a day. So I take the meds.

If I went home every time I had a headache I wouldn't get all that much done. Not that I get headaches too often.

I am on the pill as well. I figure it's better taking that then bringing a child into this world and having to fork out more money.

I have heard of getting the injection but for some reason not having your period scares me. =/ Wouldn't feel right. I've never have any side effects from any medication either so I guess that's good when I need to take something.

Bottom line is that I only take medication when needed.

 

[Davey Gaga]

The only thing that has not given me any problems is Ibuprofen, which I pretty much take for everything. And, due to all the problems I've had in the past, I do not like taking medicine that much.[/COLOR]

Which is funny because Ibuprofen is notorious for causing stomach ulcers and causing respiratory problems.

It's weird that I talk about that on a Final Fantasy forum but this topic made me though about how my medication made my life better.

Unless scientists finds a cure, I will take pills for the rest of my life.

Do you not receive any kind of cognitive therapy as well?

I don't mind taking pills. I can swallow them whole without water as well. On Omeprazole (proton-pump inhibitor for acid reflux) for a while because I've been getting a dodgy stomach and I pop ibuprofen all the time (again funny, probably the cause of my dodgy stomach - and I have asthma, so it should be killing me ) and a few vitamins just because I'm a student with a shite diet. Mother's had to take hundreds of pills a day all of her life so I think I'm desensitised to new drugs tbh.

 

[Daenerys]

I don't like taking medicine, especially since most of the time it tastes bloody disgusting. As a kid, I used to get tonsillitis frequently (but not frequently enough so that they'd take my damned tonsils out) and I always had to have this vile yellow medicine, I used to fight my parents till I was blue in the face to avoid taking it :laugh:

Pills are different though, I don't mind taking them. One gulp of juice, add pill, boom. Done. I'm forever taking paracetamol when I have really bad headaches, so I don't mind them at all.

In short, I don't mind pills, but, I won't have liquid medicine unless I absolutely have to.

 

[StrungOut]

Do you not receive any kind of cognitive therapy as well?

I saw a therapist every week for the first three months after I did my psychosis but now my state is stable so I only see my psychiatrist every 6 months to renew my prescription. Maybe I would need to see someone to improve my social skills but for now it's not really a problem, others only sees me as shy/reserved.

 

[Jack's Smirking Revenge]

it doesn't bother me at all, which is lucky since i'm diabetic and have to inject myself three times a day.

other than that i'm pretty healthy so all i usually take is some paracetamol if i've got a bad head. i should start taking cod liver oil tablets and glucosamine sulphate again because both of my ankles click really badly a lot of the time, and it's not as bad when i take them. they're so damn expensive though.

 

[Rydia]

Which is funny because Ibuprofen is notorious for causing stomach ulcers and causing respiratory problems.

I know. And my mom is highly alergic to it so I'm surprised that it gives me no problems.

I guess a lot of us really do not need to takes meds right now. Though when we are older, we will probably have to take more for health. I'm already expecting to have high blood pressure when I hit fifty because it is hereditary in my family. And I don't know how realistic it is for me to be active if I have a full time job and kids, or whatever else I'm doing. I exercise frequently now to hopefully delay early complications.

And I do think people over medicate themselves. I know people that take medication for EVERYTHING no matter how minor it is.

 

[Rydia]

Since then I take Risperdal (an anti-psychotic) everyday and it's saving my life. I went back to school this fall and I work, things that most schizophrenics can't do. The only thing different with me from before is that I am more reserved, I don't really like meeting new people and I tend to avoid social situation. I only have a few friends but nobody except my family knows about that because there is a lot of misunderstanding about that disorder and people can be really judgmental. It's weird that I talk about that on a Final Fantasy forum but this topic made me though about how my medication made my life better.

Unless scientists finds a cure, I will take pills for the rest of my life.

It's great to take medication if it helps you and you do not have to deal with any of the more unpleasant side effects. It's just that when I take meds, the cure is often worse than the ailment ): But it's cool that you can talk about your schizophrenia. Most people will not mention it. And I wouldn't look at you any differently now that I know you have it We once had a mod that had multiple personalities and he was an awesome moderator.

I do kind of raise my eyebrow at people who take medication for every little thing. Such as every little headache (not migranes)

 

[StrungOut]

But it's cool that you can talk about your schizophrenia. Most people will not mention it. And I wouldn't look at you any differently now that I know you have it

Thanks for saying that! I don't really mind talking about it even though I don't talk about it to anyone especially if they are not aware of what this disorder is about. On this forum the situation is different, I feel more inclined to open myself, it's not like if I know personally some members.

We once had a mod that had multiple personalities and he was an awesome moderator.

People with mental disorders are (almost) normal people when they follow their medication and/or treatment. i heard that DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) treatment focus more on therapy than medication.For my illness it's the opposite. If they would be equals in result, I rather have a effective psychoterapy than taking everyday a medication with side effects.

For minor things like headaches I drink a lot of water and I go for a walk and it's effective. When I have a cold I usually take nothing except orange juice and a lot of rest.

 

[Davey Gaga]

I'm already expecting to have high blood pressure when I hit fifty because it is hereditary in my family. And I don't know how realistic it is for me to be active if I have a full time job and kids, or whatever else I'm doing. I exercise frequently now to hopefully delay early complications.

Hereditary implies you've inherited high blood pressure. The only thing you can inherit is an alteration in susceptibility - you could still go through life without any health problems whatosever with the correct diet and lifestyle.

There's an Australian Pharmacist called Tony Ferguson who's made a fantastic weight loss programme. His ideology was that he was sick of dispensing medication for high blood pressure, diabetes and all of the ailments that come with lifestyle problems. So instead of firing out medication for it, he's come up with the weightloss programme to change lifestyles instead of pumping you full of pharmaceuticals. Won't go in to the details but it 100% works, Tony Ferguson Weightloss Programme is definitely the best diet out there.

 

[Rey]

Generally I really hate Medicine, I am not allergic to any kind of it but some of myy relatives are so we be careful with what we take. I hate medicine so much. It tates really bad but If I need to get better Ill force it down there. Now pills arent that bad but if you dont have a drink to swallow make you swallow it easy it just becomes fucking disgusting... I ABSOLUTELY hate the aste of tylenols they just make me want to throw up. I always have a drink when I take one. Vitamins are good though(depends which flavor) I get sick often though so that sucks. I have a shitty immune system >.>

 

[DepecheMode]

Ohh yea... prescriptions. I've had my fair run in with that. Back when I was 7 I was prescribed Tegretol, which is used for epilepsy and different forms of depression and schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Basically it's the kind of medicine they give you if you were in a mental hospital. I took many different types of Tegretol over the years, i.e. carbamazepine, carbatrol, tegretol xl and depakote (liquid form) for several years up until I was 14. My dosage was rather high for being young, about 1000mg a day. I also used to take Zyrtec back when it was a prescription drug for allergies.

Then I constantly had strep throat as a kid so I was always being prescribed Penicillin but eventually I got a severe allergic reaction to it and had it changed out for Biaxin.

The most recent prescriptions was from my car wreak two years ago, I was given 800mg of ibuprofen and a powerful narcotic Percocet for the pain. I know the infamous stories about people being addicted to narcotics like Percocet and Vicodin, but I tried to be cautious so I didn't become addicted, however I could begin to feel myself become addicted which became kinda dangerous. Then 6 months after my car wreak I had to go in for teeth surgery because all 4 wisdom teeth were impacted and needed to be pulled. Ironically I was given Vicodin, yet another powerful narcotic for dealing with pain. Two powerful narcotics within less than a year, what luck I had.

Now a days, I don't take any prescription shit, too many side effects and it's too easy to become addicted. Unless it's absolutely vital I take something, I won't take it. Then again, I don't even go to the doctor anymore, unless I got a third arm growing out of my ass. Alcohol is about the worst I go anymore and even that I don't go any further than beer or wine, in moderate amounts each night.

 

[Rapture]

Medications are generally not much fun unless you need them to stay alive and functioning. I take two perscriptions per day (7 pills a day plus a multivitamin)...and I don't mind. I am thankful I have health insurance to be able to afford my meds and if I didn't absolutely need them for my health I obviously wouldn't be taking them...but one of them kindof contributed to saving my life so I take it knowing what my life would be like if I had not had it at one point.

Yes, the side effects for some are no fun. I have bad sinuses so during one of my not so rare sinus infections I got put on a very high dose of Biaxin XL...and my side effect was depression. It was horrible. I was soooooo glad to be done with my run of it because I felt miserable and I was crying for no apparent reason all of the time. I am allergic to Augmentin and I will always have to remember to tell anyone in the medical practice that I run into in the future about my reaction to it, but there are usually other medications antibiotic-wise they can give you if you become allergic to one. There are worse reactions out there than the occasional rash or the sore throat. I once saw someone who was allergic to epinephrine. I was like omg.... I couldn't believe having that serious of a med allergy. So it really depends on if the benefit outweighs the risk. Most of the time it does, since no one can really afford to go on meds nowadays unless they absolutely have to.

 

[Dee]

No. Generally, the medications I've taken haven't exactly made me feel better. There have been a few like antibiotics where the end result was better than the minor side effects that came with it, so I really didn't care as long as I was well again. But there have been some medications where I just end up feeling worse than I did before I took them. I'm not particularly a fan of medication. I'll take it if I know I'll get better, but otherwise I try not to be on medication unless it's absolutely necessary that I am.