My medicine cabinet overfloweth

I've been on lots of meds over the last several years. In so many ways they've covered up underlying conditions. An example is BP and cholesterol..It's true that both run high in my family. But when you get a script for chol medicine..it's like saying..yeah now you don't have to worry. What bullshit is that?

Anyway, here's an in between post of the meds I have been on and what they've done for me



Diphenhydramine - for sleep
25mg
taking for last 20 years
2 pills before bed (around 9pm)
Note: I've taken this medicine forever to get to sleep in a managable way. I usually have think/racing that keeps me from sleeping if I don't take it. I have been told that the medicine is absorbed completely in the body because it's a naturally occurring chemical. I like it because it's reliable and I can 'overcome' it if I need to.


Atacand - BP med
32/12.5
taking for last two and a half years
1 pill in the morning
Note: This pill hasn't caused ANY problems. Although I have noticed that my bp has been consistently elevated for the last several months. May need adjustment.


Simvastatin - Chol med
40mg
taking for last two years
2 pills at dinner
Note: I had tried to take a different chol medicine but it gave me bad stomach aches. This rx is the only one i've tried that didn't. I tried going off it around February due to my gastro issues. Didn't help. Also, it has a tendency to cause a dry cough. Can't be helped..but usually dies down after a dosage adjustment.


Buspirone hcl tabs - GAD/Panic disorder
15mg
taken since around November 2007
taking 1 half pill twice a day
Note: This does the least to help my panic issues. But conceivably it helps some. I quit taking it in May.

Sertraline(zoloft) - GAD/Panic disorder
50mg then 100mg
taken since around November 2007
taking 1 pill at lunch once a day
Note: I know this pill is working to some degree, but can't be certain how much the positive impact is me or the drug. I had the dosage increased due to a raise in my GAD over the summer. Matt's came for his visit..prolly related to the change in comfort etc.
In September, I quit taking this medicine. There was a 'getting used to myself' period but now I don't feel muted anymore. Note my post on 10.19.08

Diazepam(valium) - GAD/Panic Disorder
5mg
taken since around November 2007
taking 1/4-1/2 as needed for anxiety
Note: This pill has always been pretty good. For one, you don't have to take a whole one. Also, when i'm feeling like my shoulder is acting up due to tension, I can take it for that as well. My doctor feels that i'm not apt to be addicted to it. I think mostly due to me not taking it a LOT. The doctor doles these out to me as needed. He keeps a tab and I fill it sometimes, even when i'm not out..so now I have a 'supply'. fkyu don't judgeme

Hyoscyamine(Neosol) - to calm stomach before eating
.0125mg
taken since 4/25/08 (after endo/colo)
taking 1 to 2 before meals especially when no appetite
Note: this did good on my pre-eating stress but i've stopped taking it. Too many pills in my life already.

L-thyroxine(synthroid) - for hypothyroidism
50mcg then 100mcg
taken since 3/15/08
taking 1 pill first thing in the morning
Note: I was prescribed this and it brought my tsh down to 2.7. This is a good number. I worry about taking it and how missing a dose might effect me. My wife says that i'm more 'even' since i've been taking it(6 weeks). I would often have anger issues on the weekend..something I could describe as a 'frustration storm'. We both agree that we don't know if it's this or my recent health issues that have abaited that problem. I upped the dose to 100 last month because I was still running a little high on my TSH. Seems fine. What does Ralph Wiggum say? "I'm Happy! And i'm Angry!!"


Flora-Q 2 - Probiotic to aid in bowel and stomach rebuild
300mg
taken since 3/1/08
taking 1 pill in morning
Note: Doesn't seem to help and doesn't seem to hurt. I stopped this after a few months.

Prevpac (lansoprazole, clarithromycin and amoxicillin) - to kill h.Pylori bacteria
x2 30-milligram lansoprazole
x4 500-milligram amoxicillin
x2 500-milligram tablet of clarithromycin
Started around 2/15/08
take one dose (4 pills) in the morning after food and one dose after dinner
Note: This medicine was supposed to really wreck me. It was only the third to last set of pills that had a bad impact on me. I had eaten too much greasy food that night and had some alcohol. Lesson learned. Course. Stopped taking.

Varenicline(Chantix) - to quit smoking
1mg
took around july 2007
1 pill in the morning and 1 in the evening w/food for two months
Note: They call this medicine a miracle drug. It is. But I worry that it's 'masking' abilities might have made me how I am. Still uncertain. All I know is that I hadn't had any major panic/anxiety issues of note before this.

Ibuprofen - exercise pain
200mg
between 1/2007 and 11/2007
would take upwards of 4 pills (1600mg) up to 4 times a week while doing workout during 2007
Note: The generic, store bought versions of this medicine didn't always help in lower doses. Taking more seemed to help a great deal. I think this is what caused my peptic ulcers although I also had h.Pylori. I've since stopped taking this altogether and only take Tylenol as needed..But I try to ride pain out. Gunshy now.



The point being...that's a lot of fking pills..I don't advise a diet of medicine.