I can, off the top of my head, remember five of the seven meds I take every day, though not necessarily their chemical names or brand names:
It's possible that (1) and (5) are actually the same meds; I need to check. Look for an update to the above list once I take a look at the actual list of meds.
All the above meds except metformin are to be taken once every morning. Metformin is the only exception: I also take a pill at night. Keep in mind what I've said before about how metformin actually isn't good for you: it pushes the sugar out of your bloodstream and into your organs, which is what diabetes does naturally, anyway. The docs see lower blood sugar and think everything's fine, but you're actually on your way to even worse diabetes. Hence the need to be on a low-carb diet: keep the sugar out of your system.
Stay tuned for more.
ADDENDUM: so here's the actual list of meds, with their names (luckily, listed in English, in very tiny letters, on my prescription form), plus what each med does. I've also inserted links so you can read up on each med (if you're interested, of course) in more detail:
2. fenofibrate (hyperlipidemia, i.e., excessive fat [lipids] in the blood)
3. atorvastatin (hyperlipidemia)
4. clopidogrel (antithrombotic [clotting]; anti-stroke)
5. amlodipine/telmisartan (2 meds in 1 pill; high BP)
6. metformin (blood sugar/diabetes)
7. empagliflozin (blood sugar/diabetes)
So there are some repeats, as you see; two meds for hyperlipidemia, two meds for anti-clotting, and two meds for blood sugar. I hope they'll start taking me off some of these meds, but I have a sinking feeling that, even if my numbers are much better this time around, the doctors' conservative impulse will be to keep me dependent on meds for an indefinite period. The only way to get off the meds will be to train like a beast and become a muscular hulk by next year or the year after. I may need to start clarifying my fitness goals.
I must have missed the post about Metformin (I miss a lot of posts, these days), so I'm going to ask a stupid question: If it just makes the diabetes worse, why is it even prescribed? It seems like it merely treats the symptoms as opposed to treating the underlying issue. Or is there some subtlety that I am missing?
ReplyDeleteC,
ReplyDeleteNope, you're missing nothing. You've got the essence of it.
Metformin is the most-prescribed drug for reducing blood-sugar levels in diabetics. Jason Fung's account of what metformin really does in his The Diabetes Code was eye-opening for me.
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteWith all of the diet + exercise you are doing, would it be worth a shot to do a controlled reduction of your medication? E.g. Stop taking medication A and see what happens? Then move on to medication B, etc. I have a cousin who took BP medication for years, being told by doctors that he needed. Stopped taking it and his blood pressure never increased from what it had been while on the medication.
(Having said all of the above, I have zero medical training or background. LOL)
ENE,
ReplyDeleteThat might be a thought. I'll think about it after my upcoming checkup. Thanks.
Interesting. I've been taking six prescriptions for years and actually have no idea why. Well, BP and prostate if I recall correctly are two of them. I don't need prescriptions for refills here either (surprise, surprise) so I just keep the habit. I'm going to do like you did and read up again on what and why I am ingesting a handful of pills every morning. I also like your commenter's idea of weening myself and seeing if there are any ill effects.
ReplyDelete