Have you ever taken the time to read about the long-term side effects of the meds you’re on?
I’m not talking about the side effect list stapled to the prescription bag. It is good to read it, however, reading that list will usually make you just want to keep what’s ailing you!
What I’m talking about is checking into the long-term effects different medications can have on your body.
For instance, I have been taking Metformin for about 15 years. I am not diabetic, I happen to take it for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). After being on the drug for years, I had a doctor tell me that long-term use of Metformin can cause malabsorption of Vitamin B. The doctor telling me this: the lady that just diagnosed me with chronic fatigue syndrome and ran tests showing the Vitamin B in my blood was almost nonexistent. Now, had I known about this problem at the time it was prescribed to me I could have started taking B supplements right along with it and possibly avoided the whole chronic fatigue crash.
Another alarming thing regarding my Metformin: I went in for an MRI last year. The test was recommended by my doctor who most certainly had my medication list since he’s the one that refills all the scripts. I had already been through the pre-test questions by the hospital’s scheduling department and was asked for my med list at that time.
I arrived at the hospital for my appointment and was literally sitting on the MRI table with my sleeve rolled up. One nurse was getting ready to hook up the IV that would release the contrast dye into my system and the other nurse was very quickly running through my papers with me. I happened to notice one page they had checked off NO METFORMIN OR GLUCOPHAGE USAGE. I asked what that was all about since it was incorrect. The nurse’s face just dropped. The other nurse put down the needle and they both proceeded to tell me that having Metformin in your system when they give you the contrast IV for the MRI can cause kidney damage/failure.
Oh goodie! Do you think someone should have told me about that? I was sent home with instructions for how long I had to be off the Metformin prior to the test and then told I couldn’t take the Metformin until I had blood work done two days later to verify safe blood levels so I could start back up with my dosing.
That’s two separate issues regarding just one of my medications.
I tell you this long story to make a small point:
YOU HAVE TO BE YOUR OWN HEALTH ADVOCATE! #chronicillness #invisibleillness #spoonieNo one else is going to look out for you the way you will for yourself.
Trust me, I get it. You feel like you need a doctor’s degree to even read about all these side effects. Forget the fact that you didn’t attend med school. Forget the fact that half of the names of these drugs aren’t even pronounceable.
Grab a pencil and piece of paper and just start searching online. In a previous post you can read HERE I mentioned how you can get great information from Google Scholar. Start there. Do a search for the name of your med along with the words long-term side effects. Then next time you’re at your doctor take that paper with you. Ask him to confirm what you found in your research and let you know of any other long-term side effects of meds you should be aware of. This simple task will cause him to focus and not rush through your visit. He’ll clearly see that you’re watching out for yourself and not just blindly taking anything handed to you. To be quite honest, good doctors will be refreshed with someone that is trying to be insightful regarding their own health.
