Medication for the rest of your life

I spoke about it on here at the time – had a TIA at the end of July

All been fine ever since

I’ve had test after test after test. CT scans, MRI scans, ultrasound heart scans, 48hr ecg, blood test after blood test after blood test, constantly monitoring blood pressure

Not one test has found a single thing wrong, everything comes back as normal, every time

No doubt something happened to me and the signs did point to a TIA

I’ve been prescribed blood thinners and statins since the event.

And told I’m on them forever

I get it if these are going to save my life and I’m not necessarily going to push back. I also appreciate all the tests to try and find things wrong with me.

However, I’ve always been against too much medication – won’t have antibiotics unless they are totally necessary and believe in the body being able to mostly look after itself. I’ve always had a pretty decent immune system

COVID jab preference aside and not up for discussion, but I’ve always done ok on that front too so far

Not sure what to do to be honest. I’d rather not take medication for the rest of my life if it’s not needed, but….

Probably can guess the majority response on here, but interested to hear opinions

53yo btw

I felt the same post hole-in-heart fix and arhythmias. I think it comes to everyone eventually. I just accepted it. My partner takes a couple of things. My mum has about 10 different things.

Though after a second ablation I’m now off all meds. Which is nice.

What biscuits?

I bet three pages before being locked, a minor flounce and two short bans.

I feel the same about these things and probably should be on anti hypertensive drugs myself but after 10 years stopped taking them.

But then I think about my nephew who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at birth so has been on more medication than you could imagine for his entire 19 years of life. Last week he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and started chemotherapy yesterday. Sometimes you don’t really have much choice and if the side effects are better than the alternative you have to get in with it.

I’m on a low dose of statins as my cholesterol is a little higher than ideal, but it’s genetic – we tried the diet and my folks are on them. Zero side effects, and I’m very low on the risk scale for a heart attack.  I’m also on Testosterone following a dodgy snip and repair works 12 years ago (T dropped really low below 5 n/mol)- I need it otherwise I literally feel like crap, cycling performance drops right off (I commute and can tell by the time it takes). Hopefully I’ll be able to stay on it, but may not be allowed  as I get older. Application is a pain, as it takes 10 minutes to dry and soak in – can’t apply, get dressed and carry on as clothing soaks it and it doesn’t work.

Didn’t want the statins, but I’ve zero side effects.  Had more issues when taking meds for back pain (broke my spine) – the side effects were nasty, so I just put up with the pain these days.

Not heart related, thyroid. They took the misbehaving little tinker out and I’m on 125mg of thyroxine daily. Small price to pay for not throwing wobblers anymore. C’est la vie.

The thing that troubles me is when we reach full blown WWIII, medication will again be scarce

I have blood pressure issues and the GP jumped straight to meds as an option. I said I’d like to revisit after I make a real effort to up exercise and eating healthier. My issue is that my job causes stress and my response is to eat shite.

I’m also on antidepressants and have been for the last ten years or so. I think I will be for the rest of my life. Tried coming off them a few times and ended up feeling suicidal, not nice. The AD’s have some pretty shitty side effects. Fatigue and no emotional highs being two of the worst for me. I resisted taking them for years and still have regular battles with myself about staying on them. I don’t really want to add blood pressure meds into the mix too to be honest. Just shy of 48 here.

I physically rattle at 61, I am on 9 prescription drugs from Statins to Ozempic (not a lard arse it’s a damaged Pancreas) without the drugs I would probably be dead. I struggled with all this tried to exercise, diet my way out then a Consultant explained that I couldn’t manage it as one issue was genetic and the other an over prescribed drug.

If you are overweight and unfit and on a shit diet, well you maybe able to work it out via exercise and diet… if not take the meds

I had my first Asthma attack (apparently) when I was about 4. I remember attacks vividly from around 10 years old or so. They are beyond terrifying and the fear of taking your last breath is indescribable. Fortunately for me it became controllable in my late teens. At 60 I will continue to be grateful for the medication that I will take for the rest if what I hope is a long life.

I have blood pressure issues and the GP jumped straight to meds as an option. I said I’d like to revisit after I make a real effort to up exercise and eating healthier. My issue is that my job causes stress and my response is to eat shite.

A couple of years ago my GP contacted me about (slightly) high cholesterol and immediately wanted to put me on statins

I said I’d try and sort it myself first. 6 weeks later with a revised diet (nothing drastic) and he was amazed at the change

Which sort of contributes to the raised eyebrow about me being on statins forever now, albeit for a different reason

Was diagnosed as T1 diabetic 49 years ago and been in insulin since.then. Also been on statins for 20ish years (current cholesterol is 3.4, so I found out today) and candesartan for as long BP was 110/70 today, so guessing that’s working).

Also have zero functioning thyroid so loaded up with thyroxin (a symptom of the autoimmune condition that caused the diabetes).

Everything seems to be working fine for me and I feel pretty good, taking plenty of exercise and living a comparatively normal life, so TBH I wouldn’t worry too much about being on medication for the rest of your life if I were you. I’d be more worried about forgetting to take it.

If you are overweight and unfit and on a shit diet, well you maybe able to work it out via exercise and diet… if not take the meds

Not overweight or particularly unfit. Cycle to work and back, 24 miles or so, between three and five days a week. Go to the gym when time allows and trying to sort some aspects of the diet. Fewer crisps being the first step. Some GP’s just jump straight to meds without looking at education and intervention first. Surely that has to be better for everyone

Son is T1 – diagnosed at 14 – that’s a bit shit and was a right struggle at first, still is. He’s 24 now. Plus side, tech is better and he’s on a medtronic closed loop system (basically adjusts insulin to need more or less automatically).

I had a Pulmonary Embolism last year after (apparently) having a DVT from sitting too long driving back from the Alps. This was the second DVT, the first a few years before post collarbone surgery.

The PE got a bit out of hand and I had a few days in ICU then the Coronary ward as it strained the old ticker.

I’m on blood thinners now and apparently, the risk of a repeat is the same as the background population. The only issue is when I knick myself doing any sort of manual job. It just dribbles out of me and takes ages to stop.

Mustn’t grumble/could be worserer etc.

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/stroke-tia/management/secondary-prevention-following-stroke-tia/

This is the latest guideline for the UK. Anti platelet meds are pretty standard now, don’t know if your cholesterol levels led to the statin recommendation.

Not a doc, obviously, but even though you say you have normal test results, the biggest risk factor for a second stroke is the first one, so that should guide your view on the meds.

If you’re still questioning it after reading the guidelines, have a conversation with your specialist.

I picked up my latest prescription of six types of medication yesterday. Like you, I was one of those people who never needed antibiotics…

After being diagnosed type 2 diabetic two years ago having lost 50% of my insulin production brought on by a bout of Covid ( according to my diabetic team) with blood sugars 350% of what they should be I’ll be on metformin for life, although it’s nice to know I’m the only person in the surgery with now normal blood sugars who had a similar hba1c that’s doing it with just metformin, insulin may be part of my future but not just yet.

It’s a bit annoying but I don’t mind, the alternative is losing two or three pounds per week till I look like a skeleton, which was very ugly and really quite scary as I couldn’t control it, I now feel perfectly normal and have a normal life expectancy ( if things stay as they are) so all good.

I understand at a human level the OPs point of view. It is of course his choice to take a prescription or not.

But there are no prizes for not taking the meds. It feels like there should be not there isn’t. No bonus years of life for 10 years meds free.

You are very complicated bag of chemicals. Be glad you live in an age where there’s things are an option

Now if your talking actual side effects then that’s different

Fewer crisps being the first step

This ^^^ and for me stopping drinking beer and cutting down on carbs generally, plus more regular exercise, stopped me from becoming diabetic, at least for the time being…

Definitely had similar feelings to the OP. I had a TIA about 5 years ago, found to be in AF, so prescribed 4 different meds. I’ve only taken 3 of them in all that time. Statins? They’re the ones for blood pressure/colesterol? YEah I don’t take them- the consultant told me it was because “he’d like me to” take them even though BP/colesterol aren’t high. So I decided I don’t need them. 3 is enough. Then the prostate crap, which are a sod if you do take them and a worse sod if you don’t, so that’s 4.

In a relationship for the past year with someone very clued up medically, and she got me to see the consultant again, to see about having an ablation to remove the need for the meds. He explained that he does ablations all the time, but doesn’t see me as a good case for one,  as my symptoms are mild (if that’s the right word). So I’ll keep taking the meds – I know my heartbeat is screwed, so I’m not prepared to risk the TIA or worse again by not taking them. (I could’ve been really badly injured by the TIA, falling off my bike – was seconds away from a 30mph+ descent one way and a very busy A road the other!)

I do forget to take them some weekends though 🙂

Forgot to say, part of it is the bloody insult to someone who has looked after themselves, stayed fit, eats well, drinks in moderation, never smoked.. when they start asking you about those things, like they will be the cause of the health issue.. it does make you object to being “ill” and having to take those meds to get over it! But you do get used to taking the crap. I’ll just NEVER use one of those daily pill dispensers like an old pensioner! (despite being 60!)

I could’ve been really badly injured by the TIA, falling off my bike – was seconds away from a 30mph+ descent one way and a very busy A road the other

The weird thing about mine was that although I was having a very strange experience – I rode my bike down a rocky descent, left my mate for dead (his words), then across a busy A road and to the pub. My motor functions were on point, which doesn’t make sense as my cognitive functions were all over the place – couldn’t read messages on my phone, think properly, or even talk properly when I stopped riding.

Off to bed, will reply to some of the other comments tomorrow, but thanks for the replies

Just been helping son get all his med kit gear in containers for him – he’s off on a long weekender with friends, so we’ve got all his T1 kit in different plastic boxes – one for the fridge, and the sensor kit in other boxes, and the sugar/glucogen pen/glucose in other boxes…

Fortunately, his mates are aware of his condition.  Getting food poisoning was really serious one this year – we only found out second hand a few days later – the food poisoning ended him being in hospital 5 days, without the booze up party (he missed it) – he was 200 miles away..

Having had a TIA then your chances of having a stroke are very high and the statins will reduce this risk substantially.    Your GP will have an assessment tools and will be able to discuss risk.  Its not going to be a one in a million chance tho – probably closer to 1 in 10 or even higher unmedicated depending on other risk factors

My motor functions were on point, which doesn’t make sense as my cognitive functions were all over the place – couldn’t read messages on my phone, think properly, or even talk properly when I stopped riding.

It all depends on which bit of your brain was affected.

69 here and been on Allupurinol for gout for 47 years!  Also take Tamusolosin (sp?) for an enlarged prostate.  Just been told to take statins for raised cholesterol  (even though my ‘bad’ colesterol is very low; it’s the ‘good’ one which is raised).  I’ve declined for the time being.

i think the ‘ you are on them forever’ statement from the medical person is a bit of a general thing.

whether you will be can alter very quickly.

prior to open heart surgery i was taking 4 meds.  warfarin, amiodarone, bisoprolol and something else.

all pretty strong, and high dosage.

after the op, i was put on a easier blood thinner which didnt need as much keeping tabs on,  apixaban, and a single AF med, diltiazem.

after a while i saw the cardiologist and he was happy with my progress, so stopped the blood thinner,and lowered the dosage of the AF med.   i now only take this 1 tablet.

so it may seem a bit shit now, but the future may end up being a lot brighter.

so good luck with it all.

As a professional in a very different sector I’d generally expect someone coming to me with an issue to want to act on the advice they’re given in view of the potential severity of the outcome from not doing so. I’d be a right hypocrite if I didn’t make some attempt to do the right things when I’m on the receiving end of the advice.

The medics are the experienced professionals here.  You can take a gamble on not following the advice on some principle or other or you can follow the advice.  Your principles are unlikely to safeguard you from medical conditions but the pills presumably are.

There are times for decisions in healthcare that are primarily about your wishes (e.g. end of life care, high risk or high side effect treatments such as chemo and quality Vs quantity with chronic conditions) and there’s a time to accept some minor side effects/compromise for the sake of not having a life limiting or life ending event and an unnecessarily early death.

Ultimately you have a choice but not taking the meds long term seems on the scant details to be the wrong side of the risk/reward line to me.

Omeprazole here, whether it’s for life or not I’m not sure, but any time I’ve tried to come off it over the years the rebound acid reflux has been unbearable so I presume it will be forever.

I think it’s supposed to increase the risk of osteoporosis but the pharmacist didn’t seem worried due to the dosage.

Oh and good luck with whatever you do.

And my only word on COVID and I promise not to bang on about it.

If you’re thought to be weaker than before especially cardiovascular wise then please rethink your “jab rules” and take the advice.

My brother in law spent several weeks on a ventilator for COVID in 2020 and then a secondary infection.  Months of rehab after and it’s taken years to properly recover.

Some stuff you can diet/exercise your way out of – overweight, high blood pressure, T2 diabetes are all good candidates but it is not guaranteed.
Other stuff you can’t. Read the posts above.

Imagine you were told you had to take ‘food’ for the rest of your life and that would feel fine and natural.
Imagine you were told you had to manage your ‘food intake’ for the rest of your life and that would feel fine and natural.

Drugs and medication are sightly different from food, I agree, but don’t get hung up on ‘for the rest of your life’ or it might be less time than you expects.

*I decline the blood pressure tablets for the rest of my life and managed it through diet and exercise for the rest of my life instead.

I didn’t read the replies but I have some thoughts I’ll share.

I had an unprovoked Pulmonary embolism (PE), and was put on xeralto for a year or so. A year after stopping I had the same pain and was diagnosed (during the height of COVID), with another unprovoked PE. I’m on xeralto max dose for life.

I’m a healthy guy who rarely gets ill and I’m obviously indestructible. ?

But I get blood clots. Which are often a killer (especially when undiagnosed fir 2 weeks but that’s another story).

Whatever is impacting the body isn’t a bit of a sniffle, or a bruised knee, these unrelated things that you and I have. This isn’t something the doctors have a definite reason for happening so we can stop that thing. This is something that is happening and could either take us away from the ones we love via death or mangle us up so our loved wish death upon us.

The medicine has been had years of chemistry improvements, years of manufacturing improvements and all with years of control from multiple external & internal sources to produce something that’ll help reduce/prevent the symptoms that have been observed.

The body has evolved to fight the common, lesser ailments, but the wacky shite? Historically those people died, often in pain over an extended period of time.

**** that, I’m taking the medicine for life.

Question about the blood thinners: do they limit MTB due to risk of cuts? My dad’s on blood thinners and gets bad bruising from bangs and small cuts don’t stop bleeding etc. I always thought I’d strongly push back to avoid having to take them for that reason, if it ever arose.

My issue is that my job causes stress and my response is to eat shite.

I’m also on antidepressants and have been for the last ten years or so.

Dude… Change your job?!

My mum summed this up for me. She had a stroke 20 years ago, whilst she was in hospital they purely by chance discovered imminent double kidney failure. In a perverse way, the stroke saved her life. She left hospital with thinners, thickeners, pro-this and anti-that, painkillers, stents fitted.

She said, “on the one hand I could think ‘I’ve got to take all this stuff for the rest of my life, that’s awful.’ But on the other hand, isn’t it great that I can take all this stuff and have a rest of my life?”

I got an extra 20 years out of her that by any metric we probably shouldn’t have. I understand your point and it’s a bit miserable but suck it up, buttercup. They don’t hand out drugs like M&Ms and the alternative is worse.

I decline the blood pressure tablets for the rest of my life and managed it through diet and exercise for the rest of my life instead.

Great if it works. I was diagnosed essential hypertension aged 17 and have never had a bad diet or not exercised. It’s made bugger all difference. But then the various medications didn’t either, so I just stopped them. I originally started monitoring my exercise HR to get a baseline to see if I tried medication again it would affect my HR. A few years later I still haven’t got around to measuring my BP consistently to get a baseline.

When i was in my late teens early 20s I was on beta blockers and still playing high level football – not recommended.

I said I’d like to revisit after I make a real effort to up exercise and eating healthier.

And have you?

My meds are pretty minor, and I’ve been taking them relatively late in life, so I’ll probably be taking them for the rest of my life. I take Naproxen twice a day for the arthritis in my knee and both hands, I also take CoCodamol whenever either sites play up in between. I’m on statins for the obvious reason, and tablets in case of gastric issues from the other medication. I also take a supplement every day to help control macular degeneration, which I’ve been taking for around four-five years, and so far they’re helping a great deal with my eyes, so I’m more than happy to take them for the rest of my life. I also take vitamin D supplements.
Anything that helps me get through every day with the minimum of pain is absolutely worth it.

I was initially put on statins(about 5 or 6 years ago), but they came with side effects so i decided fk it and stopped taking them. Cholesterol is or has been low all my middleagedness, but slight vascular issues and partial blockage in the femoral artery in the right leg and lower calves/feet are quite cold.- But thats why they invented thick socks, and insulated trousers

But overall health is not bad for a 56 yr old. Achilles tendon in the right leg is weak and causes a fair bit of pain after walking 30′, though stopping to rest helps for longer journeys, as long as i walk a bit, stop, then walk a bit more i can get about. But 99% of my journeys i use an Ebike, even the 100m to the local shops. But to hell, i dont mind being crippled by this, as there are folk out there that cant even walk, or in some cases get out of bed. By that score I think im doing well.

.

My only real upcoming issue is cataracts, which ive been told is hereditary, and bloody damned annoying as ive always striven to use the best optician and new eyewear every year.

Its quite funny as the surgery im getting in about a year from now is like the sifi movies, where the propagandist is strapped down and a big needle slowly advances towards their eye,which is pretty much how this surgery works, but f all you can do and f it needs done, better get it done.

.

As to medication, I’ve been on propranolol for the last 25 years 3x40mg due to something called an essential tremor, which i can assure you is not essential from my perspective. And more recently some powders i need to inhale due to smoking for too long, though I’ve nearly got a grip on giving up, so ill stop them when i feel its done all it can and live with the results come what may.

But I feel i’ve had a good innings and lived more than the one lifetime, and due to an incident when i was 16, these last 40 years have been a bonus I very nearly didnt get to live.

.

So to all and sundry, to hell with it all. You live, you enjoy, and better to have a time than worry yourself to death 🙂

I’d rather not take anything but just popped in my high cholesterol (hereditary) and high blood pressure (COVID jab) mean this forms part of my breakfast regime.

OP, sounds like you’re not that open to rational persuasion and that you’re asking for interest rather than to influence your decision to ignore the advice of your doctors which they have given in your best interests. NP, living your belief in your exceptionalism is your choice, assuming you are competent.

my go to for medical information in the absence of a medical colleague is UpToDate (Wolters Kluwer).

That your various tests have ‘all come back normal’ perhaps indicates that your TIA might not have been caused by, for example, carotid stenosis, atrial fibrillation, or intracranial large artery atherosclerosis. As you have had a TIA it does not mean you are ‘normal’ but instead perhaps that you are more likely to have another than someone who had not. This increased risk of TIA or ischemic stroke is why you are being prescribed various drugs: to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

UpToDate summarises

The preferred approach to the secondary prevention of TIA and ischemic stroke is to determine the pathophysiology of the event and treat accordingly

And

Intensive medical management — Most patients with TIA or ischemic stroke should receive antithrombotic therapy and be treated with all available risk reduction strategies. Effective strategies include treatment of hypertension, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering with high-intensity statin therapy, and lifestyle modification, including smoking cessation, exercise, low-salt and Mediterranean diet, weight control, and no or limited alcohol consumption.

I’ve not yet started any long term meds but any people I know have been on various cardiac, psychiatric, and cancer meds for long periods. They, and millions of others, have benefitted from them. In some cases needing to have them changed due to efficacy or side effect profile of course.   By the way I applaud your use of antibiotics except when needed – this is how they should be used  and thanks to good guidelines and good doctors is typically how they are prescribed in England.

i think it is said on most STW ‘my doctor advises … I want to do something different. What should I do?’ threads – would you be better to discuss this with your GP/neurologist/cardiologist than some randos on a mountain biking forum?