I found this article that talks about Polypharmacy-the layering of multiple medications on top of one another. often without regard to what other doctors have already prescribed or the potential interactions between the drugs.
I am one of those people. I had a mental back down over 8 years ago. I was seeing a Psychiatrist and was taking 5 drugs to help with my problems, I kept getting worse and had come to the point of wanting to kill myself. Nothing was getting any better, I was also seeing a neurologist who had also given me two drugs to help. I was told I had Dementia, memory loss, unstable when walking, and hands shaking. Over these 8 years, I was given over 18 different drugs to help with a lot of problems.
I needed to have my small toe removed because of an infection in the bone that antibiotics could not cure. I was told not to take any of my medications for 2 weeks except for two drugs. So, I stopped the drugs, after a week of not being on the drugs I started feeling better and my family was asking me what had changed, the only thing I could come up with was that I was off my medications.
Another week went by, and my depression and anxiety had gone away and again my family was asking the same question about what had changed. I had the surgery done. I was feeling great, I no longer felt suicidal, my memories were coming back, I was not having the shakes, and I was walking better. So, I decided to continue to stop taking the drugs for another week and I was scheduled to see my neurologist for a checkup.
When I saw him, he did his regular things like looking to see how bad the shakes were, asking me some cognitive questions, and a walk down the hallway. When he had finished, he looked at me and said you do not show any signs of dementia he was confused. So, I told him that I had stopped taking all my medication so I could have the removal of my little toe.
And that started feeling better, my memories started to come back, I was not depressed or suicidal anymore, and I had not restarted my medication for a month now. He did not know what to say. So, I told him that I was going to continue not taking any medications and see if this was a fluke and he agreed to let me do that but to schedule another visit in two weeks to see if this was still the case. I went back, and I was even better than on the last visit with him. So, we decided I did not need to come back unless things started getting worse again.
Just to let you know all my doctors were giving each time I saw them a list of all my current medications I was taking from the day I first day I visited them.
I then saw all my 6 doctors treating me for various other problems, they ran blood work and found that the other problems I was having had gone away. After a few more months I again talked with all my doctors and again came up with the same results, that everything was now all looking great and that it appeared I did not need any of the medication I was subscribed to any longer.
After one more visit with my doctors, I told them that I did not need to see them on a regular basis anymore unless I felt I needed them, and they all agreed. I am now only seeing my primary care doctor and my diabetic doctor. I only have two prescriptions I am taking now, one for my diabetes and another as a preventive medication. Once my next blood works come back in, If I do not see any change, I will be stopping the preventive medication.
This was all because of the interaction between medications. We all need to be more active when talking with our doctors about the meds they are prescribing and the interactions between them. I have found that most of them really do not know or understand the interaction of medications they are giving us.
Check out the article below:
Polypharmacy Killed My Son. He’s Not Alone
Story by Andrea Sonnenberg • Friday, May 19th, 2023
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/polypharmacy-killed-my-son-he-s-not-alone/ar-AA1boRk5?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=8b3030c67e0c415f873fd10a2e0f4ba9&ei=13
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