Which prescription drugs have greatly improved your life

[filmore]

Anyone here taken prescription medication which has made their life greatly better? Here are mine:

Drysol - Completely eliminates underarm perspiration. When I was in high school, I had massive sweating under the arms all the time. Like, wake up in the morning and my pits are soaked. My shirts were always soaked in the arm pits. It caused me great embarrassment. I tried all sorts of regular anti-perspirants and they were useless. I didn't even think of going to a doctor until I was about 21. He gave me a prescription for Drysol and it worked fantasticly. Absolutely no more sweating under my arms. I couldn't be happier.

Indural (propranolol) - Reduces the physical reactions to anxiety (sweating, flushness, tight voice, shaking, etc.). When I went to a function where I had to rise to the occasion (interview, party, public speaking, etc.), I would sweat and my voice would crack. Although I wasn't feeling anxious, my body was reacting that way. Now I can take Indural a few hours before the event and none of those physical reactions happen anymore. You only take the drug when you need it. Now I can enjoy being at a party instead of wondering if anyone can notice the sweat on my forehead.

The amazing thing to me is that I waited so long before going to a doctor about these conditions. In both cases, I didn't think anything could be done. I wish I had gone when the problems first showed up. It would have saved me years of embarrassment.

[Time Like Tears]

Imitrex has been a godsend. I have had migraine headaches since I was about 12, and they did all sorts of tests and prescribed all sorts of medicines to treat it, and nothing ever worked until I got hold of an Imitrex pill. I can now live my life from day to day without the debilitating headaches.

[Dogface]

Prilosec--I have reflux problems not related to diet, behavior, or attitude. I've just got a wonky esophageal valve.

[lieu]

Methocarbomol, a muscle relaxer. I'm prone to throwing out my back (pardon the pun) and it's been a lifesaver at getting me back on my feet within hours instead of days. Stronger efficacy that just about any other medicine I've ever used.

[In Conceivable]

Hand down - The Birthcontrol Pill.

[Grasshopper]

Valtrex - the herpes medicine. I got shingles last fall, and those suckers were so painful!!! I went to a doctor just in time though and was put on Valtrex soon enough that the blisters faded after a couple days instead of bursting and lingering, like they would have done otherwise. It would have been unbelievably painful if it had gone untreated. The experience gave me a profound sympathy for anyone with genital herpes - it was bad enough having those blisters on my stomach!

[TurdFerguson]

Nexium - Without it, anything I eat will give me heartburn.

Trazadone - Before, I would lie awake staring at the ceiling for an hour or two before I finally dosed off. Now I take it about a half hour before I go to bed and I'm usually out in ten minutes.

Prozac (generic) - Last year I started going through a depression that kept getting progressively worse, almost to the point of suicide. Nothing triggered it really, it just gradually came on. I've been on Prozac for about a month and I'm starting to see some real improvement in my mood and I have more energy. I can focus better at work, and I just seem to enjoy things more.

[DeVena]

BirthControl Pills - My period doesn't stop without it. Which was not fun.

Antihistamines - I have chronic hives. Untreated the hives are the size of dinner plates all over my body. My face and lips swell up as if I've been beaten. And from time to time my throat tries to swell shut. Although massively sedated most of the time, my 6 prescriptions keep me sane; the hives are markedly smaller and fewer and I'm no longer franticly itching. I have a life.

Epipen - A tiny little miracle. A shot of epinephrine so when my throat does swell shut, it will keep it open until I can get to the hospital.

[jastu]

I would have to say Imigran (Sumatriptan), specifically the nasal spray for migraine. An absolute wonder drug.

[vanilla]

b.c. pills!a

[zoid]

I'll second Prilosec.

My acid reflux was just terrible, now it's gone.

[Nametag]

Has to be Viagra. While I don't normally have erection problems, the performance anxiety when my wife was trying to get pregnant put me considerably off my game. After great frustration, and a few tearful nights on my wife's part, I sought my doctor's assistance. My wife was pregnant before I finished the sample pack! (And Li'l Label is 2 months old and doing fine, thank you for asking).

Thinking about the four hours of sleep he got last night.... Hmmm; you asked for improvement, didn't you? (I kid, I kid)

[angelabaca]

Effexor XR - I tried Prozac and Paxil and hated them (Prozac turned me into super-bitch and Paxil gave me a general blah feeling.

[rowrrbazzle]

Asthma drugs. Isuprel when I was a kid, then cromolyn sodium, and now Vanceril. I haven't had a full-blown attack for decades.

[Unintentionally Blank]

Originally Posted by angelabaca

Effexor XR - I tried Prozac and Paxil and hated them (Prozac turned me into super-bitch and Paxil gave me a general blah feeling.

I lurve allergy meds, although claritin isn't working so hot for me anymore, and the insurance won't cover zyrtec D which does since there's an OTC med available.

Lexapro is a GODSEND. It's an SSRI (not an MAOI) and I've had NO negative effects on it and it just flat lopps off my anger/depression.

[MLS]

Trazadone and Paxil.

When I started being able to sleep at night, and stopped being afraid, anxious and depressed all the time, my quality of life improved drastically.

[Nightsong]

Another vote for birth control pills.

Without them, I'd stand a chance of having Uber-Cramps From HELL for thirty to fourty-five minutes one day a month. Doesn't sound that bad, in the large scheme of things, but consider this: I'd get five minutes warning, tops, that they were impending. Once they hit it would be physically impossible for me to straighten out, and if I was in anything but a prone position I'd be very close to passing out. (Unforutnately, I never quite could: passing out would have been heavenly at the time...)

Now, imagine the potential problems if those cramps would have hit if I were driving. !!!

Not to mention, being able to pin down when my period would start to at least within a week is great.

___
<< User Error: Replace user and press any key to continue. >>

[Nevermind]

Inconceivable--The Pill
haha!!!
Ambien halped me through a lot of hellatious times in my life when couldn't stop crying or thinking at night. Was on it got off it. Now I'm on it again and can't sleep w/out it so now it kinda sucks. But I guess when my life doesn't keep my mind churning all the time, I'll be off it again

[donnah]

i work in a pharmacy and can attest to the value otc & perscription drugs have for the masses......i personally can't live without my claritin (i'm another one of those hivey people)

[Zsofia]

Thank you, thank you, modern medicine, for the birth control pills. Especially the stronger ones that I went on to eliminate my periods which coincidentally gave me bigger breasts. What more could I ask for? What a little miracle!

On the other hand, I've tried five different antidepressants and none of them have worked. Which is okay, because I'm feeling better, but that month of feeling stretched to the breaking point and dropping dishes when the phone rang, I won't forgive you for that, Lexapro.

[SnoopyFan]

The BC pill gave me regular, worry-free periods.

Adderall XR changed *every* area of my life, though. It's a damn shame I went 19 years before I was diagnosed with ADHD.

[Zoe]

Prozac (has given me back my life)
premarin
xanax
trazadone
topamax (for anti-compulsive behaviors such as overeating and shopping)

[ruadh]

No medication has changed my life (yet) but birth control pills have made it a lot more pleasant, particularly since I learned (from the SDMB ) that I can take the pills continuously and not have a period at all.

Unintentionally Blank:

Lexapro is a GODSEND. It's an SSRI (not an MAOI) and I've had NO negative effects on it and it just flat lopps off my anger/depression.

How long did it take to start working for you?

[CairaJade]

B.C. pills and the patch. 'Nuff said.

SSRIs and related depression meds such as Wellbutrin and Lexapro. I've been on Prozac and Wellbutrin (switched to Wellbutrin for ttc even though Prozac was working fine) and it has significantly improved my quality of life. I can't believe I waited until I was 22 to ask my doctor for them. Added bonus, I quit smoking!

[BiblioCat]

Originally Posted by Zoe

topamax (for anti-compulsive behaviors such as overeating and shopping)

Are you sure you're thinking of the right drug? I take Topamax as a daily preventative for migraines. It's an epilepsy drug that controls the electical impulses in the brain.

My votes go to Topamax and Imitrex. I've gotten my migraines under control with both of them. My only complaint is that they're both horribly expensive.
Without my Rx plan, the Topamax would be costing me $400 a month, and the Imitrex is $140 for 2 doses.

[irishgirl]

My OCP, Dianette.
Clear skin, less body hair, even mood, no pmt, bigger boobs, shorter, lighter, more bearable periods, this baby does it all!

Co-codamol.
It's otc here, but would be prescription in the states. When I do get cramps codeine is the only thing that works, ibuprofen and acetominophen alone don't even take the edge off. This stuff lets me function normally, rather than curling up into a ball for 5 days.

Salbutamol.
So that a little hayfever and wheezing doesn't turn into respiratory arrest.

[Indygrrl]

Birth Control
Serzone--for depression and anxiety
Xanax-for anxiety

And, pain pills were my miracle until my doctor decided that I no longer need them even though I am in so much pain during my period that I pretty much have to stay in bed. That's why the BC is awesome. I just take it all month long and skip the period.

[C3]

Prednisone

I have systemic lupus and when the symptoms first started, I had arthritis (so bad I could barely walk), extreme fatigue, rashes, hives, an almost constant lowgrade fever, and a bunch of other debilitating and annoying symptoms. My doctor prescribed a high dosage of prednisone (along with anti-inflammatories for the arthritis). Within a few months, my symptoms were under control enough that, if I made sure I took the medication by a certain time every morning, I was living a completely normal life. I was back to playing piano and softball and being able to go to school for whole days.

I was able to gradually cut back on the prednisone over a period of a few years, so that by the time I was 19, I was in full remission. I haven't had any flares since.

I honestly believe that prednisone literally saved my life.

[tanookie]

Prednisone saved my life too. I was diagnosed with a version of nephrotic's syndrome when I was 9. My immune system decided my kidneys were the enemy and did some damage to them. The prednisone stopped that. I haven't required any more prednisone since high school. It wasn't pleasant to take but renal failure and dialysis while still a teenager would have been much worse. I'm 31, have had two children (my nephrologis still boggles at that one) and have my own kidneys that still function within the 'normal' range.

Lisinopril. A bloodpressure medicine with an interesting set of side effects. It helps inhibit scarring of my kidneys and slows protein leakage.

Lexapro. After the boy was born the post partum thing really threw me for a loop. I spent my first period afterwards sobbing and incoherent. On my good days I could function - barely. The first 3 weeks were really strange, low grade nausea and constant drowsiness for a week or so then mania and gidiness and sleeplessness for a week or so and now I've settled into being able to function well, having fun again and sleeping more normally. I got my period last week and was down right normal! Yay.

[mnemosyne]

Not to get into a debate about "Big Pharma" but threads like these are why I want to work in the industry. It makes me feel good to think that MAYBE something I did helped put something on the market so that it could improve someone's quality of life!

I don't take meds all that much, other than birth control (which I do love!) and the occasional antihistamine for rare reactions, the odd sleeping pill, and Advil. Actually, of the three, advil has probably been the most useful med I've ever taken. For sleeping pills, I use OTC Sleep-eze D, which helps, but isn't perfect. Most of the time, I can regain a normal sleeping pattern after one night with the pill, and just being more careful about my insomnia triggers.

My sister, OTOH, uses meds every day, due to severe, painful arthritis. She uses a bunch of things, in particular Vioxx and Tylenol a couple times a day, and is now also on Methotrexate and folic acid pills to see if that will help. None of these are a perfect cure for her, and her quality of life is severely affected by her disease - I just hope that a new, more effective drug will be discovered some day soon. I hope I have a small role to play in it, even if it's just having tested it's water content or something!

[Faye V]

Here's one you don't hear about much anymore:

Pencillin.

It kept me from dying of pneumonia, twice, at a young age. I'm asthmatic. Number two on my list would have to be steriod inhalers. When I was a kid, my asthma would get bad about once a month and I would have to go to the doctor and get a shot of epinephrine. Not fun at all--it would give me violent tremors and half the time I would throw up. Then I'd be exhausted for a week. I would take theophylline daily, but with that I had low-level tremors and exhaustion. Now all I have to do is take a couple puffs in the morning and I'm good for the day.

Yay science!

[Faye V]

So I can spell pneumonia but not penicillin.

[FilmGeek]

Synthroid. For thyroid deficiency. I never knew how many symptoms were due to thyroid until I got mine straightened out. The worst were the tremors in my hand and the inability to control my temperature.

Nuvaring. Insertable, three week birth control, low dosage. Changed my life.

[davos]

Imitrix-would loose a day or so every couple of weeks curled up in bed due to a migraine in the worst pain imaginable trying desperatly to avoid light, noise, and touch except for those moments when I was vomiting my guts out. Immitirix can usually save me from that nightmare when used early enough.

[LVgeogeek]

b.c pills (debilitating cramps for days was not fun) & Xanax (for the panic attacks I started having after being in bad car accident in 2001)

better living through chemistry

[emekthian]

Not penicillin but it's derivative Amoxicillin.

I had bad ear infections when I was a kid. Amoxicillin probably kept me from going deaf.

[koeeoaddi]

Imitrex, Zomig, Maxalt, Frova, Axert - just about all the triptans work for me and it's a good thing too, cause I have migraines more days than not. The only drawback is that we have no insurance coverage for prescritions and they cost, on average, about $15 a pill.

[John Harrison]

Another vote for Imitrex and Topamax. God I wish they had the triptans when I was 6. Nothing like throwing up in front of your classmates from a headache.

[Hokkaido Brit]

Protopic ointment for eczema.

I lived with appallingly bad eczema mostly on my face from 17 to 34 years old. Some days there was no skin on my face. It was hard to sleep, eat and working was a horror when I had to face strangers while looking like a bowl of red porridge. Thank God for my husband who fell in love with me for me, not my looks.

15 plus years of on-again, off-again steroid use on my face ended up with me having cataract surgery at 30.

Then along came Protopic. WONDERFUL stuff, except it hurts like HELL for the first few days that you use it. Now my skin is whole, fairly supple, and not that red (can't say NOT red!). And it has an interesting side effect - HUGE BLACKHEADS! Yum.

[Scribble]

1. Antibiotics, especially erythromycin and its new-and-improved spinoff, Biaxin. Those things got me over some pretty nasty pneumonia several years ago.

2. Prescription pain killers, including percoset, vicodin, and codeine. Coedine kept me from coughing up all my lung tissue when I had pneumonia, vicodin made my wisdom tooth extraction much easier to bear, and the percoset got me through my first several post-surgery days in December.

3. Zyrtec. All of us bug people develop allergies to insect proteins sooner or later. I managed to develop them sooner. When I get a flare-up, Zyrtec fixes the problem. It's great stuff.

4. Singulair. I take this puppy once a day, and it keeps down inflammation in my inner ear. That means I get a much better sense of balance, which is important for doing everything. And it helps get rid of ringing in my ears. Very, very nice.

5. Triamterene/HCTZ blend. Helps with my balance and helps get rid of ringing in my ears. The combination of Singulair and Triamterene/HCTZ has been a miracle for me. I'd forgotten what it was like to be able to turn my head every morning without fail. Now I have a normal life. I can wake up, get up, run around, and often even pull all-nighters (I'll be doing that tonight) without a problem. Amazing.

6. Other people have mentioned steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. I'll second, third, fourth, etc. those guys. Steroids got rid of my hives when I had an allergic reaction to amoxicillin, and they gave me a few days of perfect balance when I started having trouble with my inner ear. Thank you, Carl Djerassi.

[BoBettie]

Celebrex, which has vastly improved my quality of life by managing my chronic back pain. LOVE IT. Please God, don't let it grow me a second head or rot my liver out.

BC pills, which allow me to skip my periods and only have 4 a year. HUZZA for THAT.

[BiblioCat]

Originally Posted by John Harrison

Another vote for Imitrex and Topamax. God I wish they had the triptans when I was 6. Nothing like throwing up in front of your classmates from a headache.

No kidding. The triptans are a Godsend.
I remember getting headaches in elementary school and the school nurse giving me those chewable orange baby aspirins and sending me back to class, because "children don't get headaches."
Bitch.

[HomerIU]

People can complain all they want about the prescription drug industry and its high profits, but 90% of the drugs on the market wouldn't be there without that lucrative incentive. Plus, what many people tend to ignore when debating the cost of prescription drugs is that in the next 10-20 years there will be a huge number of these pills going generic, which will help to make then available to even more people.

I vote for the statins (Lipitor, Pravachol, whatever...they're all good). I still watch what I eat, but no longer do I have to agonize over every little decision each meal. Ok, fine.....I never really did that anyway. But to have the freedom to eat more of what you want and not worry so much about your cholesterol is great.

[In Conceivable]

Everyone mentions that they like birth control pills because of reasons like better periods and less cramps.

I like birth control pills because I am able to have sex daily with out condoms and not get pregnant. That is life changing!

[Shirley Ujest]

Imitrex ( nasal) was the breakthrough drug for me that made the nasty migraines go away.

MaxAlt makes them never, ever occur. Here I have no side effects with this one. My stinking insurance only allows six pills a month and really, I should take it every day. Bastards. So, I save them for the overcast/low pressure/barometic days from hell.

Other migraine meds: Correg is also outstanding. (the first day of taking it I have only one side effect, tightening of jaw/neck muscles on one side.)

If you suffer from daily migraines, I urge you to talk to your doctor about MaxAlt or Correg . They are originally for heart stuff ( blood pressue, I think) and one of the good side effects the doctors noticed was it was preventing migraines from happening. Go NOW, NOW, NOW and ask. and no, I don't work for The Man. I wish I did. I'd get it for free.

Prozac is amazing stuff. For me, it makes people who are total morons that annoy the living crap out of me and say stupid things just to irritate me....not bother me anymore. It's not that they are smarter, their dumbness is deflected off my invisible sheild of Happiness. It gets rid of my OCD with festering on one subject kinda thoughts and talking to myself nicely. Yay.

It just shuts down the sex drive, though. It's like, I'm sooo wonderful.. Everyone is wonderful. I love my husband, he's wonderful......not a damn tingle occurs down there. I could easily turn tricks for $ or at least a mininum credit card payment with lack of anything down there.

[Joey P]

Another vote for Imitrex (injectable), I've had migranes all my life, I wish I new when I was six that there was a way to get rid of them in a matter of minutes. I swear, even at six I would would have pounded a nail directly into my eye if I new it would get rid of one of those headaches. Other then imitrex, adderall has made the single biggest difference in my life.

[boofy_bloke]

1. Anaesthetic: Local, general, dental, I don't care what sort, just bring that needle over here.
2. Efexor: stops me from figuring out the best way to euthenase.
3. Neurontin (anti-epileptic used as analgesic): stops me from having to find a way to euthenase. Not covered by the government but I can get generic over the internet for a third of the chemist price. Pharmacy Direct
4. Morphine, codeine: The pain! The pain! What a blessed relief.
5. Anti-nausea: motion sickness on a bus, train, plane, boat, from doing gymnastics, dancing, from too much morphine/codeine, from tricyclic anti-depressants (I almost starved to death from that one).

[hlanelee]

Lithium Carbonate

[BiblioCat]

Originally Posted by Shirley Ujest

If you suffer from daily migraines, I urge you to talk to your doctor about MaxAlt or Correg . They are originally for heart stuff ( blood pressue, I think) and one of the good side effects the doctors noticed was it was preventing migraines from happening.

I've used a variety of heart and blood pressure drugs (Atenolol and Verapamil were two) for my migraines and none worked. I'm now on Topamax and it's a Godsend. It's an epilepsy drug that regulates the electrical impulses in the brain. Since some migraines are related to seizures, it seems to work that way.
It's fairly new for migraine use, but it really has worked for me. Just another option...

[Nightingale]

Prevacid -- controls my ulcer pain and my acid reflux. Wonderful stuff.

The Pill!

Honorable mention to Dilaudid, a narcotic pain reliever I received while I was hospitalized with pneumonia and pleurisy. (For those who've never had pleurisy, imagine the feeling of being stabbed in the chest. Now imagine it happening every time you breathe.) Dilaudid got me through the horrible days in the hospital when I hurt so badly I couldn't move or breathe without wanting to cry.