Too much medicines?

Factual Questions
1

Too much medicines?

This is a question addressed to doctors and knowledgeable people in these forums, from a lady in the floor below mine:

[q]*”Everyday I take the following medicines listed below, but I feel dizzy and experience nausea; and I am so weak with every however light activity like washing dishes. (“1-0-0” means once in the morning)

Natrilix SR 1.50 mg (Indapamide hemihydrate) 1-0-0

Cozaar 50mg (Losartan) 1-0-1

Sangobion (Ferrous sulfate) 1-0-1

Lanoxin .25mg (Digoxin) 1-0-0

Plavix 75mg (Clopidogrel) 1-0-0

Dilatrend (Carvedilol) 25mg 1/2-0-1/2

Burenic (Bumetamide) 1mg 1-0-1

Metformin (Glucophage) 500mg 0-0-1

Solosa (Novonorm) 3mg 1-0-1

Avandia 8 mg (Rosiglotazone) 1/2-0-0

Lopid 600 mg (Gempibrozil) 1-0-1

Lipitor 40 mg (Atorvastatin) 0-0-1

Arimidex (Anastrozole ) 1mg 1-0-0
I am alive but can’t do as much as I would like to: waking up to dizziness and nausea, and suffering such spells during the day.

Please tell me what medicines I can do without or in less quantity; and please tell me what substitutes can be used instead for economy and avoidance of side effects.

I am 65, female, has two grown up children, had a heart bypass, have diabetes, have hypertension, had a mastectomy and chemotherapy. I still work in an office and live a sedentary life, don’t smoke, drink, and no night life, an observant Evangelical Christian.

Thanks for any opinions.

I am reluctant to tell my doctor what I am asking about from you. Can you please enlighten me? Please just give me your personal and if possible professional opinions, even though you feel that you should not involve yourself in other doctors’ patients. Make this an exception, please.

Hope to receive an answer from your goodness.”**[/q]
OK, all doctors and knowledgeable people in these forums, can you give some light to the lady?
Susma Rio Sep

2

I don’t want to sound rude here, but in a previous thread, this seemed to be your speciality, what’s different now??

3

Amazing how I could tell what her diagnoses were from the list (well, all except the apparent breast cancer).

Obvious points: do tell the doctor about the symptoms. There are also such things as geriatric specialists who can help with managing possibly redundant or unnecessary medications. And a “sedentary” lifestyle bears its own set of problems. The doc(s) may have excellent recommendations for exercise.

And I think she needs some night life, if I am not being redundant myself. :smiley:

4

I should add that, personally, I would talk to a doctor about any issues your having. That’s not exactly a modest list of meds you have there, and being 65, having a heart bypass, diabetes, hypertension, a mastectomy and chemotherapy I don’t think ANY doctor would change anything without a lengthy office visit and probably some tests. (So this would be a question for the doctor or doctors who are prescibing the meds). And you really won’t get an answer on a message board (at least not this one). I have a feeling the Qadgop will be in shortly to back me up on this one.

5

Frankly, some of those medicines are the reason you’re still alive and functioning. Maybe even all of them are absolutely necessary, with you having 3 separate diseases, each of which is quite life-threatening (diabetes, heart disease, cancer). If you want to try to simplify your drug regimen, or figure out your symtoms, talk to your doctors, not to a message board.

QtM, MD