What prescription drugs do you take? What side effects?

I think, in my case, what happens is my situation is SO chronic, the MDs only see me once a year, sometimes twice, and when I call for refills, some assistant, a nurse or medical assistant or whoever decides to just call in 2 instead of 6. Why? Please don't ask me. It sure is a NUISANCE.

Maybe they think that they are helping you by limiting your prescriptions. How, I don't know. Or, there is some kind of regulation or limit that the MDs follow, but won't tell us. I agree that it is bothersome. I, thankfully can get from 3-6 refills on most of my meds except the pain pill, Naproxen.
TM-Ivy

You don't get Naprosyn OTC? It's Aleve. If you get an Rx for it, and it's paid for, I want to know!

I do buy Aleve gel caps. Takes too long to work and the mg's are too low. The Naproxen is a 550 MG tab (generic Anaprox DS). Innoviant prescription benefits plan charge $5.00 co-payment for 30 tabs. If I have something important to do, I take half of it which still works better than Aleve.

wow I have to see my Ra Dr every 3 months for blood work because of the Methotrexate, he does my Coumadin for my other Dr too. I get a yrs prescriptions when I go in for my yearly physical. They know I will be in to see them if there is a problem. Thankfully my prescription are 5 dollars for 90 days for generic. Some I can't get generic and they are about 40 to 60 for 90 days, That's still pretty darn good but hard on the pocket book when I get all at the same time. Runs me about 300 dollars every 90 days

The maximum amount that I have paid is $35.00 for a prescription that was not on the approved list. They have recently sent out mail as of Aug. 2009, to encourage us to use generic drugs (which I use sometime) and will start charging a co-payment plus the difference in price between brand and generic medications (ancillary charges). So if I use generic, I pay a co-payment only. I know what you mean because most of my medicine run out around the same time.

Donna, sounds like you have a good doctor. My prescriptons are all for 30 days refill. When i see my Dr again i'm going to ask for 90 day refills. Costs a lot cheaper. Mine all run out at the same time too.
I take valerian root capsules instead of tranquilizers. Think it works better for me. Directions say 3 a day but one works fine for me.
Vickie

Hi everyone, I've been away for awhile. My doctor started me on Cymbalta 6 weeks ago, and it is wonderful. My pain level is way down, I even slowly walked a mile around a small lake when we were on vacation. They will be checking my liver numbers in another month, I pray it doesn't make them bad. I knew I was in a lot of pain, but didn't realize how much until it was gone.

Cathy, How wonderful! I'm so glad for you. Prayers going up for liver Function.
Stay away from ski slopes and rock climbimg for awhile. LOL
Keep us updated, We're rooting for you.
Vickie

Cathy, that's terrific news!!!! Yay! Now I need to google Cymbalta.

Thank you, and I promise I won't ski or climb rocks.

Cathy that is great news!

Thanks! Last night I only woke up one time, oh my, I haven't slept through the night in forever. What a difference that makes, I almost feel human again.

Cathy, so glad you've found something that helps. I’ve been on Cymbalta for quite a while. I get nervous whenever it’s time for a liver check. Can’t imagine what I would do without it now. No problems at all so far.

You can’t get it from the V.A., but the extra expense to get it through a civilian doctor is well worth it. It made such a difference with my neuropathy. (Jim)

Jim, neuropathy is what they think is going on with me, does yours move around your body with no logical pattern? I can be okay one minute then in terrible pain in one area the next.

Thankfully, it is confined to my legs. But, it does jump around there. Right or left. Toes to hips. It is not particular about where it strikes. Sounds like a correct diagnosis to me. (Jim)

How is everyone doing?. Any updates?. I have been checking to see what is going on and if there are improvements or not to speak of.

Depression wise, I'm doing fine. Still can't breathe worth anything.
How about you?
As soon as the sun shines, I'm heading for those gravel roads.

I'll volunteer :)

I'm working my way through various foods to see which ones cause my fibro to flare. So far the worst reactions I've had were to tomatoes and corn. And corn is a real problem since it is in everything. Even salt (dextrose). And my 100% Natural applesauce? Yep, corn...as ascorbic acid. So that's kinda crazy. But the upside is that I'm feeling better than I have in years. And it's been rainy!! That usually sets my fibro off like crazy.

You may remember that I felt better when I weaned myself off tramadol last spring. Well, guess what the main inert ingredient is in the tramadol pills?

Cornstarch. LOL! Can you believe it?

Our weather has been hard to be chipper in, the most rain we've ever had in October, mud everywhere.

Good evening, missed chatting with you all. Sorry that there is not much improvement on my end either. I had a appointment with the assistant allergist who gave me my results after a rhinospiro and other tests for asthma (and copd). The complaint that I have had for awhile is that I am having a hard time fighting fatigue and catching my breath after a walk up a hill etc. I am a former smoker of 30 plus years, stopped smoking about 8 years so far. Well, my large airways show 60%+61% and small airways are 30%, both airways should be at least 80%. Did I hear this wrong?. No wonder I am tired, there is not enough oxygen going into my bloodstream and lungs. I am taking symbicort, allegra along with albuterol when needed.

So I imagine I will add more prescriptions to my collection eventually. What can I expect in the future with copd?.

Torriesmom, glad to hear you were able to quit smoking. My SIL couldn’t kick the habit even after she was diagnosed with COPD. She really tried hard, too. Lost her two years ago.

Bummer, Cathy. I always hated spring “mud season” back home. A fall mud season sounds even worse.

Nothing has really changed with me. I tried to wean myself off Tramadol but couldn’t deal with the pain. I’m trying to lose all the extra weight I’ve gained. Hoping that will reduce the pain. When I’m back down to my ideal weight, I will try to ditch the Tramadol again. (Jim)

Cathy, We're getting the rain down here too. We are 8" over the years normal rainfall and expecting more.
We even have mud puddles.
I got out some today and soaked up a little sunshine. Supposed to be sunny again this weekend.
I started taking an over the counter psoricis lotion called psorricin and it is working as well as the expensive stuff did.
I can't decide if i want to sign up for med insurance this year. I can get over the counter stuff cheaper than i can get insurance. Than i think my meds could go up alot if the heart failure thing gets worse. I've already beat it by a couple of years from the docs calender. Oh well i've still got a month to decide. Too i'll have to look into the eye surgery in Jan or Feb. Maybe I'd better just pray about what to do.

Seacanepain, sorry about your SIL. Have tried at least 8 different times in 20 years to stop smoking. The allergist I had at the time said that she would no longer treat me if I was going to continue smoking. I eventually stopped by drinking detox tea which had a really powerful effect on my system.
As for pain, I am still taking Naproxen and do not look forward to the stronger meds that you are using. Just looked up the side effects on Tramado, interesting. I must lose weight also, then I will most likely function better. The knees are pretty bad now and losing weight lessens the pressure on the joints.

I stopped 30 years ago by using nicorettes for a year.

YAY! I am so proud of anyone who is able to stop smoking! My idiot DD#1 STARTED smoking last year, "to deal with the stress" "to unwind" and was "too smart too get addicted"!!! Biodad, stepdad and I all came down on her hard - smarter people than she are addicted to nicotine! Plus she already has asthma!! Kids!!!!!!!!

I haven't had time to read this whole blog but I noticed a lot of you had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. How was it diagnosed by your doctor? Are there tests? Or specific ways they can determine if one has it. I've had continual pain in all parts of my body but haven't brought this issue up with my doctor since there has been so much controversy about it. Can it be diagnosed?

Riceke~

The diagnosis of fibromyalgia is usually made when a person has tested negative for everything else. Like a process of elimination. Because of this process I believe you need to make sure you can communicate well with your health provider. Most drs understand fibromyalgia as a serious health problem, but there are a few out there still in the dark ages. In my opinion, you would be fighting a losing battle if your doc was like that. So start out (if you can...it's a crazy health care world out there) with a doctor who you feel you can communicate with...and who seems willing to work with you as a partner in your own care.

Chronic pain can be caused by all kinds of things besides fibro. I encourage you to seek help for yourself...chronic pain can suck the life right out of you. Just by posting here you are showing that you're ready to make some changes.

Here's wishing you all the best!
Jacki

riceke, Jackie knows her stuff as do the others here who have it. glad you posted and hope you follow through.
Everyone is always ready to listen.
Vickie

Jackie and Vickie.....thanks for the info and your words of encouragement...Ken

When I retired, I was finally able to quit smoking using a combination of the nicotine patch system and an aromatherapy oil you inhale when the cravings are really bad. The patches are a little expensive. But, cigarettes are even more so.

I know they tested my neice for everything from physical depression to Lyme’s disease before they gave her a TENATIVE diagnosis of Fibro. Hang in there. It sounds like a frustrating process.

Thanks, Cando, I bought some Psorricin today. It relieves the itch. The pharmacist did not have any in stock, but has started ordering it. I have mild psoriasis on my knees and elbows. Itches like crazy. The VA doctor told me if I expose the affected areas to sunlight everyday it would help. That hasn’t worked for me. No playing in those mud puddles!

My sympathies, Carrie. DW has one of those type daughters. She is in her 30’s so the world has humbled her enough that she is finally beginning to grow up. People who know Kay had a gifted child tell her how lucky she was. Yeah. Right. ( That intensive politeness training southern women of a certain age were subjected to is the only thing keeping Kay from laughing in those people’s faces.) This particular child has been more of a challenge than the other two put together, and then some!

People automatically assume the most successful of Kay’s three daughters is the intellectually gifted one. The most successful of the three has only an average I.Q. Common sense, hard work and determination got that young lady where she is today. I learned it is hard to teach hightly intelligent types anything, because they already think they know everything. When SD#1 becomes too arrogant, Kay taught me to throw a quote from Plato at her. Replace the “he” in Plato’s famous wordss with “she” and try “Wise is she who knows she knows not.” Occasionally, that works. #1 hasn’t come up with a really snappy come-back for that one yet. (Jim)

Carrie, Both my daughters smoke. I hate it and know i'm semi responsible.even tho they started when i quit and they were out of school.

You surely know that you either can have common sense or genius but never both.The world will never survive without both. LOL Einstein had a quote about the stupidity of man. tho i can't remember the exact quote. But he was not impressed with the quality of genious. And he for sure lacked any common sense what soever.

Kay, Are you intensively polite? We're gonna have to get you out of that girl!!!! LOL

I'm glad the psorisin helped the itch and it should dry up and look better too. Sun did'nt help me much either. HEY!! MUD MIGHT!!! I would go play in a mud puddle but they are all gone.

My SIL borrowed my car today and on the way home a deer jumped a high fence on our road and landed on my windshield and smashed it. It'll have to be replaced but no other damage. He was pretty upset about it. So we've teased him about being hit by a flying reindeer. They're going to fix it in the morning. The deer was apparently fine.

We found out the shots we've been hearing at night was a neighbor going after coyotes.

Ken, What part of Georgia are you in?

I took my sleep meds 2 hours ago and i'm still hyper. Guess i'll stay up a while longer.
Vickie

I believe I have managed to overcome the ultra-politeness training I received in my youth. The folks around here certainly believe I have. But, there is always room for improvement. Please feel free to point it out if you think I am backsliding. :-)

Did you say once KittyKat stays inside all the time, Vickie? I was just thinking about the coyotes. I lost two cats to them when I lived in the Austin Hill Country. Being a southern “flatlander”, I did not realize coyotes were a danger to cats.

It seems I will be staying on the Lexapro after all until Spring. The S.A.D. plays havoc with my sleep patterns. (I want to sleep all the time.) I don’t feel depressed or anything, but the Lexapro does help me keep a normal sleep cycle. I can hardly sleep at all during summer and I can hardly stay awake in winter. Maybe Darwin was wrong about our chimp ancestors. Maybe. Some of us descended from bears and just want to hibernate in the winter.

The Lexapro does interfere with my spatial sense, but there are ways around that. I had the usual mobility training all blind people receive when I was young. I will just have to blow the dust off those skills and start using them again. The Lexapro fouls up the compass in my head, but there are Braille compasses you can carry around. And, I can depend on Fenny. She wasn’t trained as a guide dog, but she seems to do it naturally. She was a stray we found by the road so we can only guess as to her breed. Perhaps, there is some breed of herding dogs among her ancestors. She does seem to try to herd me around, more than lead. *Kay*

KittyK is a house cat. She'll go out sometimes with the dogs in the dog pen but not often,I've read coyotes go after little dogs too in calif.
I've not wanted to do anything but sleep this last week. Tho it could be just a need to catch up on lost sleep.
I'm still minus a car. There are 3 cars up here and right now, mine is the only one working. GS,s car has battery problems DD,S car has transmission problems.All but mine are in shop. SO SIL is using mine to go to work. I don't mind at all loaning my car. I just climb the walls knowing i don't have transportation. I know.....completely illogical. LOL

I'm so glad you've got Fenny. It's amazing the special sense some dogs seem to have to protect their owners. She knows your need and steps up to the plate. My Cricket knows when i'm in pain and wont leave my side and growls at anyone who comes near.

Ken a good way to tell is if you have all the symptoms of RA but test negative to RA. Not 100% though I tested neg to RA for 20 yrs but now have slight positive RA. Kind of gives me the feeling that Fibro may be RA in disguise before showing up

I wonder why more research has'nt been done on Fibro and RA? There seems to be quite afew people who have it.
Yesterday i fell from my front porch steps and sprained my ankle and broke a wrist bone, Have been iold to stay off my feet for 5 days and will be unable to use my arm for 6 weeks.DD from next door is staying with me now and TX DD is coming in a couple of days. I'm taking a lot of pain meds but still just doze. This is first time to have a broken bone,

Vickie, I'm so sorry you're hurt. Was it the left or rigtht wrist that was broken? Right, I hope, in your case. Prayers. (Jim)

Thanks Jim, Yes it was my right, Thank heavens.

So sorry for your fall, they sure are scary and painful.

Oh no, Vickie. That’s terrible. Was there someone nearby when you fell? I always worried abut my mother falling and no one being there. She insisted on living alone. She said that after raising 8 children solitude was a blessing and she intended to enjoy it.

That is an interesting observation, Donna. I wonder if any one has ever followed that line of research?

Ken, I have slowly lost my vision and, to some degree, my hearing over a period of many years. The doctors can not tell me what is causing it to happen. I understand the frustration of not knowing. I hope you find your answers soon. *Kay*