What I found in my Dad's Pocket

My dad passed this year and today, I was going through some things and behind a glasses case in a shirt pocket, I found his list of daily medications.
He was not one to tell of all his medical issues but I know he had a triple bypass in '79, a left leg bypass in '88, back surgery in '90 and '92 and some eye lid and cataract surgery in '94 and '96 respecively.
He was in for a prostate surgury, but had weakened and never had that and never made it home from the hospital.

I am wondering what anyone with medical knowledge can tell me about this regiment. Here is the list.

Lisinopril - 40mg daily
Isosorbide - 20mg daily - (2 tabs -40mg) 4 X daily
Atenolol - 25mg twice daily
Levothyroxine - 0.075mg daily
Ranitipine - 150mg daily
Nifedipine - 60mg daily
Atorvastatin - 40mg daily
Glipizide - 5mg twice daily
Nitroglycerine - o.4mg SL As Needed
Aspirin - 80mg 3 X daily
Calcium - 600mg twice daily
Selenium - 50mg every other day
Folic Acid - 400mg daily
Magnesium - 250mg every other day
Fish oil - 1000mg every other day
Co-enzyme Q10 - (30mg) every other day
Vitamin C - 500mg daily
Zinc - 30mg daily
Multi - vitamin daily
Vitamin E - 400 IV daily

I can understand a few of these and the vitamins an suppliments, but how much pharma-meds can one palate without negative side effects??

I don't know what to make of this. Is this what to look forward to in old age?

reply to post by imd12c4funn


I cannot say that it is the situation with your father but, sometimes a doctor will keep treating symptoms and not the core illness, resulting in too many meds being taken by the patient. If the patient sees more than one doctor it is up to the patient to notify each doctor of what meds he or she is currently taking to avoid over use or crossing up 2 drugs that don't mix.

reply to post by imd12c4funn


My Mother who was only in her early 60s had to buy a purse (A big one) just to hold all of her medicines in it ..It was so heavy it hurt her back to pack it around ....It made me sick to my stomach watching her take all those meds which all had bad side affects so they had to give her more meds for those side affects ....I believe all those meds helped kill her ..or shortened her life even more than it would have if she didnt take all that stuff ......I am personally pretty much an anti med person ...I wont even take an aspirin..and if something does go really wrong with my health .I would seek alternate ways of making it better .

I get so mad at Drs for passing out meds like candy .....
I have a great Dr who does give meds ..but not if we dont need them ..(he is a really kind loving Dr too who tells it in words you can understand lol)
He tells us about other NATURAL ways we can fix it or make it better ..





[edit on 11-10-2008 by Simplynoone]

I can't tell you how many meds someone can be on without side effects, and I dont know if your father had any (side effects) but there are a few minor interactions that are possible there.

Glipizide with all but the Nifedipine, Atenolol with the Nifedipine and Glipizide with the Synthroid and HCTZ.

None are severe, but they could be slightly problematic for someone already in poor health.

Hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, bradycardia and decreased glipizide effectiveness are what I'm coming up with.

Add Calmoseptine and Esomeprazole and it's a pretty standard list, for this hospital anyway.

[edit on 11-10-2008 by Magnivea]

Lisinopril - Used to treat hypertension and heart problems. 40mg is a pretty high dose, but not uncommon.

Isosorbide - Treats heart pain

Atenolol - Treats hypertension, heart pain, and coronary heart disease

Levothyroxine - Used for thyroid problems? Should not be taken if you have a history of heart problems due to cardiac side effects!

Ranitipine - I think you mean Ranitidine - Inhibits the production of stomach acid to treat ulcers and reflux.

Nifedipine - Treats heart pain and hypertension

Atorvastatin - Lipitor. Statin. Lowers blood cholesterol. I think my dad's on this.

Glipizide - Treats type 2 diabetes? Increases risk of cardiovascular problems.

Nitroglycerine - Glyceryl trinitrate - Treats heart pain and helps prevent heart failure.


The rest are vitamins and whatnot.

I'm sorry for your loss. A lot of times older people have more than one doctor and they don't always remember to tell each doctor what medicines they are on and end up getting more than one med for the same condition.

My grandma for example has three or four doctors for various things that sometimes overlap. She had an entire cabinet in the kitchen devoted to her various medications and was taking three different kinds of pain killers/muscle relaxers, two different heart medications for the same condition, and the list goes on and on. All because she didn't make sure every doctor knew what the others had prescribed. Ended up taking a combination she shouldn't have and ended up in the hospital getting her stomach pumped at 68 years old. So my mom raided her kitchen, took all the pills to the hospital to show the doc and got her taken off over half of them since they were different meds for the same problems, and made sure each doctor had a copy and knew that they needed to check with each other periodically before giving her anything else.

It's the patients responsibility to make sure their doctor[s] know what they are taking. It is entirely possible that your dad had more than one doctor and they didn't all know every medicine he was taking and that could be how he ended up on so many pills. Or it could be that each pill treats something different and he really did need all of them. The best person to ask would be his doctor or doctors. Given his passing and that you are his immediate family, they probably will be able to tell you something. I can't guarantee that of course, but it is worth a try.

reply to post by imd12c4funn


Atorvastatin is lipitor for Cholesterol. The dose is prety standard.
Nifedipine is for angina. pretty standard dose there also. this is also taken with Nitro so he must have had a prety good heart condition!
Levothyroxine is for thyroid. Its the synthetic hormone.
Ranitipine is for gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Lisinopril is used to treat hypertension, congestive heart failure and to improve survival after a heart attack.
Atenolol is used to treat angina (chest pain) and hypertension (high blood pressure.
glipizide (Glucotrol), a drug used in type II diabetes to help lower and control blood sugars that are not controlled by diet alone.
The rest is vitamin supplements.
The counterindications are pretty much the same for all of these drugs.
He had two differant angina medicines. Not sure but maybe took one and then got switched to the other.

Your dad had a bad stomach and heart troubles and diabetes and angina and high blood presure. All these doses are pretty standard. My dad had pretty much the same drug regimine and didn't have to many side effects other than diaria and the opposite on occasion!!

Zindo


[edit on 10/12/2008 by ZindoDoone]

What everyone should be aware of is the fact that MD's have a conflict of interest - with medication and vaccination.

Pharmaceutical companies "kick back" to the MD on any prescription or administration of their drugs and vaccines.

So any time an MD says a medication or (especially!) vaccine is needed...do research, and don't necessarily believe the drug is necessary really.

Many meds have side effects, and the MD's then prescribe other meds! Guess who is taking THAT to the bank!

I will take aspirin only in extreme discomfort and have forsworn all pharmaceuticals beyond that.

I'm sorry to hear of your father's passing.

Do you know how long he was taking those meds together? Was one of them introduced more recently then another?

reply to post by imd12c4funn

who should check out webmd or buy the medicine handbook.
it lists all the know meds

reply to post by Amaterasu


Some meds from Big Pharma are okay. Not too many of them though. People should stay away from ADD and Anti-Depressant meds IMHO. Many of the pain killers are not inherently bad, but they are usually very addictive and that is bad. Vaccines should be a no no period. Say no to the flu shot too.

reply to post by Johnmike


So they all have a purpose. It just seems like a lot of pills and to take so many that are compatible with each other could would be hard to accomplish. Thanks for the info, and the info the other replies have provided.
Appreciate the time.

What do you say when someone looses a father?
I can’t say I’m sorry, because I don’t know you or your fathers situation.
Maybe you hated him , maybe you loved him, or perfect indifference.
Regardless a relationship between a father and son is unique.
I do hope you both learned and profited emotionally from your relationship and I hope you hold many warm memories in your heart for this man your father.
That being said - I’m not surprised at the list of medications.
Recently as last year I visited the States after a long absence.
I was astounded at American television.
Every other commercial - if not ever one on some stations - was for pharmaceuticals.
It’s appalling!
This pill for this disorder, ask your doctor about that pill for another malady, watch out for these symptoms of this or that because if you have it - they’ve got the pill for you!
It is just unbelievable.
Do people in the States even notice this anymore or has it become such a pill popping society people are riding the edge of their seats for the newest bestus wonderfullest pill they can find at their local pharmacy today!
Has the slow spread of this commercial disease creeped up on the society in general in a way it’s NOT astounding to them the number of pills, sprays, patches, thrown at them daily?
I can hope your fathers meds were all needed, and all helped him to live as long as he did.
I hope this for both your sakes.
Yet I can’t help but wonder how much medication is truly needed by the human body vs. how sure the pharmaceutical companies are that you’ll die right this minute if you don’t take them - ALL?

Take care, and may he ret in peace.


...taps...

Please accept my condolences for your loss.

As a couple people have pointed out, most of that list is nutritional supplements, and the remainder are fairly common medications. That may also be the list that he provided to the hospital of what he took at home – it may not be what they prescribed during his final illness.

And it's worth noting that without medication, his chances of having lived almost 30 years after a triple bypass, with several additional surgeries in the process, would have been slim to nil.

Also, while it's true that some doctors take kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies, this is certainly not true of all doctors. Moreover, I believe that at least a few of the prescriptions you list are available in generic form, which makes the kickback point moot in your father's case.

Finally, I wish people would stop making ill-informed across-the-board medical recommendations like "stay away from antidepressants." As a society we are overmedicated, and there are certainly those who unnecessarily are prescribed or request prescriptions for antidepressants.

But for those who need them, they are life savers, literally.

So they all have a purpose.

Yes: mostly to palliate symptoms - some of which are side effects of the "medications" themselves.

most of that list is nutritional supplements

Like the zinc supplement... which can (and very often DOES) cause a copper deficiency, which in its turn causes the collapse of the connective tissue and leads to all sorts of thrombosis.
But maybe this physician was of the old (like, antediluvian) school where zinc was considered practically a panacea...

Finally, I wish people would stop making ill-informed across-the-board medical recommendations like "stay away from antidepressants." As a society we are overmedicated, and there are certainly those who unnecessarily are prescribed or request prescriptions for antidepressants.

But for those who need them, they are life savers, literally.

And for others, their killers - literally.

I am sure you are well aware that antidepressants can significantly increase the risk of suicide. It is even listed among their many (many, many, MANY) side effects, some of which can significantly affect the quality of life (and not for the better).

And, alas, such cases are far from being rare, let alone exceptions.

I knew a young girl once, who was severely depressed.
She was given a drug which was supposed to make her feel better so that she could "think clearly" and "make life beautiful again" (the words of the physician).

Less than a week after she started taking the "medication" she killed herself.
She had never attempted suicide before.

I do understand those who advocate their use. And I am sure they saved the life of many people.

The problem is that physicians shouldn't be left unsupervised - and unaccountable (because that's the reality of the situation in very many "civilised" countries).
They are only human, after all.

Yet many people regard them as demi-gods or something - and the physicians themselves, aren't doing nearly enough, if anything at all, to dispel that delusion...









[edit on 12-10-2008 by Vanitas]

Originally posted by americandingbat
Also, while it's true that some doctors take kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies, this is certainly not true of all doctors. Moreover, I believe that at least a few of the prescriptions you list are available in generic form, which makes the kickback point moot in your father's case.

I will give you this, but my point is no less valid. If SOME (unknown percentage) of doctors take kickbacks, it is wise to do research. See if you can find out what your doctor's policy is on kickbacks (though simply asking is likely not an effective route - virtually all, whether they do or don't will say, No.")

I am unsure about "generics," as I believe in some cases the "generic" is actually made by the same company, sold as a generic, so that they can sell it under HMO's that require generics where available. And so kickbacks (of differing amounts, granted) may be available either way.

Originally posted by Vanitas

Like the zinc supplement... which can (and very often DOES) cause a copper deficiency, which in its turn causes the collapse of the connective tissue and leads to all sorts of thrombosis.
But maybe this physician was of the old (like, antediluvian) school where zinc was considered practically a panacea...

Or maybe the patient listened to the hype about zinc being a cure/preventative for the common cold. There is no reason to think that a doctor prescribed the over-the-counter medicines or nutritional supplements.

I am sure you are well aware that antidepressants can significantly increase the risk of suicide. It is even listed among their many (many, many, MANY) side effects, some of which can significantly affect the quality of life (and not for the better).

And, alas, such cases are far from being rare, let alone exceptions.

I knew a young girl once, who was severely depressed.

The problem is that physicians shouldn't be left unsupervised - and unaccountable (because that's the reality of the situation in very many "civilised" countries).
They are only human, after all.

Yet many people regard them as demi-gods or something - and the physicians themselves, aren't doing nearly enough, if anything at all, to dispel that delusion...

We probably agree on more than I originally thought when I read the post. Yes, antidepressants can increase the risk of suicide. I can vouch for this from personal experience – within a couple weeks of starting antidepressant therapy I was functioning well enough to begin practical consideration of killing myself, rather than just lying on the bathroom floor wishing I could die. Luckily, I was well-supervised by a therapist and a psychiatrist who knew the risks and warned me about them. I got through it and after a few months was able to start making lifestyle changes that have helped me not let it get that bad again. So I feel pretty strongly about generalized condemnation of antidepressant therapy.

But I think there is almost never a good excuse for a general practitioner to prescribe antidepressants. Any one who is ill enough to take serious medicine, with serious side effects (even if you don't include the increased risk of suicide) should be under the care of a specialist. I would not let my general practitioner treat me if I had a potentially fatal condition such as cancer – why would I let him treat me for my depression?

We treat doctors either as demi-gods or as demons, too often. They are neither. We also let the TV and print media sell us on the idea that our lives will become perfect if we find the right pill. I remember when the Claritin ads first came out, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was supposed to treat, except that it would turn your world into a field of wildflowers. But you better believe that sales took off immediately, thanks in part to people demanding it from doctors who might not have prescribed anything for them otherwise.

[edit on 10/12/08 by americandingbat]

Originally posted by americandingbat
Finally, I wish people would stop making ill-informed across-the-board medical recommendations like "stay away from antidepressants." As a society we are overmedicated, and there are certainly those who unnecessarily are prescribed or request prescriptions for antidepressants.

I included "IMHO" for a reason. If someone takes my online suggestions as an absolute authority on medical knowledge then there are bigger concerns

I have taken anti-depressants. More then one kind. I have also done extensive research. I am only offering my suggestions based on my personal experience and knowledge. Which is, stay away from antidepressants.

Generics are not different chemically. It's purely commercial.

A generic drug is the same as a brand-name drug in:

dosage
safety
strength
quality
the way it works
the way it is taken
the way it should be used

FDA.Gov

I wouldn't be too concerned about the MDs that prescribe them so much as the actual companies that manufacture them.