Anyone else's life revolve around medications?

I AM HATING THIS! I was put on tetracycline a couple of days ago, and does that ever cramp my style! I'm used to eating, drinking juice, or sleeping any time of the day or night, but with a medication like that, one's whole life has to revolve around the timing for the blankety blank med. Yikes! I'm supposed to take this thing four times a day. One must take it at least one hour before a food and at least two hours after. That means there are many hours of the day that I can't be eating! HORRORS!

No more grabbing a handful of nuts or peanuts every time I go by the dish. No more sipping fruit juice for an hour or more while I get on the computer first thing in the morning. No more sipping a margarita for a couple of hours while I'm on the computer or sewing before dinner. No more taking a nap whenever I feel like it, as then I wouldn't be able to get my food and medication "on schedule."

Anyone else have their whole life ruled by their medication?

I have taken that medication a few times.... Don't forget the "limit contact with direct sunlight" as well
I know how frustrating it can be How long do you have to take it?

Yes, I take 5 or more at any given time. I also have to take them at specific times, but thankfully food intake doesn't make a difference. It's just the timing, and I admit that sometimes I'll forget to take the odd pill.

I'm on a few medications, but nothing quite as limiting. My sisters boyfriend, however, is on something like 8 different medications every day. He's only 22 and was just recently diagnosed with a degenerative neurological condition to go along with his Addison's disease. So, between compensating for the hormones his body isn't making, treating the nerve pain and spasticity in his legs, and taking care of the other problems caused by his conditions, his life has definitely been taken over by medications.
I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling overrun by your new medication. But try to keep with it, so it can do the good that your doctor meant it to. I'm sure after a while, you'll work out a schedule and get used to it, so that the medication won't seem like as much of an intrusion on your everyday life. Good luck.

I'm on Prilosec for my chronic reflux and ulcers, mega doses of daily calcium for my early onset osteoporosis, an iron rich multivitamin for anemia, trace minerals for overall health, and a metabolism booster to help even out my highs and lows of engery levels.
All but the Prilosec needs to be taken with food, and my individual doses are small, means I'm taking pills 4 times a day.
It was hard to get used to, I normally used to eat some fuit or yogurt for breakfast, then a nice dinner, now I'm being forced to eat 4 times a day.

My guts don't like this very much, but I work at home, so it doesn't usually pose much of a problem.

I've been on one anti-convulsant or another since I was 13, when I started having seizures (hormonal related... not brain damage... or so they say).

I am now on Klonopin, it is prescribed for ppl with Epilepsy, however mine was prescribed for me 3 yrs ago when I banged my head & got myself a nasty concussion. My sleep disorder, a freaky hallucinating/nightmare/sleepwalking kinda thing, got WAY WORSE after the concussion.

Anyhoo long story short, I can't live without my Klonopin. I have to take it in order to fall asleep, period. I did 'not take it' one night and I wound up having tremors, palpitations and I was frozen in terror after a horrible nightmare.

I'm taking a thyroid med, blood-pressure and cholesterol inhibitor. The only one that's really limiting is that the thyroid is supposed to be taken at least an hour before I eat in the morning. When my doc put me on a BP med I specifically asked her about times to take the stuff as I am EXTREMELY bad about forgetting to take pills more than once a day. Fortunately the BP and Crestor both it doesn't matter so I just pop them in the mornings same time as the Synthroid.

Every antibiotic I've ever taken has been just awful about having to take them a slew of times during the day under certain dietary restrictions. I'm not sure I've ever successfully completed a course keeping to the "rules" the whole time!

Cindy

I take medication 3 times a day that doesn't let me go out into the sun, or else I can get horrible burns and dry out my skin to the point that it bleeds.

I guess I see this differently. I take two different meds daily, for a total of 9 pills. At one time, not too long ago I was on 5 different meds. Think of AIDS patients, some of whom take dozens of pills a day. I have a friend who grumbles a lot about her pill regime. I always tell her thank your lucky stars there are pills to help you. The inconvience of taking a multiple amount of pills sure beats chronic illness or even death. Fifty years ago there were no antibiotics, vaccines, etc. What happened to those folks? Well you can visit them (many were young babies and children) in the graveyard.

I also was on tetracycline for a while. I hated it, and it never really helped that much. Besides that it made my anemia even worse. You really need to watch out for the sun as my left arm would get sunburnt driving in the car for 30 minutes.

I take 4 different meds for my bipolar disorder. I have to take them at certain times, and with (or without) food, depending on the med. It can be a hassle, but the alternative is that I'm a bad person to be around, so I deal with it.

Originally Posted by squirtle

I have taken that medication a few times.... Don't forget the "limit contact with direct sunlight" as well

I know how frustrating it can be

How long do you have to take it?

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The staying out of direct sunlight really doesn't bother me. Although I work in my yard a lot in the summer, we have few days it gets over 75, so I typically wear long sleeve blouses and a sun hat all the time out there anyway to avoid burn. The potential for yeast infections with an antibiotic is a bigger concern.

I don't know yet how long I'll have to take it. Last time I took it was for 15 YEARS! That was for acne, though, and I quit taking it about 15 years ago. As I recall, I only took it twice a day back then. Since I was working at the time and had a more regular schedule, avoiding meals or other food for a period twice a day was really no big deal. But now that I'm retired and have developed this habit of grazing all day long, having four blocks of time I can't eat is a major change. This time it is for the repeated chalazions I keep getting under the eyelids, so it is not like a bug you kill off, then you are through with the antibiotic. It may be an ongoing medication like before. No fun.

I guess I see this differently. I take two different meds daily, for a total of 9 pills. At one time, not too long ago I was on 5 different meds. Think of AIDS patients, some of whom take dozens of pills a day. I have a friend who grumbles a lot about her pill regime. I always tell her thank your lucky stars there are pills to help you. The inconvenience of taking a multiple amount of pills sure beats chronic illness or even death. Fifty years ago there were no antibiotics, vaccines, etc. What happened to those folks? Well you can visit them (many were young babies and children) in the graveyard.

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WHAT? Would you deny us our constitutional right to complain? HORRORS!

Actually, I do take a lot more pills than that. Only one prescription, though, the rest are OTC meds for my cholesterol, aches and pains, etc. But this is the only one that really interferes with my daily lifestyle, because it puts a damper on my EATING!

(You'd think from my comments that I'm probably grossly overweight. I'm not. Low normal weight, really. I don't eat a lot, but I enjoyed eating often.)

Originally Posted by twofatcats

WHAT? Would you deny us our constitutional right to complain? HORRORS!

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LOL, yes, you're right I forgot about the whining amendment that got passed in the 70s!!!!! I know a lot of people that are thin, or just the right weight that have high cholestrol, I think for some folks it's a gene thing.

I don't mind people complaining, I do more than my fair share (see whining amendment) but isn't great that with all these meds, we are ALIVE to complain.

And anyone with sun related drug problems, use sun screen! You should anyway..you don't want to hear my gory skin cancer and leeches stories.

I do feel like my life revolves around meds..mine aren't so bad, it's the schedule Patrick and Tyler are on! Yikes...Tyler is on 6 meds at the moment given, 3x a day he's needing eye meds, with 10 minutes between each being given. He will be SO glad when he's done with these two meds!

I rarely hear about anyone else dealing with chalzions. I've been very, very lucky to be able to head them off when they begin, with frequent warm moist compresses...if I can't get them to stop and not proceed into a full blown ick, I have had to have them lanced. an experience that is unforgettable. bleagh.

I hope you won't need to be on this long term.

I'm on Lexapro which is for anxiety & depresson. I take it in the morning when I normally take my birth control so my day isn't totaly all about the meds. The old Anxiety meds I was on I had to take at 8:00 at night and it made me sleep. If I took it any later then I had a very hard time waking up in the morning.

Originally Posted by j171978

I'm on Lexapro which is for anxiety & depresson. I take it in the morning when I normally take my birth control so my day isn't totaly all about the meds. The old Anxiety meds I was on I had to take at 8:00 at night and it made me sleep. If I took it any later then I had a very hard time waking up in the morning.

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i have to take lexapro right before i go to bed at night. it gives me 'that feeling' like right before you throw up, but i dont actually get sick... it sucks...

my thyroid medication cannot be taken when there is anything else in my stomach or with any other medications... there is supposed to be about 2 hours before and after, that is pain in the butt more often than not

Originally Posted by kittymommy

I take 4 different meds for my bipolar disorder. I have to take them at certain times, and with (or without) food, depending on the med. It can be a hassle, but the alternative is that I'm a bad person to be around, so I deal with it.

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I take 5 for my bipolar...I'm the same, no Lithium makes me foul! But I take everything at bedtime, so it's no biggy!

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

I do feel like my life revolves around meds..mine aren't so bad, it's the schedule Patrick and Tyler are on! Yikes...Tyler is on 6 meds at the moment given, 3x a day he's needing eye meds, with 10 minutes between each being given. He will be SO glad when he's done with these two meds!

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Now that is a schedule that really does revolve around meds! How long do you have to go on with that kind of ordeal? I don't envy you on that one!

I rarely hear about anyone else dealing with chalzions. I've been very, very lucky to be able to head them off when they begin, with frequent warm moist compresses...if I can't get them to stop and not proceed into a full blown ick, I have had to have them lanced.

an experience that is unforgettable. bleagh.

I hope you won't need to be on this long term.

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The doctor gave me to option to lance it, but I knew I couldn't take that without being put under a general anesthetic! It is up inside the upper lid this time, and I've had it for over a month, in spite of the warm moist compresses. It just keeps draining for several consecutive days, then I'll get a few days of freedom, then it starts all over again. All my previous ones were at least on the outside of the lid. I'm so uptight about anything coming near my eye that the doctor has to have her assistant hold me down when she even checks my eyes for glaucoma. And even then there have been times she has just given up and said she'd skip that.

I've fought the battle of blepheritis for over 20 years now. I never get it totally under control, but invariably when it gets better, I get lax, then I often end up with another chalazion. I'm allergic to all the external antibiotics I've tried for it, so that hasn't helped any, either. Must have tried at least six different ones. So that's why I'm trying an oral antibiotic this time.

I don't know when we'll be stopping with Tyler's eye meds...he has several things going on at once - we are trying to clear up the erosion first, then the uveitis, whether or not he'll get vision back is up in the air We have another apt. with the specialist coming up. At this point, if I can get Tyler to meds twice a day, I'll be delighted! Otherwise, this is life until he's no longer with us.

I've only had two chalazions that had to have dr. intervention - both in the upper eyelid...both of them I had lanced under local. I understand what you were saying completely! Blepharitis - my dad wrestled with that for years, and it's a new thing for me which frankly, isn't high on my list to deal with, as I'm more fussing over other issues I'm dealing with. I assume my case is mild since I *am* able to kinda ignore it <G>.

I'm not the most compliant patient

I hope the antibiotic will clear this up for you once and for all, chalazion's are s-o-r-e!

Aww. My Nana takes a cocktail of pills morning and night.

I only take my daily vitamins.