The Lucky Years by David B. Agus M.D

Author:David B. Agus, M.D.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Factor 5: Medications and Management of Conditions

How many pills do you take a day, prescription or otherwise? Do you know exactly what each drug is for and why you take it? Do you manage a chronic condition through these drugs alone? Do you know if there are additional ways to manage your condition aside from drugs? If, for example, you’re a diabetic, do you still watch your diet and commit to an exercise routine? If, for another example, you’re a marathoner who trains hard on the weekend, do you find yourself taking upwards of ten over-the-counter pain relievers to combat the muscle aches? What about vitamins and supplements? Do you know why you take them if you do, and if you really need them? Or could they be harming you in ways you don’t realize?

One of my favorite quotes by Sir William Osler is “The person who takes medicine must recover twice, once from the disease and once from the medicine.” Don’t get me wrong: drugs—prescription and nonprescription—do have their place in medicine and health. But it’s true that far too many people rely on them for the wrong reasons. In 2013, a study from Mayo Clinic researchers revealed the depth of our drug dependency: 7 out of 10 Americans take at least one prescription drug; more than half of Americans take two prescription medications, and 20 percent of Americans are on at least five prescription medications. 14 Although we’d like to think these drugs are prescribed for the most common chronic conditions—heart disease and diabetes—it turns out that antibiotics are the most prescribed drugs; they are taken by 17 percent of Americans, followed by antidepressants and opioids, each taken by 13 percent of Americans. Clearly, this goes to show how mental health is a huge issue that we should focus on. Prescriptions for antidepressants are more common among women than among men, especially among women ages fifty to sixty-four, nearly 25 percent of which take these drugs.

So here’s your challenge: take inventory of your medications and the conditions for which they are prescribed. Also include the over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and supplements you take and why you take them. You may find that you can’t fully answer the why part. And you may feel inspired to taper off certain medications and supplements or find alternative ways to manage your condition that are better for you and your body. Let me give you one quick example: A friend of mine realized she was taking up to thirty ibuprofen tablets weekly to manage a foot problem she had that plagued her during the day, especially with exercise. When she started to experience gastrointestinal issues and a slight decrease in her kidney function linked to the ibuprofen, she was forced to stop and consider why her foot started hurting as soon as she rolled out of bed most mornings. After some visits to an orthopedic surgeon who specialized in feet, she learned that she had a degenerative condition in one of her foot joints that had been caused by trauma many years back.

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