I fear getting old for a lot of reasons, one of which is all the pills I see older people taking. I have no phobia of swallowing large horse sized pills, I just don't take medication. I used to (many moons ago) be on "the pill", but now rarely take anything. I don't take (although maybe I should) weight loss pills, I don't take any sort of multi-vitamin (and my Step Mom scolds me every time the subject comes up), and I take aspirin, maybe, 2 times a year. I just don't take medicine, and fortunately don't have too.
I get a little weirded out thinking about all the different meds that some people take. How do they know how the meds will interact with each other? I know that's up to the Doctor's to figure out, but why put so much trust in someone else? It scares me.
For instance, My FIL has been having some dizzy spells and couldn't get right in to see his doctor and couldn't even get him on the phone (maybe having something to do with my distrust). He's a heart patient for pete's sake, and can't get his doc on the phone? Anyway, a friend with similar ailments told him to reduce one of his meds to half a tablet and he did...and the dizzy spells stopped. It should be interesting to hear what the doctor has to say when he finally gets to see him this week.
I really wouldn't reduce a med without first discussing it with a doctor...especially if it was a heart related medication. I guess it all depends on what the med was. I think as long as you get all your meds at one pharmacy you should be ok because it is their job to make sure you aren't taking anything that interacts. I stopped using different pharmacies for that very reason. I am always asked at every doctors appointment which meds I take and how much. At the oncology office they'll ask you to bring all pill bottles but still it is up to YOU to be accurate and not leave anything out. It would be pretty easy as an elderly person to do just that and forget something. So I say get all your drugs filled at the same pharmacy and it should flag the system if you have a potentially fatal combination of drugs. I have thought about this too! haha
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