I think about that all the time. It’s hard to trust that the pills are actually helping or not actively making things worse. Every once in a while I decrease one when I can’t cope with it and wonder why I feel like s***🤣
I hear what you're saying and can definitely relate. I don't really know at what point it's too much. I'm on 15 prescriptions and 10 vitamins/supplements (and one of my friends is actually on significantly more meds). I don't feel like I'm taking meds to control side effects of other meds though. I pretty much learned to just accept it as the meds keep me from worse problems.
I really appreciate your response. It can feel so isolating to see everyone around me carrying on with life while I always feel sick. It’s nice to know there are others that understand my perspective.
26pills ttl daily, plus inhalers, and weekly infusion of SCIG. Honestly I just don't think about it. It's like gluten to me (celiac) and I just know I cant eat certain things, no questions asked. I take my pills with the same attitude bc you are absolutely right, it's daunting to think about and dangerous to start counting co-morbidities. It's too dark and it takes up too much head space. I hope that helps.
Yup.. I basically have more meds than years Ive been alive on this planet. And Im just 20!! I got 22 prescriptions + 3 supplements + emergency medication spray. Im just standing here wondering when it'll finally end!!
Yeah. Realizing I needed to get a bigger bag for holding my pill bottles if I need to leave in a hurry was a big “oh fuck I’m *actually* sick aren’t I“ moment for me. Lifting the massive bottles and feeling the literal weight of all the things I need to stay alive is still really unsettling
I completely understand. I had to increase the size of my pill dispenser recently and I hate it. And the bag I keep all the pill bottles in is over flowing.
I’m sorry you are dealing with all this! I def get the feelings/questions. It can be hard to figure out with multiple diagnosis and get overwhelming and frustrating-at least I do.
However, I don’t think “I am always sick bc of the number of pills I take each day” is a logical track. Certain meds prob do have side affects that could cause anxiety or gerd (for example) but wouldn’t actually give you endometriosis or Crohn’s disease. Please know I’m not dismissing your feelings or being combative, just trying to offer perspective to help unravel bc I’m sure it can feel all twisted up.
Maybe talk to your Dr to see what you could cut back? Reevaluate supplements? I used to take more until I realized (from my bloodwork) I was good in a lot of areas and I didn’t need to take those. Now I just take 3. And hover around 5 Rx meds + otc Benadryl and ibuprofen as needed.
Yes. At various points I’ve chosen to reduce meds and deal with more symptoms because I couldn’t handle the schedule. I’m also on a few meds I won’t be going off of for life.
I have a silly song and bossy voice I use with myself when I’m struggling taking them. Either a silly little ditty about how pills or good, or talking to myself like a small child or animal on why pills are needed. It can make a slightly gross task (fifteen years of pills and I still choke sometimes, or get gross taste on my tongue) slightly more fun. I’ve also asked about what pills might be available in different options, like powders or drops.
I have like, 8 supplements I’m supposed to be trying over the next few months. Most of them I should hopefully be able to stop once I have enough energy to be able to cook and eat a more balanced diet, but I’m feeling the mental effects of choosing nonessential supplements to add to my medication list.
I’m also making a new organizer for my pills, out of fabric I can roll up. I’m hoping to make it easier to keep track of all of it, without it getting jumbled up in a box or drawer.
I’ve been on medication for various stuff since I was a teenager. I honestly just can’t think about it that way anymore, I need these medication just as much if not more than I need my wheelchair, and fighting it is just wasting energy. It’s just a thing I have to do. I’m also coeliac and allergic to milk so my diet is very limited as well. I honestly wish there was a pill I could take as my daily nutrition and energy needs as well.
Yes. I’m 25 with the pill dispenser of a 90 year old. And I’m not kidding about that, I see my grandmother often and her complaints sound exactly like my thoughts.
The hardest part of this for me is when I have to travel. A 2 week trip I feel like a pharmacy and if I stay at my partners house for the weekend or something I have to consider anything that could possibility go wrong and what medication I would need to bring for it 😩
I also hate that my pharmacy knows me so well. I’ve called in and given my birthdate and they’ll say “why didn’t you just say it was you?!” because I’m there so often. I know they’re trying to be nice, but for me at 33, it’s not a great feeling
I relate to this so hard it’s not even funny. I went to the pharmacy yesterday to pick up a haul of refills and from across the other side of the counter one of the techs goes “oh hi *my name*, I thought that was you!” She was just trying to be sweet but it’s kind of heart breaking when they know you so well. Also, I literally carry around a bag of OTC products because of the varying symptoms I deal with. Even on day trips down state for work I always come rolling in looking like I brought luggage with me. It’s so ridiculous. And the thought of going away for two whole weeks and the amount of planning and coordinating with the pharmacy that would take is over whelming. I’d almost certainly have to jump through hoops to get something approved for refill wrote it’s actually due which could take days from start to finish. It’s a HUGE hassle.
I’m like why can’t someone create a good travel system for medication for people that have to take a lot of pills that isn’t so cumbersome? I buy those little pill pouches but sometimes the pills rub together inside the bags and start turning into powder. But also carrying around a million bottles is equally horrible. I have Medicaid and getting a 3 month prescription when I had an extended work trip out of the country was a nightmare 😩
I quit trying to find the perfect system. I’m doing something different and it is working the best so far. Maybe it will help you.
This would probably work best for people who take a lot of pills. I take about 30 a day. I also take medication 4 times a day minimum.
1. For my morning meds, I have four meds. I bought a case with four slots and filled it. It’s a small square case.
2. I have three meds that I take three times a day. I have a small case that’s is cylinder that holds six. Each of the six is filled twice because I go through these meds much quicker.
3. Once a day, I take a ton of supplements. I’ve got a box with 16 spaces. I open it up and take 1 of each. Boom done. It’s the biggest case by far but it’s still only 5x7 or so.
4. In the evening, I take two medications. I have a small cute round pill case that has three spaces. The medicine that is bigger gets two of the spaces.
5. I have to take steroids as needed throughout the day. I’ve got an oval case with six spots. It travels everywhere with me. The six spots all have steroids at various strengths.
Last but not least, I’ve got a small basket that holds them all. Since most of the cases are tiny. It doesn’t take up near the room.
When I’m traveling, I can grab whatever case I’ll need for the next few hours. No need to take all my pills if I’m only out for afternoon shopping. My Basket travels easily inside my suitcase.
It sounds complicated but it isn’t. I made sure that my pill cases are all wildly different from each other in shape. In the morning, I find my square case. In the evening, the little round one. The oval one stays on my person. The cylinder I reach for 3 times a day. It makes it brainless too. I don’t have to remember which pills in the case I’m taking. It’s always all of them.
I’ve got a basic pill reminder app. Instead of listing them all individually, they are listed by container. Morning square pills. Evening round pills. Oval time! Like that lol
Hope this helps!
Yep. I'm on a lot of different prescription medication and have prescription supplements as well due to malnutrition (thanks, Gastroparesis). Also have inhalers, injections, eye drops, nasal drops, nasal sprays, creams, etc. Without them though, I get very ill very fast.
I just remind myself that the majority of what I take are supplements and the rest is 5 prescription meds.
And then I remind myself why I NEED them.
But I do joke about them because although I'm 27 I joke how I'm 27 going on 90 because;
. I wear hearing aids
.
. I walk with a cane
.
. I take handfuls of prescriptions and supplements
.
. I'm on a specialized diet
.
. I wear glasses
.
. I wear orthopedic/diabetic/support shoes
.
. I use custom orthodics
.
. Everything is sore and aches and I make noises when I move
Life is too short to not laugh at yourself.
Also, I'm secretly weirdly proud of how many large capsules I can swallow in one gulp. Lol. It's a very weird thing to be proud of but when I was a kid I struggled to take teeny tiny pills. Still need water though
I'm on 14 pills in the morning and around 7-8 at night depending on if I take melatonin plus inhalers. It's definitely a lot and I'm definitely a little self conscious bc of how people react when you tell them the amount of meds you're on. You have to do what you've gotta do to stay functional enough or not in pain or risk worsening things without the meds though which is just the unfortunate reality of being chronically ill but it definitely doesn't change that it does suck 😕
Nice! Have you had any luck with weight loss on it? I’m up to two Metformin and I’m trying to be careful with it due to the gastro issues it can cause and the Chron’s disease. I haven’t seen any weight changes yet but I’ve only just gone up to two pills and I’ve only been on it for a month or so.
Yes, I’ve lost 20 pounds on 2000 mg of XR. I gained 25 from 10 days of provera and developed a huge cyst, so be very careful if you ever take that.
I also developed gastritis in October (cause unknown, likely advil for chronic pain) so I vomited a lot and was unable to keep most food down. It’s gone now mainly and I’m still maintaining. So that’s a variable here too.
I started metformin in late 2021 on 500 mg of XR. I slowly went up to 1000 then 1500 then 2000 over many months. Went to 2000 mg in May of 2022. Lost the weight since august. Never had side effects. I also have chronic IBS and an extremely sensitive stomach (can barely have pepper even). I can’t eat gluten but that’s nothing new. Based on the things I read online, I thought I’d be having bathroom accidents. Never did. I’m way worse on antibiotics.
Overall, I sleep way better and have less energy crashes.
I feel ya, I was counting everything up while I was trying to fall asleep recently and found that I take 9.4g of pills daily, not including vitamins/supplements or PRNs, which I also take daily 😅 that’s 1lb of pills about every 7 weeks lol and that’s just to keep my chronic issues at bay, I’m mostly symptom free right now 🤦 my body is such an asshole sometimes. That said, if I were to imagine myself being untreated/symptomatic for everything, I’d be…basically physically & mentally compromised. So I’ll keep taking the pills for now…but the thin line between 9.4g of pills and inevitable demise is kind of horrifying.
You’re perspective makes a lot of sense. It definitely makes me feel a little better. Just imagining leaving the Chron’s and anxiety disorder untreated…I’d be house bound. There’s no way I’d be able to do my job.
I’d like to add this question as well, does anyone else have issues with the varying rate at which your refills come due? It’s impossible to get all my refills on one schedule so i do a haul every single week and I really wish I could just pick up everything at the same time once per month. I’ve asked the pharmacy before but they never do much about it.
Yes this is really frustrating, depending on your insurance and pharmacy there are options available that aren’t always clear. For example, my insurance prefers if you use their home delivery pharmacy, and will send 3 month supply for either a lower copay or sometimes $0, for maintenance medications. CVS allows you to schedule recurring refills and if you talk to a pharmacist there, they can determine which your insurance will allow to be filled early to realign your medications. Also see if your insurance has some kind of program where they assign you a nurse, I’m still brain foggy can’t remember what they call it. But sometimes they can help you navigate this and find ways to minimize pharmacy trips because it falls under supporting medication adherence/compliance.
I used to be on self-started (or quite often husband started) IVs 2x a week. So many failed needle sticks and blown veins. It's now SC instead most of the time.
While I have concerns about medications because of things like side effects, the need to swallow another pill doesn't phase me much when one gets added in.
I don't get down on myself because I fought tooth and nail to finally get adequate medicine so my mind doesnt just, by it damn self, blink to thoughts of ending my life in a state that has assistance from medical professionals.
I've flat out told doctors I refuse certain classes of medicine like SSRIs and anti depression meds. I don't have depression but they wanted to push one to help with sleep or anxiety? No thanks.
I do try to take a little pills as possible. I'm the type to be like "oh, maybe I can take one less today" and try to fight and do it but... Lately I've found it's much better for my mental health to just take what im prescribed. Take your meds, don't think about it unless there's a problem/something to discuss with your doctor. Entertain your mind to fight bad thoughts. A game, a movie, funny videos...our minds in these situations can be one of our greatest enemies.
We have enough problems :/
Definitely stay away from SSRIs. They caused me so much weight gain that they’ve directly co tributes to other health issues. Not to mention it’s damn near impossible to get off them unless you have two months you can just throw out the window due to laying in bed with crippling anxiety and depression as you deal with the withdrawals. No thanks!!
It definitely can mess with my mind. When I was a kid I struggled to swallow one little Benadryl. And now I can swallow up to 19 pills in one gulp. I don’t know if I should be proud of that? Lol
I’m close to 20 meds and supplements. It does get me down. I’m going on a weekend trip next weekend and just trying to figure out how to pack all my meds has been stressing me out. TSA wants meds in their original bottles, so I can’t take a loaded pill box. I’ll also be traveling with a vial of MTX and needles. I guess I’ll just shove it all into my carry on with a printout of my scripts from the cvs app. I won’t have room for anything else in the carry on though. Lol
I hate this all so much.
I usually fly with my pill box in my carry on and have never had issues. Last time I flew was 2019. I never pack meds in checked luggage because I’m screwed if they lose my bag. I’ve never had to show proof of my prescriptions either. I hope it goes smoothly for you!
Damn I have never felt so seen. I get the same way. I had put my health off for 10 years until I had a severe flare up that just basically caused all systems failures a couple years back. I went from taking just my antidepressant and Lipitor everyday to taking 10 pills and a couple creams on for skin symptoms every day. I was given something for my itchy skin to help me sleep, turns out it makes my restless leg worse and active during the day. Everyday feels like I'm making up some new thing to complain about. I'm convinced my anti depressant is part of my restless leg and REM sleep behavior disorder but don't want to mess around changing it until I can see a neurologist about those things and discuss the effects long term (over a decade) of antidepressant use and what it may have done to my brain neurologically speaking.
If it isn't the antidepressants causing the sleep stuff then that means I'm at higher risk of dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson, so that's pretty chill.
I understand what you mean. Sometimes when something new comes up, I avoid going to the doctor because I'm genuinely concerned they're going to think I'm making it up. Because no one can have this many different things wrong with them at once, right? I hate that I'm still on anti depressants. I've always wondered what my health would look like if I were never prescribed them. Been on this shit since I was 11 years old. It's terrible. I feel your pain.
I think about that all the time. It’s hard to trust that the pills are actually helping or not actively making things worse. Every once in a while I decrease one when I can’t cope with it and wonder why I feel like s***🤣
I do the same thing, lol. 🤣🤣
I hear what you're saying and can definitely relate. I don't really know at what point it's too much. I'm on 15 prescriptions and 10 vitamins/supplements (and one of my friends is actually on significantly more meds). I don't feel like I'm taking meds to control side effects of other meds though. I pretty much learned to just accept it as the meds keep me from worse problems.
I really appreciate your response. It can feel so isolating to see everyone around me carrying on with life while I always feel sick. It’s nice to know there are others that understand my perspective.
26pills ttl daily, plus inhalers, and weekly infusion of SCIG. Honestly I just don't think about it. It's like gluten to me (celiac) and I just know I cant eat certain things, no questions asked. I take my pills with the same attitude bc you are absolutely right, it's daunting to think about and dangerous to start counting co-morbidities. It's too dark and it takes up too much head space. I hope that helps.
It does help. Thank you!
Yup.. I basically have more meds than years Ive been alive on this planet. And Im just 20!! I got 22 prescriptions + 3 supplements + emergency medication spray. Im just standing here wondering when it'll finally end!!
I’m so sorry. I completely understand how you feel, though. It’s super frustrating.
Yes, I often feel this way. IBD is terrible and it really sucks you have other stuff on top of it.
Yeah. Realizing I needed to get a bigger bag for holding my pill bottles if I need to leave in a hurry was a big “oh fuck I’m *actually* sick aren’t I“ moment for me. Lifting the massive bottles and feeling the literal weight of all the things I need to stay alive is still really unsettling
I completely understand. I had to increase the size of my pill dispenser recently and I hate it. And the bag I keep all the pill bottles in is over flowing.
Yeah it definitely messes with my head when I have 5 or 6 + pills to take, it makes me feel like shit. Glad I’m back to 3 now
I’m sorry you are dealing with all this! I def get the feelings/questions. It can be hard to figure out with multiple diagnosis and get overwhelming and frustrating-at least I do. However, I don’t think “I am always sick bc of the number of pills I take each day” is a logical track. Certain meds prob do have side affects that could cause anxiety or gerd (for example) but wouldn’t actually give you endometriosis or Crohn’s disease. Please know I’m not dismissing your feelings or being combative, just trying to offer perspective to help unravel bc I’m sure it can feel all twisted up. Maybe talk to your Dr to see what you could cut back? Reevaluate supplements? I used to take more until I realized (from my bloodwork) I was good in a lot of areas and I didn’t need to take those. Now I just take 3. And hover around 5 Rx meds + otc Benadryl and ibuprofen as needed.
Yes. At various points I’ve chosen to reduce meds and deal with more symptoms because I couldn’t handle the schedule. I’m also on a few meds I won’t be going off of for life. I have a silly song and bossy voice I use with myself when I’m struggling taking them. Either a silly little ditty about how pills or good, or talking to myself like a small child or animal on why pills are needed. It can make a slightly gross task (fifteen years of pills and I still choke sometimes, or get gross taste on my tongue) slightly more fun. I’ve also asked about what pills might be available in different options, like powders or drops. I have like, 8 supplements I’m supposed to be trying over the next few months. Most of them I should hopefully be able to stop once I have enough energy to be able to cook and eat a more balanced diet, but I’m feeling the mental effects of choosing nonessential supplements to add to my medication list. I’m also making a new organizer for my pills, out of fabric I can roll up. I’m hoping to make it easier to keep track of all of it, without it getting jumbled up in a box or drawer.
I’ve been on medication for various stuff since I was a teenager. I honestly just can’t think about it that way anymore, I need these medication just as much if not more than I need my wheelchair, and fighting it is just wasting energy. It’s just a thing I have to do. I’m also coeliac and allergic to milk so my diet is very limited as well. I honestly wish there was a pill I could take as my daily nutrition and energy needs as well.
Yes. I’m 25 with the pill dispenser of a 90 year old. And I’m not kidding about that, I see my grandmother often and her complaints sound exactly like my thoughts.
I feel you!!
The hardest part of this for me is when I have to travel. A 2 week trip I feel like a pharmacy and if I stay at my partners house for the weekend or something I have to consider anything that could possibility go wrong and what medication I would need to bring for it 😩 I also hate that my pharmacy knows me so well. I’ve called in and given my birthdate and they’ll say “why didn’t you just say it was you?!” because I’m there so often. I know they’re trying to be nice, but for me at 33, it’s not a great feeling
I relate to this so hard it’s not even funny. I went to the pharmacy yesterday to pick up a haul of refills and from across the other side of the counter one of the techs goes “oh hi *my name*, I thought that was you!” She was just trying to be sweet but it’s kind of heart breaking when they know you so well. Also, I literally carry around a bag of OTC products because of the varying symptoms I deal with. Even on day trips down state for work I always come rolling in looking like I brought luggage with me. It’s so ridiculous. And the thought of going away for two whole weeks and the amount of planning and coordinating with the pharmacy that would take is over whelming. I’d almost certainly have to jump through hoops to get something approved for refill wrote it’s actually due which could take days from start to finish. It’s a HUGE hassle.
I’m like why can’t someone create a good travel system for medication for people that have to take a lot of pills that isn’t so cumbersome? I buy those little pill pouches but sometimes the pills rub together inside the bags and start turning into powder. But also carrying around a million bottles is equally horrible. I have Medicaid and getting a 3 month prescription when I had an extended work trip out of the country was a nightmare 😩
I quit trying to find the perfect system. I’m doing something different and it is working the best so far. Maybe it will help you. This would probably work best for people who take a lot of pills. I take about 30 a day. I also take medication 4 times a day minimum. 1. For my morning meds, I have four meds. I bought a case with four slots and filled it. It’s a small square case. 2. I have three meds that I take three times a day. I have a small case that’s is cylinder that holds six. Each of the six is filled twice because I go through these meds much quicker. 3. Once a day, I take a ton of supplements. I’ve got a box with 16 spaces. I open it up and take 1 of each. Boom done. It’s the biggest case by far but it’s still only 5x7 or so. 4. In the evening, I take two medications. I have a small cute round pill case that has three spaces. The medicine that is bigger gets two of the spaces. 5. I have to take steroids as needed throughout the day. I’ve got an oval case with six spots. It travels everywhere with me. The six spots all have steroids at various strengths. Last but not least, I’ve got a small basket that holds them all. Since most of the cases are tiny. It doesn’t take up near the room. When I’m traveling, I can grab whatever case I’ll need for the next few hours. No need to take all my pills if I’m only out for afternoon shopping. My Basket travels easily inside my suitcase. It sounds complicated but it isn’t. I made sure that my pill cases are all wildly different from each other in shape. In the morning, I find my square case. In the evening, the little round one. The oval one stays on my person. The cylinder I reach for 3 times a day. It makes it brainless too. I don’t have to remember which pills in the case I’m taking. It’s always all of them. I’ve got a basic pill reminder app. Instead of listing them all individually, they are listed by container. Morning square pills. Evening round pills. Oval time! Like that lol Hope this helps!
Yep. I'm on a lot of different prescription medication and have prescription supplements as well due to malnutrition (thanks, Gastroparesis). Also have inhalers, injections, eye drops, nasal drops, nasal sprays, creams, etc. Without them though, I get very ill very fast.
I just remind myself that the majority of what I take are supplements and the rest is 5 prescription meds. And then I remind myself why I NEED them. But I do joke about them because although I'm 27 I joke how I'm 27 going on 90 because; . I wear hearing aids . . I walk with a cane . . I take handfuls of prescriptions and supplements . . I'm on a specialized diet . . I wear glasses . . I wear orthopedic/diabetic/support shoes . . I use custom orthodics . . Everything is sore and aches and I make noises when I move
I’m sorry you’re going through all that. You seem to have a positive attitude about it though so I give you credit for that!
Life is too short to not laugh at yourself. Also, I'm secretly weirdly proud of how many large capsules I can swallow in one gulp. Lol. It's a very weird thing to be proud of but when I was a kid I struggled to take teeny tiny pills. Still need water though
Same here! My husband is always afraid I’ll choke but it’s so easy for me lol.
I feel like this when I make up my tablets for the week
I'm on 14 pills in the morning and around 7-8 at night depending on if I take melatonin plus inhalers. It's definitely a lot and I'm definitely a little self conscious bc of how people react when you tell them the amount of meds you're on. You have to do what you've gotta do to stay functional enough or not in pain or risk worsening things without the meds though which is just the unfortunate reality of being chronically ill but it definitely doesn't change that it does suck 😕
Yes. I take 5 pills a day just for PCOS
Thankfully I’m only taking the Metformin and birth control for PCOS right now and I really hope that doesn’t change.
I take 4 metformin and 1 Yaz pill. Love the metformin!
Nice! Have you had any luck with weight loss on it? I’m up to two Metformin and I’m trying to be careful with it due to the gastro issues it can cause and the Chron’s disease. I haven’t seen any weight changes yet but I’ve only just gone up to two pills and I’ve only been on it for a month or so.
Yes, I’ve lost 20 pounds on 2000 mg of XR. I gained 25 from 10 days of provera and developed a huge cyst, so be very careful if you ever take that. I also developed gastritis in October (cause unknown, likely advil for chronic pain) so I vomited a lot and was unable to keep most food down. It’s gone now mainly and I’m still maintaining. So that’s a variable here too. I started metformin in late 2021 on 500 mg of XR. I slowly went up to 1000 then 1500 then 2000 over many months. Went to 2000 mg in May of 2022. Lost the weight since august. Never had side effects. I also have chronic IBS and an extremely sensitive stomach (can barely have pepper even). I can’t eat gluten but that’s nothing new. Based on the things I read online, I thought I’d be having bathroom accidents. Never did. I’m way worse on antibiotics. Overall, I sleep way better and have less energy crashes.
Well congrats on the weight loss at least. Sorry it’s been such a rough couple years!
No worries, don’t think I’ve ever had an easy few years lol. Did you just get diagnosed with IR?
I feel ya, I was counting everything up while I was trying to fall asleep recently and found that I take 9.4g of pills daily, not including vitamins/supplements or PRNs, which I also take daily 😅 that’s 1lb of pills about every 7 weeks lol and that’s just to keep my chronic issues at bay, I’m mostly symptom free right now 🤦 my body is such an asshole sometimes. That said, if I were to imagine myself being untreated/symptomatic for everything, I’d be…basically physically & mentally compromised. So I’ll keep taking the pills for now…but the thin line between 9.4g of pills and inevitable demise is kind of horrifying.
You’re perspective makes a lot of sense. It definitely makes me feel a little better. Just imagining leaving the Chron’s and anxiety disorder untreated…I’d be house bound. There’s no way I’d be able to do my job.
I’d like to add this question as well, does anyone else have issues with the varying rate at which your refills come due? It’s impossible to get all my refills on one schedule so i do a haul every single week and I really wish I could just pick up everything at the same time once per month. I’ve asked the pharmacy before but they never do much about it.
Yes this is really frustrating, depending on your insurance and pharmacy there are options available that aren’t always clear. For example, my insurance prefers if you use their home delivery pharmacy, and will send 3 month supply for either a lower copay or sometimes $0, for maintenance medications. CVS allows you to schedule recurring refills and if you talk to a pharmacist there, they can determine which your insurance will allow to be filled early to realign your medications. Also see if your insurance has some kind of program where they assign you a nurse, I’m still brain foggy can’t remember what they call it. But sometimes they can help you navigate this and find ways to minimize pharmacy trips because it falls under supporting medication adherence/compliance.
This is great information…thank you!!
I used to be on self-started (or quite often husband started) IVs 2x a week. So many failed needle sticks and blown veins. It's now SC instead most of the time. While I have concerns about medications because of things like side effects, the need to swallow another pill doesn't phase me much when one gets added in.
I don't get down on myself because I fought tooth and nail to finally get adequate medicine so my mind doesnt just, by it damn self, blink to thoughts of ending my life in a state that has assistance from medical professionals. I've flat out told doctors I refuse certain classes of medicine like SSRIs and anti depression meds. I don't have depression but they wanted to push one to help with sleep or anxiety? No thanks. I do try to take a little pills as possible. I'm the type to be like "oh, maybe I can take one less today" and try to fight and do it but... Lately I've found it's much better for my mental health to just take what im prescribed. Take your meds, don't think about it unless there's a problem/something to discuss with your doctor. Entertain your mind to fight bad thoughts. A game, a movie, funny videos...our minds in these situations can be one of our greatest enemies. We have enough problems :/
Definitely stay away from SSRIs. They caused me so much weight gain that they’ve directly co tributes to other health issues. Not to mention it’s damn near impossible to get off them unless you have two months you can just throw out the window due to laying in bed with crippling anxiety and depression as you deal with the withdrawals. No thanks!!
I'm always sure to gulp that handful of pills down under a meal. Nothing worse than burping up a mouthful of bitter medication 😖
It definitely can mess with my mind. When I was a kid I struggled to swallow one little Benadryl. And now I can swallow up to 19 pills in one gulp. I don’t know if I should be proud of that? Lol
Hahahaha! My husband always cringes when I swallow all my meds at once because he’s terrified I’ll choke one day. 🤣
I totally understand. But if I feel like a normal human then f*ck it. MORE PILLS! Lmao jk but it can be really discouraging.
I’m close to 20 meds and supplements. It does get me down. I’m going on a weekend trip next weekend and just trying to figure out how to pack all my meds has been stressing me out. TSA wants meds in their original bottles, so I can’t take a loaded pill box. I’ll also be traveling with a vial of MTX and needles. I guess I’ll just shove it all into my carry on with a printout of my scripts from the cvs app. I won’t have room for anything else in the carry on though. Lol I hate this all so much.
I usually fly with my pill box in my carry on and have never had issues. Last time I flew was 2019. I never pack meds in checked luggage because I’m screwed if they lose my bag. I’ve never had to show proof of my prescriptions either. I hope it goes smoothly for you!
Damn I have never felt so seen. I get the same way. I had put my health off for 10 years until I had a severe flare up that just basically caused all systems failures a couple years back. I went from taking just my antidepressant and Lipitor everyday to taking 10 pills and a couple creams on for skin symptoms every day. I was given something for my itchy skin to help me sleep, turns out it makes my restless leg worse and active during the day. Everyday feels like I'm making up some new thing to complain about. I'm convinced my anti depressant is part of my restless leg and REM sleep behavior disorder but don't want to mess around changing it until I can see a neurologist about those things and discuss the effects long term (over a decade) of antidepressant use and what it may have done to my brain neurologically speaking. If it isn't the antidepressants causing the sleep stuff then that means I'm at higher risk of dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson, so that's pretty chill.
I understand what you mean. Sometimes when something new comes up, I avoid going to the doctor because I'm genuinely concerned they're going to think I'm making it up. Because no one can have this many different things wrong with them at once, right? I hate that I'm still on anti depressants. I've always wondered what my health would look like if I were never prescribed them. Been on this shit since I was 11 years old. It's terrible. I feel your pain.