Saturday, January 26, 2008

Medication management (or I used to be pill phobic)

Medication management has become part of my life.  Before I was diagnosed with BP, I was pill phobic.   I wouldn't even take an advil if my head was throbbing.  I had a serious problem with taking pills.  We can all have different hypotheses as to why - control issues, anxiety issues, etc. We'd probably all be a little right.  

Then BP came into my life.  Now I pop those suckers day and night.  I've gotten so that I don't even take many of them with water.  Just down the hatch.  Right now I 'm on three medications for BP, plus I'm taking Omega 3, calcium and a B complex vitamin.  Today that will mean about 15 pills.  Lovely.  

And as I've mentioned before, my meds change on a regular basis.  I can't keep up and finally made a chart that I posted in my kitchen.  I try to write down when I take something, but sometimes I'm sure I've forgotten and taken twice the amount, or not enough.  With the memory issues, I really need to write stuff down.

And let's not forget the side effects part of medication.  I was bumped up on two of the three meds yesterday and today I'm so lightheaded and dizzy it's hard to stand.  

When I think about the medication management needed for BP, I keep thinking about the phrase - the cure is worse than the disease.  I don't think that's true, since I really can't imagine anything wore than the disease.  But it certainly doesn't help.

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