Quit all my meds

[Curious1]

I'm considering stopping ALL my Rx. I take some for MS, nerve pain, Vertigo, Spasms, also Acid Reflux, Cholosterol, Arthritis, depression & Anxiety, IBS, just to name a few. I'm sooooo tired of all the pills! I take about 30 a day and am thinking of tossing them all. Has anybody done this and came out ok? Thoughts or advice will be appreciated. Thanks

[Mamabug]

Nope. Even when I went off Betaseron, briefly, for a month, between a switch to Copaxone in 2008, I had an MS flare a few months later, which my MS Specialist believed may have been triggered by the break from a DMD med. I don't want to regret my decision in the future when I might be paying the price with a faster progression.

Although I understand going off meds that only "manage symptoms", I would not ever consider going off a med that manages a more serious condition like MS. I am experimenting with going off Lipitor for my high cholesterol and trying some supplements that may help.

[Seasha]

I'm sure it must be hard taking so many pills a day, but instead of going "cold turkey" on all of them, please talk with your prescribing doctor(s) before doing this.

I quit my DMD a few years ago, with my neuro's blessing, as I have progressed to SPMS. I tried to go off my anti-depressant many years ago (cold turkey) and BAM! it was terrible as I spun into the deepest depression. It is always advised to never quit these suddenly.

I'm not certain of these conditions and how much they affect you, but perhaps cholesterol and IBS could be managed though diet and changing lifestyle habits, or as Mamabug suggested through supplements, but any serious condition and meds designed for them, should be discussed with your doctor, so please do so.

Maybe taking less dosage might be the the answer you need from the doctor if all your conditions and levels are satisfactory.

Please take care!

[hsmaldo]

Proceed with caution and under a dr's care!

I don't have first-hand experience, but I DO know that medications have side effects. Some more severe than others.

And each person reacts differently to meds. If you are on as many as 30/day, then it's quite possible that you're taking medications to deal with the side effects of some of the other medications, which are causing more side effects, resulting in more medications, etc.

I would make a spreadsheet (cause I love me a good spreadsheet!) or a list of all the medications that you're taking. Then list the condition, disease and/or reason why you are taking each medication. Finally, under each medication, list the MAIN side effects. Just by doing this you may see some connection between all the meds.

I would then take this list to your dr and come up with a plan to start cutting down/back on dosages or quitting the medication altogether.

But I would strongly advise against stopping everything all at once as some medications (especially types of anti depressants can make things REALLY bad if gone off cold-turkey).

Good luck!

[Temagami]

I dropped my cholesterol significantly after reading and instituting The 8 Week Cholesterol Cure- basically, no butter, but lots of oatmeal. Does wonders.

IF you are going to follow through on your query, I would avoid gluten (activates T17 in the intestinal mucosal lining) and sugar (causes inflammation) and I would take vitamin D3- at least 5000 IU per day. Just my take on the readings. Were I to lose insurance and have to shell out the monies for a DMD, I would do the above. I also take ubiquinol- helps mitochondrial health which is compromised in MSers.

[Kimba22]

Hi Curious,

I really can't blame you for being tired of taking all those medicines every day, that does sound like a lot. But stopping everything at once sounds like a disaster. I've stopped taking medications before, but only one at a time. You might do OK cutting back or stopping certain meds but, please talk with your doctors first!

Something not yet mentioned is that certain medications (for example, Gabapentin or Baclofen) can cause withdrawal symptoms if you stop them abruptly. One of these symptoms is anxiety, which is something you are already being treated for.

Best of luck,

[Myoak]

Hi Curious1,

Sometimes it just seems to overwhelm us; all the meds that get thrown at us.

Hsmaldo's recommendation particularly appealed to me. Making a list and understanding the why behind each med is a great place to start.

If you are dedicated to reducing meds it might be best to go slowly, quitting just one at a time. Eliminating one at a time, waiting an interval before eliminating another, seems as though it would give you the best chance to know what each med is, or is not doing.

Also, if you are searching for new possibilities in treatment I suggest taking a look at LDN. There is good info about LDN at this site.

But again, it may be wise to stop just one med at a time to see what affect that has.

Make a list as hsmaldo suggested and be sure you understand why a med was prescribed in the first place. You can do it. Just organize your information; don't try to memorize everything, write it down using a spreadsheet or whatever works for you.

If you do stop meds or if you don't, understanding them can only help, whatever you choose.

Best wishes for your success!

[kelm10]

what worked for me

With my neuro's and primary Dr.'s permission, I started cutting back on my symptom medications.

I did this very slowly because I had not been successful at taking a dose away at a time.

I started with one dose of one pill, at a time. The way that I lowered that dose was to take a dose away every other day. If that taking away a dose every other day was to much, I would take a dose away every third day.

I would stay at the decreased dose for a month before I would decrease it more.

I was able to get away from several doses (not take away some of the meds completely.)

I was also able to stop a couple of meds completely.

I also went to gluten free at least 6 months before I started this process.

My neuro, my primary MD, and myself are all happy with how this was able to work. Neuro has complimented how much I look like myself before I had MS.

Also, another great resource of what meds/doses to start with is the pharmacist to help with that making of a list and where to start.

[Mamabug]

...

Also, another great resource of what meds/doses to start with is the pharmacist to help with that making of a list and where to start.

Yes; pharmacists are often a more knowledgeable resource regarding medications than physicians are.

[Hotrod]

Huh, perfect timing

It must be in the air - I was thinking the same thing just last night. I function pretty well, but I often wonder 'what am I really like without all of these meds?'

My neurologist mentioned that I don't get a medal for dealing with the pain, spasticity, vertigo, etc. However, I'm trying to find a balance between what I'm taking and why. I know the ones that keep me alive are the priorities and anything else is up for consideration... I'll be taking a simplified list with my recommendations. Hey, we're our own advocates, right?

[kelm10]

Understanding

We live and understand our own bodies, better, I believe.

But, we also need the professional input from the doctors and pharmacist with most of these drugs.