Dave R May 2020
Unfortunately many people with a chronic illness, also
have to deal with other conditions at the same time. Given that the meds for
the most serious problem must come first; how can we be sure that other
prescribed drugs, or vitamins, or minerals and herbal supplements are not interacting
negatively?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Most
people have to deal with various illnesses and complaints during their lifetime
and by definition, the older you get, the more likely something will come along
to ruin your year. If you are unlucky enough to have a chronic condition, then
that’s something that most other people will have avoided but for you, it’s an
extra burden on top of the illnesses you might have reasonably expected to get
according to your age and lifestyle. This means that at one time or another or
if you’re really unlucky, you’ll be permanently taking multiple medications at
the same time to deal with what’s ailing you. This is when you really need to
watch out for what you’re putting into your body because the very things meant
to cure or control your problem may end up fighting each other in your system,
to the detriment of one, or the other, or both. Not only medications can
interact negatively but supplements and vitamins can influence the working of
your medical treatment. You need to be on top of your game…it’s a veritable
minefield!
Drug
interactions are a serious issue and for people living with HIV, or cancer, or
any other serious condition, it’s not just a question of avoiding the famous
medication influencers, grapefruits and St. John’s wort. It requires careful
checking of each of your HIV drugs and components against anything else you
might be taking, to see if one reduces the efficiency of another, or worse,
interferes with it to the point of making it dangerous.
Most
people take medications on trust. They go to their doctor or specialist and are
prescribed something to treat a specific problem. If you’re lucky you’ll be
warned about possible side effects but mostly you take your doctor’s word as
being gospel and swallow your drugs at the appointed times each day without a
second thought. Furthermore, most people don’t read the information leaflet
inside the box, a) because they don’t want to become paranoid about all the
possible side effects and b) because the print is sometimes so small you need
the Hubble telescope to read it or c) because they just can’t be bothered.
The
list of potential side effects is indeed intimidating but if you remember that
it’s there to cover the pharmaceutical company’s ass if something goes wrong –
“Well, you were warned in the leaflet!”;
you can read the most common side effects and then do your own research on the
internet. However, reading the leaflet anyway is not a bad idea, if only to see
whether the recommendations match up with what your doctor has told you. If
they don’t then you’re entitled to phone and ask why; there may well be a
reasonable explanation but leave nothing to chance.
Doctors
are also human beings who make mistakes; they shouldn’t but they do and we
should be able to forgive them for it, considering their workload and stress
levels plus the fact that you may be patient number 35 of the day and he/she
can’t remember that this particular antibiotic actually clashes with this other
particular medication. It happens more frequently that you may think and when
something goes wrong it may be some considerable time later and the mistake may
be very difficult to trace back. HIV and cancer meds for instance, are complex
compounds and in order to work to the optimum, they have to be taken at the
recommended times and regularly but if they are mixed with other chemical drugs
meant for other diseases, the clashes may have consequences. It’s logical
really. In the best of all possible worlds, the right prescription is given for
the right disease and the eventual interactions will flash up on your chemist’s
computer screen before you even begin the course. However, in the real world
things will be missed; especially when it comes to taking supplements over
which your doctors or pharmacists generally have little control.
It’s
up to us then to check everything we throw down our throats because simply put,
it’s in our own best interests. The links shown here are two of the best
sites for checking both what’s in your drugs, what the side effects are and
what the possible interactions with other drugs can be.
and
There
are other good drug comparison sites on the Net but these two are trustworthy
and you really need accurate information. If in doubt double check somewhere
else.
Whenever
you come away from the doctor or specialist, take a few minutes (it really
doesn’t take long) to use these sites to see exactly what you’re taking and
what its purpose is and then check its interactions with any other medicines,
or supplements you may use.
N.B
sometimes you will need to enter the proper name of the drug and not just its
market name. For example, Truvada is a combination of Tenofovir and emtricitabine and Isentress is Raltegravir. This is because different countries often have
different brand names for drugs but you will always find the proper name on the
box, generally in brackets after the brand name. Most common supplements can
also be checked on the second link.
If
you have any doubts at all about clashes or contra-indications, or even
side-effects; first check that you haven’t misread the information and then
don’t hesitate to contact the person who has prescribed it for you. They may be
slightly irritated that you’ve had the nerve to question their judgement but
really they should be pleased that you’re so on the ball because if there is a
problem and your HIV or other drugs are compromised by something else you’re
taking, then they won’t work properly and the last thing you want is to be
resistant to this that or the other because of other chemical influences. Doing
a bit of research on your own may save wasting time and money due to
complications later.
If
you think that you’re perfectly healthy; your HIV regime is working fine and
everything is hunky dory, remember that you may become diabetic, or be
unlucky enough to get a cancer, or any one of a myriad of lesser or greater
diseases later in life – it happens! Remember also, alcohol is one of the
commonest negative interacters with drugs so everybody needs to keep their wits
about them. Besides that, even antibiotics issued for common infections, can
interact with your primary meds for other conditions. There are almost always
enough good alternatives, so why put yourself through more misery for the sake
of a few minutes reading up the facts.
I’m
aware that this all sounds a bit like a lecture from your parents and I
apologise for that but so many people are unaware of both what they put into
their bodies every day and how one chemical can work against another, that it
can’t do any harm to at least consider adding these two links to your
favourites, in case something comes up in the future. Don’t rely 100% on
doctors; they just don’t have the time or the resources any more to check
absolutely everything in the pantheon of medicines and remember your case is unique;
you may react badly to a certain drug while others don’t. It seems a no-brainer
to be at least partially responsible for looking at our own treatment
efficiency and sharing the load with our doctors. Your treatment should ideally
be a partnership between you and your doctor instead of being one-sided and
assuming that ‘God doesn’t fuck up every
now and then’. Don’t let yourself be caught out by ignorance; you’re the
only one who may suffer in the end.
Further information:
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