Living with multiple health problems
Dealing with multiple medicines
The more health problems people have, the more medicines they might be using. “Medicines” include tablets, capsules, liquids, creams, inhalers, eye drops, and injections (e.g. insulin for diabetes). The people we spoke to were typically taking multiple medicines; some were taking as many as 30 tablets a day. Some medicines, such as inhalers or pain relievers were only taken ‘as needed,’ whereas other medicines had to be taken regularly once, twice or three times a day. In addition to their prescribed medicines, some people also took vitamins or food supplements that they bought over the counter. Not everyone knew which of their medicines were treating which symptom or condition.
Living with having to take multiple medicines can have a similar impact on how people feel about themselves to that of living with multiple health conditions (see ‘The personal impact of multiple health problems’). Both Madelon and Andrew seemed to view taking lots of medicines as a natural consequence of having health conditions in the context of ageing and didn’t seem bothered by it. Rosemary only wants to take drugs that her doctor advises her to.
Madelon has had many health problems and takes a variety of medicines. However, she has got used to this over time and manages taking her tablets using a dosette box.
Madelon has had many health problems and takes a variety of medicines. However, she has got used to this over time and manages taking her tablets using a dosette box.
Yes.
Are they just for the strokes and diabetes or do you take things for other conditions as well?
Yes, well, I’ve had cancer twice.
Right.
On the stomach.
Right.
So I have to have tablets for that. I have a B12 injection every three months. I have to have that for that reason.
Okay.
And I’ve had arthritis as well. I’ve had both my knees done. So a bit of a record to give you [laughs].
Right. Okay. And how do you do you find it taking all of these tablets?
Yeah, I’ve got used to it after all this time. I’ve got a little thing to put a week’s supply in and it just seems to make the weeks go quicker, you know. I fill them up and think, I’ve only just done that [laughs]. And they’re all gone again, yeah.Rosemary finds her GP surgery helpful in getting repeat prescriptions. She speaks of an open and trusting relationship with her GP and only takes medicines her doctor advises her to.
Rosemary finds her GP surgery helpful in getting repeat prescriptions. She speaks of an open and trusting relationship with her GP and only takes medicines her doctor advises her to.
I mean like my GP, I said recently I saw him, first time for nearly a year because he’s given me, you know, he’s told me what to do. And when I need a repeat prescriptions, he gives me them because he knows, you know, I have to take them. I don’t take any tablet unless I’m told to by him. You know, I don’t go to the doctors and say, “I’ve got this. I’ve got that.” Because I won’t. I just, you know, stay at the basics, the specifics, you know, just get, “What can I do about this, doctor?” And he’ll say, well, either I go on medication or what other else to do, and when he signs the repeat prescriptions, he knows I need them.Mohammed thinks that side effects from medicines are inevitable. However, he is concerned about whether such side effects might be making his underlying conditions worse.
Mohammed thinks that side effects from medicines are inevitable. However, he is concerned about whether such side effects might be making his underlying conditions worse.
Not so much interaction between the two but maybe slight signs of side effects, but they are clearly indicated in your packaging as well as by your GP, it’s certain there will be some. They are of concern and the concern is, is that side effect making the condition worse or is the medication treating but the side effect is something you have to learn [to live] with. That tends to be the concern, yeah. For example, you know, is a medication you are taking to treat an illness, it has a side effect. Is that side effect making the illness worse? I don’t know. That is for you people in the industry to look into and but that would be the only slight concern in my mind, to worsen. Lottie finds managing medicines for her conditions has reduced spontaneity in her life. She wonders what life what would be like if she were not weighed down in this way.
Lottie finds managing medicines for her conditions has reduced spontaneity in her life. She wonders what life what would be like if she were not weighed down in this way.
Nigel takes over thirty tablets a day. Every time another tablet is added it might affect his diabetes and change his insulin dose
Nigel takes over thirty tablets a day. Every time another tablet is added it might affect his diabetes and change his insulin dose
My medication was changed and then, because your medication changes, that affects your blood sugars, so then you have to start adjusting your insulin to affect the change they’ve give you in your tablets, because every tablet that they give you has a side effects, obviously, and that alters everything else. I’m on over thirty tablets a day now.
Okay.
For all my different conditions.Tammy has been taking epilepsy medication for nearly 20 years and wonders what difference it would make if she stopped taking her medication, as mostly it doesn’t seem to be effective.
Tammy has been taking epilepsy medication for nearly 20 years and wonders what difference it would make if she stopped taking her medication, as mostly it doesn’t seem to be effective.
Right.
…medication but I don’t know, you know. When it’s at its worst, I sort of think or, you know, I’m prescribed a new drug that doesn’t work, then I’ve had it. I want to get rid of all of them then but I don’t and I haven’t got that far yet.When Val was taking lots of pain killers they didn’t seem to bring relief. Following advice from a pharmacist, her GP undertook a staged withdrawal from her medicines.
When Val was taking lots of pain killers they didn’t seem to bring relief. Following advice from a pharmacist, her GP undertook a staged withdrawal from her medicines.
And the pharmacist was the one who said, well, if it’s not helping with the pain why are you taking it? So then, I went to the GP and said what the pharmacist had said, and we agreed that I would do a staged withdrawal from all the drugs.
And, how do you feel compared to when you were on all the drugs?
Ah well, it’s interesting, because, some of the pain that I wasn’t feeling as much before, so the neck pain is worse, so I think the drugs were actually helping with the neck pain. And, the lumbar back pain is worse, and so I think the drugs were helping with that. But, the muscle pain in the arms and the legs, I haven't got any at the moment. But, you see, that is complex as well, because it always does fluctuate, so sometimes it’s bad and sometimes it’s not bad. So, with something like fibromyalgia, you don’t know whether it’s just decided that it’s going to have a few days holiday, or what’s going on. So, I don’t know whether it’s the drugs that have made a difference to that.Lee attended an appointment with a new GP who reviewed her medicines and reduced the dose of one drug. She links the recent reduction in her medication list to losing weight and exercising.
Lee attended an appointment with a new GP who reviewed her medicines and reduced the dose of one drug. She links the recent reduction in her medication list to losing weight and exercising.
Right.
So that was that was quite good because I had only come off another blood pressure drug, so the diuretic side of it, I was taken off that in in October when I no longer needed it and I was getting some funny electrolyte levels, which.
Right.
The, if you don’t need the diuretic it can do that so I was taken off that, to have the ACE inhibitor dose reduced was really quite positive. I haven’t been followed up for that since, however, I don’t I have no reason to think my blood pressure has gone up since then because, of course, I’m still I’m still losing the weight and keeping up the exercise.When Anne Y started with a new consultant she took in all the medicines she was being prescribed. She has found benefit from having tablets dropped or changed to alternatives.
When Anne Y started with a new consultant she took in all the medicines she was being prescribed. She has found benefit from having tablets dropped or changed to alternatives.
So I feel better with him and I, it worries me sometimes that he’ll go and then who will the next one be? But.
Right. Okay, so that continuity…
[mm]
Is important?
Yes, I, yeah, I yeah, I find that is that is important now, you know. At one time, when the nurse left, he did think he would be getting a replacement nurse and, of course, that’s just drifted on and he hasn’t got another one. So but as I feel at the moment, seeing him is fine and I did like it when the nurse was there because that was quite a quite a while but, you know, it’s fine as it is now. So I think better, I feel better with him because, when they changed me to him, because I was taking so much medication, I took it all in in a big carrier bag, when I, when they first gave me my first appointment.
Right.
And said to him I was concerned about taking so much medication so, of course, from then, it’s when he started trying to change things and make my amount of tablets less and different and that’s when, you know, things started to get a bit better. So it’s taken a while.
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