Do you take drugs?

Prescription drugs that is.

The news today says 50% of women and 43% of men do!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30411246

Seems a staggering amount to me - but I guess it must be true.

I've always been one to not bother the doctor unless I really need to.

I don't take stuff for coughs or colds, don't suffer from headaches, am fairly active for my age and probably the only things I do use in the medicine cabinet is antiseptic cream for the odd scratch or antihistamone if I ever get stung or bitten.

I still somehow can't get my head around that more or less half the country is on prescriptions!  Surely that can't be right can it?

So without giving too much personal info away - half of us on here should be on drugs - so hands up, which of you are?

Apart from the odd painkiller for a headache,I take nothing at all.
Not bad for my age. I know men 20 years younger on blood pressure tablets or some other long term medication.
Lifestyle has a lot to do with it. People are under a lot more pressure these days.

Stay away from the well man clinic, they'll find some pills to give you whether you need them or not!
I'll bet there's a few on here on Lithium!!!

I take 5 a day , 4 heart related and 1 for my stomach.

I stopped taking the heart related ones, for about 18 months  and got told off by my Doctor for doing so, so I take them  religiously now.

Just glad I don't have to pay for them.

Having said that I feel pretty fit for my age and try and eat the right  stuff.

It works like this:

Sales rep from drug company approaches GP and says "If you prescribe our tablets to your patients we will pay you a fee for each prescription dispensed. The more you prescribe, the more you make."

GP says "Ok, that works for me!" and starts prescribing unnecessary drugs like they're sweets.

This is happening daily, in every GP's surgery in the land and it explains why (A) GP's all drive Jags and (B) why half the country is popping a fistful of pills every morning.

ITK.

I take the occasional Diazepam.
The reason for this is I'm not a big drinker and sometimes when I've worked a long day my body tends to speed and a 10 mg Diazepam helps me relax and I feel refreshed and ready to flog myself again.

Which as you get older gets harder.Im hoping to retire at 55 but if the government bump up the pension age I'm thinking I'll be working another few years yet.
Fucking great so some tugboat can send his kids child benefit in Romania.

Politicians all twats.

Breadman wrote:It works like this:

Sales rep from drug company approaches GP and says "If you prescribe our tablets to your patients we will pay you a fee for each prescription dispensed. The more you prescribe, the more you make."

GP says "Ok, that works for me!" and starts prescribing unnecessary drugs like they're sweets.

This is happening daily, in every GP's surgery in the land and it explains why (A) GP's all drive Jags and (B) why half the country is popping a fistful of pills every morning.

ITK.

Spot on. My old doctor in Walkden (Dr Cassidy) told me this was how it worked.
And I'm talking the 70's.

For the record, tugboat is the new nuts name for cnut!
Hence the tugboat tshirt Nat.

Spelling mistake by spellchecker I think can't remember what I was going to write.

Only when I have to such as at the start of migraines - otherwise I stay away.

Yeah- statin and  coated aspirin at night and betablocker and diabetic pill in the morning with me porridge.
That lot probably means I'm well past my sell by date!!

rammywhite wrote:Yeah- statin and  coated aspirin at night and betablocker and diabetic pill in the morning with me porridge.
That lot probably means I'm well past my sell by date!!

Did you have high cholesterol Rammy?

Yes-or I used  . I've got it down to manageable levels- but all the good stuff like chocolate, cheese, biscuits, bacon, chips etc- all have to be eaten in moderation.
It means I've lost a lot of surplus weight as well and should feel a lot healthier.
But the lack of a daily Mars bar just makes me feel a bit miserable. I'd kill for a bag of mint creams!!

rammywhite wrote:Yes-or I used  . I've got it down to manageable levels- but all the good stuff like chocolate, cheese, biscuits, bacon, chips etc- all have to be eaten in moderation.
It means I've lost a lot of surplus weight as well and should feel a lot healthier.
But the lack of a daily Mars bar just makes me feel a bit miserable. I'd kill for a bag of mint creams!!

I had a full medical back in 2008 including diabetes, prostate and cholesterol and the only problem was that my cholesterol was way too high at 7.9. The doctor told me to alter my diet to see if I could bring it down and if not then after two months I would have to start taking statins.

Reebok Trotter wrote:

rammywhite wrote:Yes-or I used  . I've got it down to manageable levels- but all the good stuff like chocolate, cheese, biscuits, bacon, chips etc- all have to be eaten in moderation.
It means I've lost a lot of surplus weight as well and should feel a lot healthier.
But the lack of a daily Mars bar just makes me feel a bit miserable. I'd kill for a bag of mint creams!!

I had a full medical back in 2008 including diabetes, prostate and cholesterol and the only problem was that my cholesterol was way too high at 7.9. The doctor told me to alter my diet to see if I could bring it down and if not then after two months I would have to start taking statins.

What did you do? Did you get it down or are you popping the pills like me?

rammywhite wrote:

Reebok Trotter wrote:

rammywhite wrote:Yes-or I used  . I've got it down to manageable levels- but all the good stuff like chocolate, cheese, biscuits, bacon, chips etc- all have to be eaten in moderation.
It means I've lost a lot of surplus weight as well and should feel a lot healthier.
But the lack of a daily Mars bar just makes me feel a bit miserable. I'd kill for a bag of mint creams!!

I had a full medical back in 2008 including diabetes, prostate and cholesterol and the only problem was that my cholesterol was way too high at 7.9. The doctor told me to alter my diet to see if I could bring it down and if not then after two months I would have to start taking statins.

What did you do? Did you get it down or are you popping the pills like me?

I've no idea. I have never been back to the doctor since then. My mother is 78 and she has never smoked and rarely touches alcohol and she had high cholesterol. She was put on statins but they kept giving her terrible muscle spasms and cramps so she stopped taking them after a month. I think cholesterol could even be hereditary and be passed on regardless of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Statins have loads of side effects. 
I went to see the doc a couple of years ago about my cholesterol results from a test I had the day after being on holiday for a fortnight. It was sky high and the doctor then progressed to tell me how he could reduce chances of stroke/heart attack by popping pills. He then took my BP and that too was sky high.
I asked to go for another colestrol test a month later and it was fine!
Another doctor within the practice told me she classed me as low risk because I had never smoked or pissed myself up a wall!!
It's not the big science they make it out to be and she said nobody knows their body better than you and self regulating is the best way. 
Unfortunately some people just cannot do this and the door is then open for abuse on obese people, which, of course, is fully acceptable in certain quarters by PC people who are oblivious to what they preach!!
Enjoyed that!!!!

My dad's been on statins for about a year now having been diagnosed with high cholesterol. Altered the diet massively, no cheese, chocolate etc etc etc and gets more exercise which can only be a good thing, but it's mainly a genetic thing so no matter how many changes you make to your lifestyle it's always going to be there. 

Seems to be working for him so far, he's certainly had no complaints.

See posts 5 and 7.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-430682/Have-conned-cholesterol.html