Show of hands; how many of you read or even hear the medication side effects of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved chemical medications to help some of our diseases and think why are they poisoning us? If not, maybe you should. I don’t read the side effects on purpose. My husband reads them so he knows the symptoms. This way it is not mind over matter. I have recently found there are some side effects the FDA, Big Pharma and even your doctors may not tell you. This is about some side effects from taking the newer, “cleaner”, steroids to help control Asthma and why the older medications may be better.
First Some Back Story.
I was in the hospital for a week during Christmas 1983. After that, I was officially diagnosed with Asthma at age 10. As the granddaughter of a Nurse with other Nurses in the family, I learned rather quickly how to listen to my body. I was lucky to have parents who trusted me and challenged the doctors for me when I said something was wrong.
Fast forward 10 years, I’m in college, going to the doctor without my parents and have to stand up for my symptoms; you don’t want to know how many doctors I’ve fired over the years because they weren’t listening to me; trying to treat my side effects with more medication. After seeing a Great Aunt go through this, I refuse. They listen to me or I fire them and try another doctor. I met my future husband in 2000. He is familiar enough with anatomy and physiology to help bridge the gap between “medical science” and what my body already knows to be true.
Recently I was feeling fatigued and told my therapist (as in mental not physical). She recommended I have my vitamin and metabolic levels tested by my family doctor. No problem right? Well, not really. I found my Vitamin D level is deficient; 13 of a minimum 30 and common in the Great Lakes area. Apparently, there is a link between Asthma, Allergies and low vitamin D levels. Okay, I can live with more Sun and a vitamin. Well, the doctor also ran a full blood workup and had some concerns about my sugar and cholesterol levels in, or nearing, unacceptable ranges; not to mention my weight. I’m 5’1” and was around 226lbs. No matter how much I cut back on my food and tried to exercise I could not lose weight.
Causes of Medication Side Effects
Forward a few months. I’m with a new Asthma / Allergy specialist, my original one retired, and am trying to convince him I’m suffering from some major side effects of the steroids. After denying the Spiriva and Symbicort were responsible, he sent me to my family doctor for more testing. In the meantime, my prescription for my Symbicort inhaler ran out, oops, so I didn’t refill it and didn’t tell the doctor until I saw him 3 months later. While I was waiting to go back in for the follow up I tried a breathing tea and used my rescue inhaler. During that time I got down to 221lbs and the major medication side effects of frequent urination, fatigue, severe mood swings and vision issues stopped or lessened. The worst part was to come, I had to convince the doctor the only change was I stopped the medication.
Two months ago I finally convinced his Nurse Practitioner to get him to put me back on Theophylline; the medication I took as a kid. All I had to do is change one main thing in my diet, lower or cut out my caffeine. It’s harder than it sounds; trust me. In the last two months, I have lost another 6lbs, my fingernails are getting stronger, and my hair is looking healthier. Good right? It gets even better.
My place of work conducts free health screenings once a year. They test for sugar levels, cholesterol, weight and blood pressure. Guess what? All those levels are back in the normal range. This made me consider all the side effects the FDA, Big Phrama and your doctors may not tell you about. I feel much healthier and feel obligated to share this with you.
How to Get Rid of Medication Side Effects
Years ago I was on a beta-blocker for a side effect of Zyrtec that mimics Long QT Syndrome (LQTS). I stopped the Toprol XL and literally felt like I was Waking Up. As Mr. Hoy in #Sense8 says “A life on Beta Blockers is no life at all.” I felt healthier off the blockers as I am feeling healthier off the steroids. True, the THEO-24 I’m on is a chemical. However, it’s a Caffeine based chemical and more natural. As a result, I must lower or cut out my caffeine consumption but it’s a small price to pay to breathe, lose weight, exercise more and get healthier all the way around. I keep telling myself I can lose enough weight and eventually get off the medication for my Asthma altogether, just like I did in the 90s when I was in college.
The best doctors will admit they do not know everything. You deserve a doctor who will listen to you so challenge them if your body is telling you something to the contrary. You know your body better than any doctor, find one who treats the whole problem like an Old-Fashioned Country Doctor. I have found doctors that will listen to me; you can too. They are out there, you just have to keep looking. My goal is to quit relying on only medications with side effects from Big Pharma and approved by the FDA.
Let me know in the comments below what you’ve learned by following their money or listening to your body?
Keep thinking creatively and openly.
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