Cycling UK Forum

Ok lets admit it some of us are of a particular age and its an age which can mean to some of failing health.
So given this can you tell me your views of having to take tablets.
I am wondering whether prescribed medication just masks the symptoms of what you have and in fact could lead to further medical complications.

What's your opinion !.

There is a broad question ifever I saw one. Surely it depends what the tablets are for.

Last year I started to worry, largely because of all the adverts around prostrate cancer, that I had problems. Went to see the doctors and got checked out. it all proved negative, which was a great relief. But I still had the problem of getting up 2 or 3 times in the night to go to the toilet. Anyway the doc offered a tablet , when I asked, if it would cure or would I be on it for life. He said basically life. My own reaction was I'll pass and try and see if I can sort it out first. fortunately a change in caffine intake and cutting down not stopping the evening in take of tea and coffee, has largely resolved the problem. I suppose my advice would be understand what you are taking and why, but do take medical advice and not mine.

I'm on a large tablet of 80mg of statins every day.

I have a HUGE cholesterol "problem" due to genetics, not due to diet. The statins get me down to a level slightly above normal.
I was 11.4 and the last time I was checked I was down to 6.5

There is a school of thought that familial cholesterol is different to diet/lifestyle cholesterol and taking statins just introduces problems, and it would be better to ignore it. Taking a large dose of statins every day is asking for trouble.

............. but I still take them.

I don't take any medication as such, but I like my natural supplements. Maintenance rather than a cure all. I take an omega complex, glucosamine sulphate with chondroitin sulphate to help my joints which take a battering due to the nature of my work. When I'm sore I take devil's claw and in the winter I take rose hip and liquorice root.

I feel pretty good most of the time....hc

Last year I stopped taking statins for my slightly raised cholesterol because I read that statins only cut your chance of heart attacks by 10% , that is for an ordinary person and I am not an ordinary person I am a cyclist with a strong heart. I also suspected that the statins were agravating my shoulder blade pain which I have had since 1981.

Then there was the Metformin I was taking for my type 2 diabetes, the quack said you can stop taking that after my 22% weight loss because your diabetes has gone. I didnt need telling twice.

But, against quacks advice I take a 75 mg soluble Asprin every morning after breakfast because I believe the evidence its a good guard against cancer along with rocket, brussel sprouts, chilies, and watercress and other foods containing weak poisons. As long as its on a full stomach I believe that protects against stomach bleeds by diluting it.

So, my take on pills is you have to take them in certain circumstances but they are best avoided IMO, especially if they are a long term thing because that is a bit of an unknown.

To me, the quack is your medical advisor, and is not in charge of your health, you are.

Al

Mick F wrote:I have a HUGE cholesterol "problem" due to genetics, not due to diet. ...

You're from the NE, aren't you? My wife's from Yorkshire and has the same. Viking blood, that's what does it: cholesterol helps build vitamin D when sunlight is scarce and is common in Scandinavia. That probably explains the incidence of heart problems in Scotland, too - it's not just pies.

WRT taking pills, I usually find out exactly what they do and how long they persist in the body, then act accordingly. E.g. being diabetic I'm on Metformin three times a day, but when I ride I leave out the pills because they stop sugars being absorbed in the gut and reserves being released from the liver, both of which are bad for folk indulging in strenuous exercise. Before an Audax I knock off them for a couple of days to purge my system - with the doc's approval.

al_yrpal wrote:But, against quacks advice I take a 75 mg soluble Asprin every morning after breakfast because I believe the evidence its a good guard against cancer along with rocket, brussel sprouts, chilies, and watercress and other foods containing weak poisons. As long as its on a full stomach I believe that protects against stomach bleeds by diluting it.
...

Al

You can get slow-release aspirin that are much kinder to the gut than the ordinary kind. Bayer do them, in Germany at least.

There are two main reasons why we take medicines.

1. To deal which an acute condition (infection and pain relief for an injury are examples)

2. To deal with a chronic condition (statins for cholesterol and propranolol (beta-blocker) for blood pressure control are examples)

In the acute case extending the use of the medicine may well mask the fact that the condition is not resolving itself and may result in a worsening condition. So taking pain killers to enable riding your bike on a regular basis should be dealt with by trying to resolve the pain issue, not by masking the pain.

In the chronic case treatment may be prophylactic or management of a predisposition or clinical condition. Prophylactic medicines would be like 'one a day aspirin' to minimise your chances of a heart attack. For chromic conditions the medicines may well indeed be masking increasing severity of the underlying condition. For Type II diabetics this would involve increasing dose of e.g. metformin and eventually transition to insulin, or someone with parkinson's disease taking dopamine where as the condition progresses the dose is increased until deterioration of the specific part of the brain is such that it no longer has any receptors left that respond to the dopamine.

All medicines have potential side effect. Gastric irritation by aspirin in one of the famous ones. If you are troubled by a side effect then you should discuss this with your doctor a) to get him/her to revise your medication and b) to submit a yellow card to the MHRA reporting your side effects. Unfortunately for some conditions living with the side effects is just an unpleasant fact of life. Sometimes you will have to push quite hard to get the Doctor to report your side effect. If they don't then report it to the company listed on the Patient Leaflet Information that came with your medicine. By Law they are required to follow up with you and record your symptoms on their Pharmacovigilance database. There are now very strict laws about this.

Without knowing your exact condition its not possible to be more specific.

Audax67 wrote:

Mick F wrote:I have a HUGE cholesterol "problem" due to genetics, not due to diet. ...

You're from the NE, aren't you? My wife's from Yorkshire and has the same. Viking blood, that's what does it: cholesterol helps build vitamin D when sunlight is scarce and is common in Scandinavia. That probably explains the incidence of heart problems in Scotland, too - it's not just pies.

Yep.
All the family as far back as I can research all came from western Lancashire.

Maybe I should fit horns to my cycle helmet.

Audax67 wrote:

Mick F wrote:I have a HUGE cholesterol "problem" due to genetics, not due to diet. ...

You're from the NE, aren't you? My wife's from Yorkshire and has the same. Viking blood, that's what does it: cholesterol helps build vitamin D when sunlight is scarce and is common in Scandinavia. That probably explains the incidence of heart problems in Scotland, too - it's not just pies.

.

I've not heard this Vit D to cholesterol link before. I was born in the NE and the Viking hand condition was prevalent on my mothers side.
My Cholesterol is highish? In the sixes.
In my late fifties I was loosing weight and eventually discovered I was deficient in Vit D. Despite working outdoors, but I always say Scotland is permanent semi shade for plants.
So yes I have no doubts about taking Vit D tablets as my body needs it. As for taking tablets for stronger drugs then I'd be wary as I've seen so many people suffer from the side effects. Looking far worse than putting up with the original condition.

hondated wrote:Ok lets admit it some of us are of a particular age and its an age which can mean to some of failing health.
So given this can you tell me your views of having to take tablets.
I am wondering whether prescribed medication just masks the symptoms of what you have and in fact could lead to further medical complications.

What's your opinion !.

The question is so broad as to be un-answerable. But here are 2 personal examples.
If you have high blood pressure, make sure the medication your doctor prescribes follows the guidelines of the British Hypertension Society/NICE (national institute for clinical excellence). This is a logical system, and works much better for me than the "pill roulette" GPs can play if you give them a free hand. Note the recommendations of BHS for the use of beta blockers for high blood pressure, mentioned above, and get off them if you can.
On the other hand, if your GP gives you Ibuprofen and insoles for foot pain due to collapsed arches, don't use either, do the foot exercises instead.

I had never had more than one consecutive prescription for one drug up until 22 months ago, now I'm probably on meds for life. Last August my original meds stopped working, so I was put on a pill that's called a 'drug of last resort' because it's toxic. The side effects include lung fibrosis, and damage to liver, thyroid and eyes.

freeflow wrote:In the acute case extending the use of the medicine may well mask the fact that the condition is not resolving itself and may result in a worsening condition. So taking pain killers to enable riding your bike on a regular basis should be dealt with by trying to resolve the pain issue, not by masking the pain.

Taking things to reduce tolerable pain worries me and is something I normally avoid. I tend to regard some pain as your body telling you "stop doing this as it is causing damage". So mask that "message" and you happily continue doing damage and making it worse (or stopping it getting better). I appreciate this is a generalisation and a lot depends on the cause and impact of whatever is causing pain and the degree of pain (e.g. would not apply to toothache).

Ian

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read the thread and then to share your thoughts and experiences with me. I apologise for making the question so vague but I just did not want to bore you all with my ailments.
However having said that I now will.
What really prompted me to ask the question was that due to having acid reflux and been told by my GP that he cannot tell me why I have it but as I have I should take 30mg Lansoprazole daily basically until I peg it.
So as you would expect I went onto Patients. co.uk and. I know I know I shouldn't have done it but what can you do, but what I can gather from reading of many peoples experiences and comments I think that the cure could be as bad as the illness in the long run.
On reflecting on your replies I think my conclusion is that I should just accept I am meds, axel-knutt word, man up and just worry about it when or if I get ill effects from them.
On a lighter note cycling out to the cafe with my CTC mates yesterday they commented on how much faster I was riding compared to my normal speed. So it could of been because I had dumped the Brooks saddle and fitted one that has far more adjustment to suit my needs or it might have been a result of the meds I am taking.
Whatever the reason to ensure we have a clean Tour this year I will not be joining one of the teams just in case.

I believe that staying 'as-you-were' is a good mantra. I've been on my cocktail of low-dose statins, beta blockers and a-inhibitors for many years now, almost 20 I think. Of course I wasn't pleased, at first, it's probably not a good thing, but if I'm staying more or less on the same path as always, and, importantly, I'm still capable of cycling, it's best not to stir things up.

At least that seemed to be the view of my former GP. But he's just retired, so next check-up I'll be seeing a different one - and he may have other ideas. We shall see, but I shan't be pushing for any change. Oh yes I've read all the blurb about how 'dangerous' statins are - every time I click on a youtube video I get the pop-up "are you taking statins?". As far as I know, I don't get any of the statin side-effects, so I think it'll still be 'as-you-were'.

However, I've taken a different approach to the antidepressant (venlafaxine). I believe that it did have a persistent side-effect, I've been taking it for several years, I discussed with with the doctor, he said it was up to me whether to continue or stop - after all it's not a directly life-saving med. Well, about three weeks ago I took the plunge and stopped altogether. Yes I've been feeling a bit more 'down' than usual since then, but I'll resist any temptation to go back on. A good piece of advice is, if you have any suspicion that a pill may be unnecessary, rather stop it than continue. I will, however, mention this to my new GP when I see him.