Are we over-medicated?

[Workingman]

A report shows that more than 51% of the population is on regular prescription medicines, what it does not tell us is why that is the case.

I take nine different tablets every day, but do I need to?

I know that I cannot do without Lansoprazole due to an earlier medication, diclofenac, stripping the lining of my stomach. I also need allopuronol to control gout/gouty arthritis. That leaves seven.

Of those seven I do wonder whether some are absolutely necessary and if some of the others are there as preventive medications. Do I really need beta-blockers, statins, aspirin, anti-depressants (2 types), nerve pills and blood pressure tablets?

I have never had high BP nor cholesterol problems nor irregular heart beat, and I am sure that I could do away with the ADs and aspirin if I tried. The problem is that I am under "Doctor's orders" and that, I believe, goes for many others.

[Kaz]

Touch wood, I don't take any meds yet! I am on cream for a skin condition however No HRT for me, too much female cancer in the family so I take a supplement called menopace, a veggie omega 3, and a multivit

Mick is on statins and beta blockers.

[Suff]

After several thousand pounds spent in private "investigative" treatment, I receive constant letters from my GP about my "Hypertension" treatment regime.

Really? I found that after all the money spent I now have a very clear picture of what is wrong with me. I also know that the attempt of the consultant and doctor to "treat" my so called "hypertension" damned nearly induced an early heart attack. I never took the Statins as the consultant stated it was to "control" my cholesterol. In fact, when pushed to admit it, my levels were micrometrically over the acceptable limit for my age. To which I replied that I would control that with diet.

The ACE inhibitors I was prescribed made me so ill that I was unable to even do 1 hour of heavy work in the house without severe angina symptoms.

When I approached my GP and asked for blood thinners, having read in long and deep detail what ACE inhibitors really do to you, I was told "No I won't do that, I will change your Hypertension drugs to another one". When I replied that they all do the same thing and that thing was making me ill, he refused to listen.

The upshot is that I take very high doses of Vitamin C which thins my blood and ignore all the wasted paper entreating me to visit the doctor to "discuss my treatment regime".

As I've said over the years, #1 daughter works in the NHS in a senior capacity. She herself has noted that the GP practises are going overboard to "treat" everyone for conditions which have the most funding. Almost ignoring those conditions which do not have high funding.

We live in a society where they throw drugs at things first and think after.

I decline.

[TheOstrich]

11 pills a day, 8 separate varieties, for two of the NHS's "favourite" conditions ...... Add another 3 if you include non-prescribed vitamins.

Do I need them? No idea, TBH! I'm told I do, so I take them to keep the quacks and the other O's in this household quiet ......

Currently, I feel fine. But if I stopped taking them, would I continue to feel fine or would I keel over? Again, I don't know. I have occasionally rumbled to Mrs O I might experiment by ditching them and seeing what happens, but she has vetoed that ....

My gut response to WM's question in the opening post is "probably yes".

...... and ignore all the wasted paper entreating me to visit the doctor to "discuss my treatment regime"

ROFL! You've obviously morphed into an Honorary Ostrich!! I can reassure you that from my experience, after three years, whilst you'll never be totally clear of wasted paper, you should find that it has halved ...

[Diflower]

I do think many people are over-medicated.
On the other hand, many, many people are dreadfully unhealthy and the NHS is maybe helping to shore up their defences a little

WM of yours, I would definitely question why you're on Bp tablets when you've never had high Bp.
This has been a bugbear of mine this year. My Bp is taken every 4 weeks when I go for the jab, and is recorded on the little report they have to send my Gp.
Earlier this year she sent me a letter saying it was a bit high and I was to go to the nurse 3 weeks running to have it done; then that was 'high' so I had to wear a monitor for 24 hours.
She sent another letter saying the results were high and I should take Bp pills. I googled and didn't like the sound of possible side effects, so began questioning the other medical professionals I see.
The nurses at the local hospital, the oncologist, and the Macmillan lady all independently said categorically my Bp is not high, and is nowhere near where it should be medicated.
But Gp surgeries have targets. They get money for every patient for whom they bring it down by so many points.

I had been worrying that I was being stupidly stubborn, that I should just take them and be done with it - but with everyone except the Gp telling me it's completely unnecessary??
Also, I do now take aspirin - the 75mg, gastro-protective one. I take it because there is quite a lot of evidence it helps stop the spread of cancer, but as the Macmillan lady pointed out, it does a good job of preventing heart attacks and strokes, and with stomach-protection there are very few side effects.
And it's cheap
Personally, without high Bp or cholesterol, I'd ditch the Bp pills and statins, but it would be nice to have someone to talk it over with apart from your Gp, who, sad to say, has financial incentives for persuading you to carry on

Any time in the future there may be all sorts of drugs I have no choice but to take, but until then I have no interest in anything I'm not convinced is pretty much essential.

[Workingman]

Di, when I did a bit of digging it turned out that the headline is over-egging the stats. Saying that 51% of us are on long-term medication sounds terrible, then the breakdown kicks in: women on the pill, women on HRT, those on inhalers for asthma, men on viagra, sleeping pills..... the list goes on. Unfortunately the headline makes it look as though 51% of us are on a cocktail of drugs to keep us alive.

[Kaz]

Just sticking my beak in here to say that if the BP meds are beta blockers it can be dangerous to stop them suddenly, you have to be weaned off I believe.........

[Aggers]

I'm on permanent medications for hypertension and for anti-coagulation and I wouldn't dare to stop taking them.

The fact that people are generally living to a much older age now is due, surely, to modern medications.

Maybe, however, some people are over-medicated.

[Suff]

I found the best defence against high BP was not to be furiously angry 15 minutes after walking into work.

It's like magic. Works a treat, no medication required.

[pederito1]

I try to keep my BP down by not thinking about the EU, NHS, America or the Government.