Stopping ALL Medications

@kjoed53

Thank you for sharing. I can only imagine how difficult that was for her, you and the rest of her loved ones.

Personally, I would never advocate lying, but IMO the decision is hers and hers alone.

@fabia01

Thank you for that brave and honest response. I applaud you.

I too, would welcome the relief from the constant, intense itching.

@cecilyl

Please consider that it is always you decision.

IMO, all decisions should be informed and intentional.

My best wishes to you regardless of your decision.

@edsutton

PN is shorthand for periphial neuropathy.

@mir123

Interesting comments.

To the first, I would suggest that you follow this thread to speak to the why and also suggest another way to ask.

To the second, yes, absolutely.

To the third, despite the fact that I am in suburban Chicago, and despite a dogged effort, I have been unable to connect with a palliative care specialist thay meets my needs.

@gravity3

I was late for an appointment and rushed out of the house without taking my pills. That day, I felt better than I had in a long time. So, the next day, I decided to see if it had just been a coincidence and I didn’t take my pills. And, I felt even better. I stopped for about five days and then tried adding back the pills one addition per day. And, varioys problems returned. So, I stopped taking all but one of the pills and told my internist snd cardiologist that I had done so. Neither said I should start taking them again.

BTW, the one pill that hasn’t caused a problem is Eliquis and I still take it.

I also keep nitroglycerine in my medicine cabinet just in case I should need it. I’m close to 90, but am not ready to depart this world just yet.

@oliverbowie, I echo others and am curious about your motivation for asking this question. It's an interesting question. Why did you start it?

When managing multiple conditions, it can be helpful to review all medications with your pharmacist. This is sometimes called a medication reconcilliation. They can review if all meds remain necessary or if there may have been meds introduced that cause interactions.

Cynthia, What led to your wishing to consider stopping all medications except pain medications? Are you discontinuing medication under the guidance of a doctor? Have you considered a medication review with your pharmacist?

@oliverbowie
I don't think she understood the ramifications until it was too late, but she was nearly comatose for her son's wedding and went into the hospital the next day... never going home again. Seeing her health disintegrate slowly and then the funeral almost killed our mom. Her children lived in that stress for months and then had to plan her funeral. For me, we lost our baby daughter a month after my sister went in the hospital and so I was not in a good mental state to begin with for most of that time.

@fabia01

Thank you for that very honest expression of your personal experience. I am genuinely happy that it worked out positively for you.

IMO it's important to remember that everyone is different and as such, what works for one does not necessarily work for another.

FYI - In my email feed this morning, I received a message that included information about a new book - Country of Lords, by historian Kim Phillips-Fein.

She "traces the largely forgotten intellectual tradition that has defended hierarchy, from the Founding Fathers and Gilded Age industrialists to today’s tech elite. She reveals how inequality has repeatedly been reframed as natural, necessary, and even good for society, and why those arguments are resurfacing at a moment of extraordinary wealth concentration." Sounds interesting.

@kjoed53

That is a really hard story to hear. I can only imagine how much harder it is to live it.

Thank you for sharing.

I sincerely hope that all involved have found the personal and profressional support that is needed to respond in the most healthy way to this event.