Posted by stargazer on November 19, 2006, at 21:33:22
In reply to Combination of Antidepressant drugs, posted by terrysquier on November 12, 2006, at 14:54:59
I get frightened of combining more than 2 or 3 medications. So many people here are on many more. Is one doc prescribing all of the medications you take? One doc should be aware of all the meds you taken, psych and others.
The risk of combining many different drugs can lead to severe kidney or liver damage, and possibly failure. There is NO way to test for the various combinations of meds, so unless you want to risk organ failure and the possibility of a transplant, you have to know that this can be a risk of polypharmacology. I see this area of medicine sorely lacking in attention.
I'm not trying to be a doomsayer, but just know that the body has a limited capacity to process all medications taken on a daily basis. It is now known that severe damage to the liver can result from the combination of alcohol and small amounts of acetaminophen (Tylenol). Think of the combination of meds we take to alleviate our acute despair. Our concern is with known side effects, due to the immediate impact of these, but the potential for long term damage has to be evaluated as well.
If I were on more than 2 or 3 meds I would ask my doc about long term risks to my liver and kidneys. The only problem is that you may not know what the meds are doing until the damage is done. So, I guess you could have blood tests for liver and kidney function every 6 mos or so and have your primary MD monitor these based on your medication history. That is what I think I will do if my meds get more complicated.
Thanks for listening. By verbalizing this concern, I just figured out how I may handle this situation for myself. Does anyone else feel this is a serious concern or am I worrying needlessly? I do have a preventative nature so I'd rather think about it now than later when the decision has already been made for me...SG
poster:stargazer
thread:705155
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061117/msgs/705381.html