hi michelle,
the only numbers you gave were your BP, so i don't know how high everything else is. but i googled the drugs i didn't know. and since i've been dx'ed with osteopenia, elevated BP, prediabetes / glucose intolerance, and terrible lipids, i did a lot of reading over the last few months. i know you didn't ask for my 2 cents but here it is anyway:
1. Avapro - this is for your BP. My BP was consistently around 155/95 every time i went to the doctors but he really didn't want to start me on a BP drug as the side effects can be worse than the cure sometimes. i really wanted to lower it on my own too. i started walking or biking (when my SI is bad, i can sit in one of those seated bikes and it doesn't hurt anymore than sitting anywhere else) initially only 20-30 minutes a day. after a month, my BP came down to around 135/85, then after another month its closer to 120/85 before exercise or 110/70 after. i also lost 10 lbs over about 6 months. exercise and weight loss are supposed to help BP and for me, i think they did.
2. Neurontrin for nerve pain
3. Ultram for chronic pain
4. Flexaril: muscle relaxant. i was just telling molly that if flexeril makes you feel like zombie marshmallow man like it does for a lot of people (me included) there are other muscle relaxants that are newer and have less side effects. i like my zanaflex very much. but everyone has a different response to drugs, so......
5. Fossomax for osteoporosis / osteopenia. don't know how bad your bones are, but i remember that spine fracture you endured a few months back so you may really need this. i only have osteopenia and i've been able to maintain that with calcium / vitamin D. just bought a supplement that supposed to have a better calcium / vit D / magnesium ratio. if i can't hold steady and it gets worse, i may have to take a drug. but since all the osteoporosis drugs sound like they could mess with my already sensitive stomach, i'm trying to hold off as long as i can. but if you really need it and if you don't have my finicky stomach then.......
i know some people here swear by strontium........
6. Famatodine is for the stomach acid. if you didn't complain about your stomach, then its probably because of all the drugs and how some of them can hurt the stomach. I use prilosec. the proton pump inhibitors are stronger than the histamine blockers.
7. Lipitor is for your lipids. these statins really work. i was on generic zocor for only one month (went off because it was causing terrible fluid retention / edema which was aggrevating the hamstring tendons at the knees and my poor feet) but in that month: total 250 -> 124; LDL 133 -> 67; triglycerides an insane 375 -> 92. i almost feel the side effects were worth it. but my HDLs dropped 42 -> 39 which statins can do. so now i'm off the statins, on the exercise about an hour a day, just the walking or biking, and hate to say this after all our food discussions, but on a pretty strict diet
nuts, fish, chicken, lots of veggies, moderate fruit, low fat cheese. very little carb. no cakes, cookies, ice cream, etc. doing this for my blood sugar as well.
if triglycerides are like mine were, usually its poor insulin response (insulin resistance) to blame. i'm hoping exercise and diet will cut it for me. i'll know in a month when it will be 2 months off the statin (flying solo) and i'll have my blood work done again. i've got a great book on cholesterol. i've been reading tons on diabetes / prediabetes.......
and if you already knew most of this stuff already, sorry for posting all of this. its just that i was sort of at this point in mid july and freaked a little, thought i'll never be able to turn it around, and maybe, just maybe i am turning it around.....time will tell if i can do it with exercise and diet alone.
good luck, that's a lot to be hit with,
but at least someone is being proactive with you.
my docs are much more conservative and i have to push them a bit,
but that has its advantages too.
sue
