Long Term Drugs and Medication

Tweet

I have noticed that many people are on long term drugs and medications for a wide range of ailments - especially High blood pressure, High cholesterol. I also know that doctors are very quick at prescribing such drugs/medications to their patients over the slightest indications of such ailments. My wife is now on long term medication for High BP. It all started when she consulted a GP for fever. The doctor checked her blood pressure, and immediately told her that she needed to do something about her BP because it was "high". On hearing that my wife was worried and since then she was "hooked" on the HBP medication for more than 20 years now. I advised her to seek other doctors' opinion as I felt that the doctors was too quick at putting her on a long term medication which is known to have other side effects, without even sending her for further tests. We "dismissed" that doctor and went to a Government clinic instead. She went through a series of tests - blood, ECG, etc. The results showed that her BP were on the "high side" and cholesterol very slightly above acceptable range. Her heart, blood sugar, etc were perfectly OK! The first doctor who attended to her advised her to be on medication for both BP and cholesterol. She accepted a low dosage medication for BP though we know that her's was more a case of "white coat syndrome". Her BP tested at home was always within the good range, but it zoomed very high up whenever it was taken by a doctor. We declined the medication for cholesterol and because of that she was given an appointment to meet a medical counsellor who tried very hard to "advise" her to accept the medication. We stood our ground and told her that we would monitor and manage it on our own. What I am quite puzzled about is that when my wife saw another doctor at the same clinic on her follow-up appointment that doctor told her that her cholesterol level was alright and that she need not be on medication to lower it any further. That was contrary to what previous doctor's advice - he told my wife it would be good to lower her cholesterol to a "much safer level". We certainly feel more at ease with the advice of the second doctor, but I am still pondering over - "Why are some doctors trying so hard to their patients to be "hooked" on long term medications/drugs?". Recently, a very close relative of mine who was on long term (more than 20 years) medication for cholesterol and BP was advise to refrain from taking wine or beer because his liver is not functioning properly. I am utterly perplexed!!!!