Medication

Thanks. I'm happy that the blood work turned out, especially since I wasn't even taking my metformin at the right dose. Hadn't noticed the pharmacy split the 1000mg into two 500mg tablets. I was doing 1000mg daily instead of 2000mg. No gym nearby as they are priced out of my range. Will let you know about the pool. Poor guy is trying to figure out how to get it done with his budget. The weight belt is something to think of. My biggest thing is being able to swim, I used to love it and then moved here and there isn't any place to go. Will try hard to get the bike to since I won't be able to swim in the winter months. I think the thing that has helped the most is lowering my carb intake, especially potatoes.

Seems that eveything is ok so far according to my ultrasound results. I have any appointment with my regular doc next month so I'll have more blood work done then to check the liver enzymes/white cell count. Also need to find out if Estroven is safe to take with my my meds so I can maybe get the stupid hot flashes under control, seems I have entered that phase and I'm not thrilled especially since I've always been hot natured anyway. Mom started going through menopause at 37 so guess this was to be expected.

Glad to hear things seem ok according to the ultrasound,Weesa.You know, I was never really bothered by most menopausal symptoms..perimenopause had me a little touchier than usual,or at least my family thought so when I stopped being such a people pleaser and began telling them what I expected of them in exchange for being their maid,etc.

For the few times I had "hotter" flashes (with the thyroid not working correctly a normal body temperature seems feverish) I tried an OTC pill called Remifemin..I think it has either black or blue cohosh so popular in Native American remedies for women. No side effects and no drug interaction with anything I was taking then.

I've recommended it to a lot of women.You could take a look at the ingredients and see.

Thanks Maxie will ask about it too, see which one she thinks would be better. I know the Estroven helped Mom (and everyone else ) when she got to be unbearable a few years ago.

Weesa, I'm so glad you sonography was good. It must be relief for you. Is the pain in your abdomen away? Sorry for the problems with hot flashes, hope you can solve the problem soon. Here we have got a lot of natural products with flower extracts to help with menopausal problems. But I'm sure even when they are "natural" they need to be discussed with dr. before using while you use another pills. Big hug just for you dear friend.

Lady the pain is gone and hopefully doesn't come back. Apparently it's a normal side effect of some sort of benign ovarian cyst that can bleed when ovulation occurs. Thanks for the hug. Hope you are feeling better today.

Hi Weesa - I use Black Cohosh on it's own, and add St. John's Wort for mild depression issues - could be natural dip from the removal of my ovaries, or could be just the boost I need. Be careful about adjusting & finding the one that will work best for you. Because side effects can be so wonky with everyone's system being a little different, I suggest you try just one addition at a time, per week, so you can see what crops up. If you try more than one new med at a time, you won't know which is causing what side effect, or if combining them makes something else!

I do know I had an issue with the Costco brand (Kirkland) of St. John's Wort, it was a hard pill, and I became paranoid. So I use the basic, shredded & dried plant in capsule form from Walmart. Good, works, inexpensive. Try a couple if you can, but save reciepts & if you have a bad reaction, most places will give you a refund.

Don't need the St. John's Wort thankfully. Didn't think about refund if there was a reaction, thanks for the tip.

Anyone know someone taking Stelara? Since I was unable to continue with the Humira this is the next medication attempt. I've one dose will receive the next injection at the end of the month and if all goes well (meaning I can tolerate it) I'll get an injection every 3 months after that. So far the only side effect is tiredness, which the pharmacist says should be helped by drinking more water. And here I thought I was getting enough. I'm hoping that it helps not only with the psoriasis but the pa too.

Sorry,Weesa,I haven't heard of anyone trying it. Larry takes his Methatrexate only occasionally now. As he ages his psoriasis gets milder and he has very little pa pain.

There's hope!

Thanks keeping my fingers crossed this new med helps. Really don't want to add methotrexate to the mix but may have to for a little while.

Hope so too. Larry didn't have any problems with Methotrexate except it raised our health insurance up to $1600 a month premiums. So,no health insurance until this past July for him.

Some of the side effects of those psoriasis drugs are pretty scary.

Sorry to hear about the rx problems, both in side effects & the $$!

Weesa, sometimes the addition of something simple like the St. John's, just helps the hormones all settle down & keep you on a more even keel. I know I can tell if I miss one dose of one or the other. But then I am more hyper sensative.

Trouble with adding herbals is there are a lot of lab made drugs that can not be used with them. You'd think anything natural would be ok mixed with anything,but medicinal herbals do have issues with other herbals and synthetics.

I could not take SamE or St John's Wort when I was trying different therapies for Fibro...

I totally understand and agree - one person's poison is another's salvation. It's trying to find that perfect mix that is so frustrating.

I wish holistic minded physicians,naturopaths and traditional doctors could work together and give us more rounded approaches to treating ills.One size doesn't fit all but think what combined efforts could achieve!

Well it did take a natreop (sp) to take my friend's blood test for estrogen levels. She was at a 2, where most women are around 250! So her former doc had been just throwing Prempro at her, along with a second estrogen, or was it Projestrone? Anyway, nothing was touching her hot flashes she was experiencing every 20 minutes. As a manager, she would be mercelessly teased by her coworkers for her flashes - not good. She tried this new doc the week before we left, and she was a different person - a few flashes in the wee hours of the morning, no crying jags, not hyper sensetive to conversations.

I also have no idea where the alcohol was effecting the hormones she was taking - if it was at all. Don't know enough about that kind of cross effect. I just know she started drinking with lunch and kept up to bed time - and kept telling me not to judge her ( I wasn't). I was just told I was judging her and that I was being a serious Mother. Well, I am a Jewish Mother to my friends. I try to be an open mind, a strong shoulder, an open ear, with my mind working on suggestions for assistance or 'have you tried this?' I guess that was judging to her. I don't get it. I know she had started drinking last time I stayed with her. After seeing my mom go downhill from it, I was hoping it would be an influence on her too. Nope.

We described things to her in the car on the way home, stuff she didn't remember at all. She said she is done drinking. I hope so, but will believe it when I see it. Nothing wrong with an occasional drink - but 4 bottles of cabernet, 4 wine coolers in under 2 hours (it was not hot out, at all), and her divesting her stomach of at least half a bottle of wine worth after the Chippie show, yeah. I was really worried. That was the part where we were babysitting her - she kept trying to order more wine, and the Chippie bartender had no idea how much she had previously, we tried to cut her off during the show, but went to the bar after, while we watched the guys taking pictures with ladies on stage. I figure he must have served her at least half a bottle in there before we came in. He finally cut her off. Dumbass. We ended up having to call security & have them wheel her to the curb in a wheelchair. She had tried to walk,m but was leaning backwards. That is when I knew we needed help. At least the security guard gave us a biohazard bag for the cab trip.

Sorry, I really needed to get that out. I am so worried about her. She kept trying to get us to drink, didn't even register that Morgan actually was. I just don't like it enough, and felt I had to take care of her.

Security at the hotel helped us with a ride to our building in a buggy, and a walk to our room - nice guys. I helped her when she lost it - yay for biohazard bags!

Next time, just Morgan & me. That was not really the vacation or celebration I had planned.

I hope she talls her new doc about the drinking, if she continues. I guess she is a weekend wine person. Hope she stops after this, but not likely.

Yeah that's not a good way to drink. I personally don't consume at all, with the meds I'm on it isn't a possibilty. Hope she is really done with it so you can worry less about her.

As for the St. Johns and stuff can't take it. Doesn't mix well with the current meds so only a multivitamin for me. Still kinda tired at times but the Stelara comes with an assigned pharmacist through my prescription program and she says drinking more water could help that. She suggests getting in at least a gallon per day.

Went to the doctor today, primary care, and gave her the list of all the nagging problems I've had since my last visit. My main concern was what I thought was merely a muscle issue but she seems to think it could be more so I have to have ct scans done on my head and neck next week. She also added the thyroid check to my usual labwork check (7 tubes ) and since my diabetes has gone crazy lately she's trying me on a new medicine called Jentadueto, it's so new the pharmacist has to send her a fax for a prior authorization and couldn't even pronounce it. Hopefully it works since I really do not want to do insulin. Will see my dermatologist to see what he can come up with for the psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis.

Saying "good luck" on your tests seems a little lame,Weesa,but I do wish you the best. I saw where there's a new diabetes medicine just approved in Europe,so you know people are working on new treatments all the time. I hope the right combination of meds helps you with your various problems.
Seeing to the thyroid is a good idea...not the master gland but it can interfere with other functions.

Keep us informed.We're pulling for you.

Luck & healing thoughts! May they be able to find a better 'mix' for your system, sweetie! Hugs too!

Oh Weesa, good luck with all your tests. I wish you could visit St. Mungo's, I'm sure they would be able to find you right cure and medication. But as we live in muggle world, I can only keep my fingers crossed for you. Take care dear friend.

Yes a visit to St. Mungo's would be preferable and would probably get rid of the pills and shots.
Seems there is a chance I may be eligible to join a study that is in phase 3 trials for a new psoriasis medication will know by Friday. If that isn't an option my dermy is going to keep me on the Stelara shot but add the methotrexate to see if that will help or if we need to change routes all together.
When I was first diagnosed with diabetes the med was actosmet and it took about a week to get my levels under control so I am hoping that the new med works as quickly. Will keep you informed of the progress.

Good luck for getting in the study! I've been part of a couple of trials, when we lived in Wenatchee, part of the clinic was doing trials & research. It was really cool. And yes, hoping for a great result!

Seems I am not eligible for this study but there is one coming up that I may get into. Went for the ct scans today hope to know something in a couple of days. The new diabetes meds are working so far, hopefully they continue so I don't have to change yet again. Got my mammo today also, I was blessed with a trainee, the poor girl was so nervous that she apologized every five seconds, it seemed. I'm sure she'll get the hang of it but had to politely tell her to stop apologizing for doing her job, isn't her fault that the machine is not comfortable.