Is your doctor checking to see how all the prescription drugs you take interact with each other?
If the answer is no, there is a wonderful website you can use to find out for yourself for FREE.
As a medical intuitive healer, I find it quite common that:
- My new clients have little to no idea of the side effects of their individual medications.
- Absolutely no clue how all the drugs they are taking interact with each other.
One of the first assignments I usually give all my new clients to look up the side effects of their drugs. You can do that easily at RxList, The Internet Drug Index.
I like to give this assignment because many of the symptoms that my new clients are suffering from come from their medications.
I find this homework highly motivating so that my new clients more readily embrace the idea of improving their nutrition, getting more exercise and embracing the lifestyle changes and natural healing remedies that will heal them far less painfully.
If you really really want to motivate yourself to throw yourself into natural healing, not only look up the side effects of individual medications, take the time to check how ALL the drugs you are taking interact with each other.
The best reference for drug interactions is Epocrates Online.
Frankly, I like to be positive with all my clients and shy away from the idea of scaring anyone.
However, we all want to be informed consumers.
Just last week, I saw one new client who takes not just one, not just five but 17 different prescription drugs every day of her life.
It is not uncommon for me to see clients like this.
Although they see this doctor for this and that doctor for that, no single medical professional is overseeing the chemical soup they are ingesting on a daily basis.
This is where you, the empowered person, need to take matters into your own hands.
Let me give you an example from just yesterday.
A relatively new client came in to see me yesterday complaining of feeling “sick.”
“Describe sick,” I asked her.
“Low grade fever, nausea,” she replied.
When I asked her body what was making her feel ill, it was a combination of food sensitivities and prescription drug interactions.
She went home and researched on Epocrates.
I like my clients to do this for themselves because the information is a lot more powerful when you discover it for yourself rather than a health nut like me blathering on. It’s frankly more effective when you scare yourself than when someone else tries to jolt you into a higher sense of self responsibility.
She is taking Klonopin, Lamictal, Requip and Seroquel:
- Klonopin is is a benzodiazepine drug having anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant, amnestic, sedative, and hypnotic properties.
- Lamictal is an anticonvulsant drug used in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder.
- Requip is a dopamine agonist of the non-ergoline class of medications. It is used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and restless legs syndrome (RLS).
- Seroquel is an atypical antipsychotic approved for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and along with an antidepressant to treat major depressive disorder.
When she asked Epocrates about how just these four medications interact, here is what she read:
“Klonopin and Requip: caution advised: combo may incr. risk of CNS depression, psychomotor impairment (additive effects).
“Klonopin and Seroquel: caution advised: combo may incr. risk of CNS depression, psychomotor impairment (additive effects).
“Requip and Seroquel: caution advised: combo may decr. dopamine agonist efficacy; may incr. risk of CNS depression, psychomotor impairment, hypotension (antagonistic effects; additive effects).”
You can imagine how my client feels every day.
So what do YOU do about all this?
Look up how ALL your medications interact with each other, then have a friendly discussion with your medical doctor.
Doctors are our friends.
Ask them to guide you.
As a medical intuitive healer, it is not my place to comment on prescription drugs. I joke that I am not a doctor and don’t play one on TV. But I do encourage everybody to ask the right questions so that you can get to the bottom of what will actually make you healthier and happier.
What is healing? Healing happens when we become informed consumers and take the time to understand how all the drugs we take are actually affecting us.
Epocrates is a very helpful site. They also have an app for your phone. I have used both for years. I’m very happy that Catherine is helping to get the word out about this important site!
Thank you so much for reading Elizabeth! Great idea for people to add the app to their smart phone. That way when a doctor recommends a medication they can look it up immediately and decide for themselves whether or not to add that drug to their mind-body system. Be a smarter consumer and be healthier!