Scared of heart medicine
 

Not me--Beautiful Daughter No. 1.

So, BD#1, who is 6 months pregnant, complained of heart palpitations, and was sent to the cardiologist, who diagnosed her with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome--some kind of extra electrical impulse thing in the heart--and prescribed her some meds.

But I just talked to her, and she hasn't started taking them, because the idea of taking heart medicine is scaring her. She's scared of having to take it the rest of her life (though the symptoms have only worsened with this pregancy).

We all have "innocent" heart murmers-by all, I mean, me, both my daughters, and all of the grandkids, so far as I know. Maybe we all have this wolfy syndrome--I dunno, this is new. It doesn't really sound all that dangerous, but it is a bit scary. And, if the symptoms are bad enough to consult a dr. about--why not take the medicine?

No particular point to this, just a bit scared for her.

I'm afraid of any medication with a life-time commitment but I guess if its crucial for living... Taking it with a babe on board would be scarey as well. Has she been tracking the frquency and intensity? Maybe a return to the Dr with Mom to focus her questions is in order.

The pregnancy + meds thing is what concerned me too, at first, but BD#1 says that she discussed that aspect with the doc at length.

On the whole, the syndrome doesn't sound too scary--except for one syndrome -- "sudden death."

:(

Why, oh why are people afraid of taking medication "for the rest of their life"?
It makes no sense to me. I have been on certain medications since I was 24; I will undoubtedly be on them till I die -- with the help of said meds, it may be much further off, I hope!

Can someone explain to me why taking a baby aspirin, or a statin, or allergy medication, or .... 'for the rest of your life' is so damn scary? Or more scary than cancer, a stroke, a heart attack or even hay fever? :confused:

I agree, but I also think that 1) taking the medicine is acknowledging you have a serious problem; and 2) no one really wants to be dependent on meds to function

Denial is a powerful thing. But you're not dependent on these types medication to function; they just make it more likely you'll ... I dunno, be around for your kids?

I would notice absolutely no difference today if I stopped taking my statins. I'd notice in 10-20 years, when I'd be more likely to wind up dead.

Good point, Pie.

Necessary meds are important but for example I was told I'd need acid blockers for the rest of my life, instead I gave up beer/wheat... problem solved.
Some people are susceptable to liver damage from long term relationships with meds. Take my dead mother for instance who was put on statins for the rest of her life which fortunately turned out to be only a couple years before the liver cancer killed her. Few things are scarier than cancer.

Well yes and no to pie's point. I think. As I understand it, some meds you do become dependant on, because they work so well, your organs lose the limited function they had before. That could be urban legend, though.

I don't see how you can become psychologically dependent upon drugs such as heart medicine, your body won't go through withdrawal will it? You just might die later. If that is the dependency, then it seems the right thing to do.

Well Beest takes thyroid medicine, and the reason he takes it is because his thyroid is/was working too hard to maintain the correct levels -so his levels were mostly OK, but the thyroid became enlarged and pressing on his windpipe. The meds maintain the right levels, so the thyroid stops working so hard. and I'm pretty sure I remember reading online somewhere that once the thyroid eases off as the meds take over, it often can't "start up" agaian if the meds are stopped. But i was at a very very scared point when i was reading up on all this, so i may only have read the bad stuff.

Sure. So I get a liver screening every year.

If lifestyle changes are sufficient to fix the problem, bully for you. Drinking less coffee helped my reflux, too.

Somehow, I don't think Cloud's daughter is in that boat.

For all the statisticians out there, it's an expected value problem: what is the integrated short-term and long-term risk and consequences of the medication versus the short-term and long-term risk and consequences of the disease or condition? If the latter is larger, take the drugs. :shrug:

it is still scary, though. Even for rational and logical people.

yeah. And I don't think she's meaning dependency in the clinical sense either, but am really not sure. I will talk to her again.

We're having a surprise birthday party for her tomorrow, so we'll see.

Just make sure you surpise her gently, okay?