Bad Hair Day.............by Susan
This article really isn't going to be about hair although I will mention hair a little bit later. My reason for writing today is to cuss and discuss the problems I've had recently.....well, all my life, with prescription medication. I'm sure there are plenty of others who also have allergies and really bad side effects to the medications they have tried to take.
A few weeks ago I ended up in the hospital thanks to side effects from medication! I had no idea that something intended for high blood pressure could also cause a person's pulse to drop well below 60 while still allowing the blood pressure to be way too high. Mine did exactly that and it felt awful! Needless to say, my blood pressure medication has been changed.
I've stopped taking all medications with the exception of my new blood pressure medication, my thyroid meds and a small amount of anti-anxiety medication at bedtime. Occasionally, I take a pain medication at bedtime if I've had a really difficult day, pain wise. I try to avoid them because they can trigger migraines. Welcome back migraines and fibromyalgia! I'm dealing with these things, as well as my depression/anxiety, in ways other than those which involve drugs. So far, it's working on some days.
Now, back to the bad hair thing. Inderal is the medication I was taking for my blood pressure. One of the side effects I read about prior to taking the medication was a possible loss of hair. In the month while I was taking Inderal, I lost a lot of hair! Having started out with really thick curly hair, this experience was similar to having had my hair thinned professionally in the past.
One morning as I was getting ready to leave the house, doing all my make-up and trying to make my hair look good, I thought I was having a really bad hair day and was going to have to resort to a pony tail. When I picked up my hand mirror and looked at the back view of my hair, it was suddenly clear to me..........I wasn't having a bad hair day! I was having a no hair day! Clear as day on the back of my head where hair once was extremely thick, I could see my scalp. What a depressing development!
A few weeks ago I ended up in the hospital thanks to side effects from medication! I had no idea that something intended for high blood pressure could also cause a person's pulse to drop well below 60 while still allowing the blood pressure to be way too high. Mine did exactly that and it felt awful! Needless to say, my blood pressure medication has been changed.
I've stopped taking all medications with the exception of my new blood pressure medication, my thyroid meds and a small amount of anti-anxiety medication at bedtime. Occasionally, I take a pain medication at bedtime if I've had a really difficult day, pain wise. I try to avoid them because they can trigger migraines. Welcome back migraines and fibromyalgia! I'm dealing with these things, as well as my depression/anxiety, in ways other than those which involve drugs. So far, it's working on some days.
Now, back to the bad hair thing. Inderal is the medication I was taking for my blood pressure. One of the side effects I read about prior to taking the medication was a possible loss of hair. In the month while I was taking Inderal, I lost a lot of hair! Having started out with really thick curly hair, this experience was similar to having had my hair thinned professionally in the past.
One morning as I was getting ready to leave the house, doing all my make-up and trying to make my hair look good, I thought I was having a really bad hair day and was going to have to resort to a pony tail. When I picked up my hand mirror and looked at the back view of my hair, it was suddenly clear to me..........I wasn't having a bad hair day! I was having a no hair day! Clear as day on the back of my head where hair once was extremely thick, I could see my scalp. What a depressing development!
Posted by ozzieblackcat at 10/27/2007 10:06 AM 
Categories: prescription medication, depression, self esteem, Mental Health, Loss, Health
Categories: prescription medication, depression, self esteem, Mental Health, Loss, Health
Hey,
I'm really sorry to hear that you had such a bad time with your medications. I was taking hormones and ended up in the hospital because I was allergic to the medication. You know, there is a large community of people who are depressed, or are bipolar, or experience anxiety, These people take the medications prescribed, and you'd be surprised how many have negative effects.
I found it alot easier to join a community where you can get support and be able to share experiences with other people.
I just joined Dailystrength.org, and I think that your story and articles would be really beneficial to people. If you want, you can check it out at:
http://dailystrength.org/support/Mental_Health_Addiction/Depression/
Well, good luck! I hope you feel better.
Warmest Regards:
Chanty
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Thanks for your comment Chantal. I will check out the site you suggested. I have a link on this site to a large mental health community called Psychcentral. You can find the link under "favorite Blogs & Websites on my sidebar. Thanks again. Susan
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I'm sorry to hear of your prescription med woes! I have a relative who was on all sort of meds for colitis and depression. He managed to wean himself off completely after researching and making dietary changes. I don't know if this would work for all, but maybe? He read a book called, "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" by a Dr. Balch.
Best wishes to you!
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Hi Keli and thanks for your comment. The book you suggest by Dr. Balch sounds like a good one. I know there are a lot of alternatives to taking medication and I'm pursuing some of them. I'm glad to hear about your relative who weaned himself off his medicines and made dietary changes. I've been doing some of that too. http://ozzie-avon.blogspot.com
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I suppose we all have such experiences and this should enable us to learn from mistakes. I am very careful with all the drugs I take so I keep the focus on reliable drug sources and I always listen to my medic advice.
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Thanks so much for your comment. You're right and hopefully we all learn from our mistakes.
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I have seen myself in some postures I never thought I can get into. I went from calm to raging mad just because I couldn't find my keys. My doctor says it's because of my depressive nature. I keep it all inside and burst whenever I get a reason.
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Thanks for your comment. I guess we all need to express ourselves on a regular basis to avoid those rages. Best of luck to you. Susan
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Good article.
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Hi there and thanks for your comment. Hope you'll return and read more articles. Susan
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I found a great prescription discount card at www.rxdrugcard.com. Let me give you an example of the savings. I’ve seen ads on TV for Caduet. It has two ingredients. One is Amlodipine and the other is Atorvastatin. With my RxDrugCard I can get 30 tablets of Amlodipine for $9 and 30 tablets of Simvastatin for $9. I’ll bet they are charging more than $18 for this new drug! I think that RxDrugCard.com is the best drug card available for prescription discounts. The monthly family membership fee is only $4.95! You can’t beat that!
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I found it alot easier to join a community where you can get support and be able to share experiences with other people.
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I have not checked in here for some time since I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are good quality so I guess I'll add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend
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