Heart Disease Community

Hi:

re: MS Question

Please note that this Health Exchange focuses on heart disease.

Regarding medications, it is said that medicine is a science of uncertainty and an act of probability, and for many, prescription drug-therapy is a hit or miss, trial and error affair.

Side effects/adverse reactions can not be predicted or pre-determined. If/when side effects occur, this may/can diminish or disappear as the body adjusts itself to the drug, though sometimes, one will simply not be able to tolerate a certain drug (or drugs) at all, at any dose.

Factors and conditions such as age height, weight, gender, genetics and metabolism may/can come into play in determining who experiences side effects and who does not.

Pharmacogenomics, the study of the interplay between genes and drugs, helps to explain why prescription drugs have different effects in different individuals. Genetic variation in one or more genes may be the basis for a therapeutic failure or for an adverse drug reaction.

Without lowering the dosage (unless applicable), sometimes, taking a particular prescription drug at a different time of the day or taking it with food may/can improve the side effect-related situation.

Sometimes, changing to another same-class drug or taking a lower dose of the drug along with another class of drug (for a combo-action) may/can impove the side effect-related situation.

ALWAYS be proactive in your health care and treatment. Most important, communicate/interact well with your doctors).

Best of luck down the road of life.

Take care,

CardioStar*

WebMD member (since 8/99)

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Know your prescripton drugs and know them well


WebMD

Drugs A-Z

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/index-drugs.aspx

Ask A Patient

Rate a drug, side effects, comments, etc.

http://www.askapatient.com/rateyourmedicine.htm

iGuard

http://www.iguard.org

Drugs.com

Drug Interaction Checker

(Read the Disclaimer)

Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs may/can interact with other drugs, foods, beverages and dietary supplements.

http://www.drugstore.com/pharmacy/drugchecker

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Good to know, for the primary and secondary prevention of heart attack and brain attack/stroke

Epidemiologic studies (EDS) have revealed risk factors for cardiovascular disease (typically affecting the carotid, coronary and peripheral arteries), which includes age, gender, genetics (gene deletion, malfunction, or mutation), diabetes (considered as being the highest risk factor), smoking (includes secondhand), inactivity, obesity (a global epidemc, "globesity") high blood pressure (hypertension), high LDL, high Lp(a), high ApoB, high Lp-PLA2, high triglycerides, LOW HDL (less than 40 mg/dL, an HDL level of 60/65 mg/dL or more is considered protective against coronary artery disease), high homocysteine, and high C-reactive protein (CRP/hs-CRP).

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Quote!

"Be a questioning patient. Talk to your doctor and ask questions. Studies show that patients who ask the most questions, and are most assertive, get the best results. Be vigilant and speak up!"

- Charles Inlander, People's Medical Society

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It's your future...be there.

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WebMD/WebMD Health Exchanges does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

WebMD does not endorse any specific product, service, or treatment.

Dear Cactibabe1,

I know CardioStar gave you a lot of great support and information already. If you'd like to repost this question on the MS Community , I've included a link for you.

Yours in health,

Byroney

Thanks for reply. Stress was the big factor. We have too much to cope with at times and keep it all inside. I learned to laugh when I can and let go of what I can not change. It helps.