If you need steady state medications (dosages that last 24 hours around the clock), to effectively control your condition and you take it half the time or miss doses, guess what? You have caused your own treatment failure. Everything has been going well and then …Bam! You feel like crap and you don’t know why.
What has happened? Is your medication helping you, hurting you or just plain not working for you anymore?
How many of you have wondered if your medication is hurting you or if it is really helping you? Quite a few, I am sure. You are right to consider those possibilities, because it happens more than you think.
Can your body become used to the medication?
Your body becomes tolerant to the medication and you no longer get the same benefits or results. You may have added another medication that is interfering with the medication. You can be sure that something has changed. But what? That takes some digging.
It happens quite a lot in folks that are taking medications for depression, anxiety, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, asthma or COPD. What is happening? Why is it happening?
Do your regimen correctly
Well, one thing that happens is that folks with chronic health conditions get sloppy when using their regular medications. They do not take it as they are supposed to. Sometimes, it is defiance and sometimes they forget. Did you know that there is a proper way to use mouth and nasal inhalers to get the benefits of the medication? You cannot just squirt all willy-nilly.
Is it the right medication for your needs?
Another thing that happens is the medication is not the right medication for you. You either metabolize it too quickly, too slowly or not at all. This happens a lot with antidepressants, pain medications and antiseizure medications. If you have had a treatment failure with any of these types of medications, I would suggest getting a genetics test. Full discloser – I do offer those tests for $595.00. All I need is an order from your physician, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner stating a treatment failure or multiple tries with their NPI number and I can order you a test. Contact me if you want more information. 865-684-8771 or pat@EmpoweringHealthOptions.com.
Your body may have become tolerant to the medication and you need a change.
What you eat and drink may alter the absorption
A new medication has been introduced that is causing the current medication to have problems. It may even be a food that is causing metabolism problems. A new health condition may be the culprit. Even your own lifestyle decisions may be impacting the medication. Lifestyle factors include your diet, alcohol intake, recreational drug use, physical activity or the lack of physical activity.
Even medication overload can be the culprit. Medication overload includes too many medications and too much of a dose.
Your chronic health condition has progressed and gotten worse.
Is it the appropriate medication for your needs?
Another thing to consider is – Are you on the appropriate medication to begin with? Do you have an appropriate diagnosis? Remember, it is the practice of medicine and there are not absolutes. We do see mistakes in diagnosing. It is not always the doctor’s fault. Some things act and look like other conditions and diseases. So, it is very important to rule out what can be ruled out as a cause.
