I'm just nervous about switching to something else. Naturally, I'd rather not be on any medications at all, but I at least know the Xarelto hasn't given me any weird side effects and shit over the past couple years I've been on it. Worried I'll switch to something that has some other formula and then start having issues. I don't really want to go on an RX carousel ride.
I feel for folks having to start or switch an Rx; As a Type 1 diabetic I take a ton of meds now in my mid 50s. I remember when I started my 40s I was taking two things, now 15 years later its like 12?
[Edit: I started this post to talk about how all of the complications listed at during every new drug advert would give anyone pause, then succumbed to navel gazing/pocket narcissim about my own huge list and health issues.
I vacillated for a long time about taking Topiramate/Trokendi XR for migraines, the whole while they were helping to ruin/damage my career at the best job I ever had. Later in this post I mention my own glaucoma specialist mentioned to me the complication that it can cause; I delayed taking it for a long time while suffering immensely because of the fear of glaucoma, which years later I developed a different kind, naturally progressing probably as a complication from diabetes without any help from the meds. The potential side effects can be scary but so can the effects of not taking something, which you may end up with (in some form) or without any involvement from the Rx in question.]
3 for migraines,
an injectable for Migraines,
a kidney protectorant,
thyroid med,
3 BP meds,
2 for RA,
1 oral Rx for diabetes,
3 vitamin supplements,
2 types of insulin every day
Rx eye drops for eye pressures.
So 17? Only Rx complication I have had is I had an NAION
Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy) (basically an eye stroke) event two years ago when I was taking Ozempic as part of its effect on lowering A1C and losing weight. I basically lost about 25-35% of the vision in my left eye; its not super obvious most of the time; it mostly affects the vision closest to my nose on my lower left side of my vision and my right eye fills in the gap. There isn't an obvious hole, just a lot of stuff that isn't there when I look with just my left eye open. The remaining vision is 20/20 in either eye.
No mention of NAION risk on any of the GLP-1 meds but reportedly there is a spike in occurrences with the use of these drugs. It takes a while for any kind of results to work its way through FDA studies, and to reach a level of a finding. Lots of people are probably prone to NAION events so difficult to tease out causality. Correlation might not be causation but I won't take another GLP-1. I was close to stopping prior, I was having trouble trying to tritrate up to the full dose anyway, made me super nauseous. Lots of people get great results from them, though. My SIL was heavy her whole life and now looks like a super model, or at least is thin, with no eye strokes, so there's that.
Eye Dr just told me that out of 10K patients, one of them was brought to him by the Trokendi XR I take for Migraines, which caused rapid onset closed angle bilateral glaucoma. Patient and his vision were fine, they stopped the drug and had quick cataract sugery, which resolved this guy's issue. Of course, this guy is one of the premier glaucoma specialists in a city with a renowned medical center so not necessarily a representative sample, and but thanks for the warning doc.
Note:
Open-Angle Glaucoma
Cause: The drainage system in the eye becomes gradually blocked, causing a gradual increase in eye pressure.
Closed-Angle Glaucoma
Cause: The drainage angle in the eye becomes completely blocked, causing a sudden and significant increase in eye pressure.
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