Medicine and Milk

Sometimes finding out if allergens are in products goes far beyond just reading a label that clearly states “milk.” This has been the problem for me in recent years when trying to find medications.

           

            I have always been weary of everything I eat or consume. I re-read labels four or five times even if I have had them a thousand times before. This is a way that I feel safe and in control of my own health. So when I had to find a new medication and had to rely of the pharmacist to tell me if I was allergic or not to a medication I felt very uncomfortable.

           

            The pharmacy we go to has been a bit of a roller coaster. Most of the pharmacists working there are not very helpful and would blow me off. One however very clearly understood my restrictions and what they meant. She was extremely helpful and made me feel very safe. It was just a matter of luck to see if I would get her when I came in. But, enough of that, it’s story time!

            We have switched doctors many times in the past couple years. Each time I go into a new doctor they ask about my asthma and try and put me on something to control it better. Each time without fail they try and put me on Advair. And each time without fail I have to remind them (even though we were usually just talking about it) that I am allergic to milk and there is milk in Advair. Yes, there is a small amount of Lactose I believe in Advair. There is a small amount of milk in a lot of medications. For some reason a lot of medications have a small amount of Lactose in them to help with the flavor… I don’t taste my medications, I swallow them…

           

            At my current doctor a while ago I went in to see about a prescription for Ritalin or Adderall since I had just started a new college and was having a very hard time focusing on my schoolwork. In previous years I could skate by having the attention span of a bug and still get pretty good grades but now that I was in a tough major and working as well, I really needed some extra help. (p.s. I was diagnosed by my doctor with ADD) I was followed up a couple days later that both medications had milk in them.

            ***Guys skip this part, unless you’re a dad then toughen up, you should know this***

                        I have had really bad cramps associated with my period since I can remember. It was awful. I would have to skip class, call in sick to work, and my life would generally stop for the better part of a week once a month. I tried all the natural remedies and pain medications but nothing seemed to help. I went in to see a lady doctor (I hate the word gynecologist it sounds creepy) and spoke with her about my issue. She diagnosed me with something with a really long name basically meaning that my body freaks out more and it’s not in my head how painful it really is. Mind you I have a really high pain tolerance and I am very stubborn so this was really bad ya’ll. Anyway, in this meeting it was awful. She did not want to hear what I had to say and totally blew off my concerns. She kept drilling me about being sexually active and thought I was lying that I was not. I felt like I had to defend myself to her, which is no way to feel around a doctor. Finally she prescribed me a pill and when I brought up my concerns about milk in the pill she said that I would need to check with the pharmacist. I went to have the prescription filled and later called asking if there was any milk in it. I got the not-so-good pharmacist. She told me “yes, there is milk in it.” However later when my family drove by and picked it up not having spoken to me yet, she still sold them the pills without telling them they had milk in them…

            It went on like this for a couple months. I would ask the doctor to try and find me a medication that would not kill me and she would tell me I need to call the companies and find out myself. The companies would assure me this kind did not have milk in it and the pharmacists would tell me it did. I eventually gave up. Until recently.

            A couple months ago my cramps were so bad I crawled over to a computer and called about 20 different doctors trying to find one that could see me ASAP. I eventually found one in Portland. She was great! I told her all my concerns and she listened. She automatically suggested the NuvaRing, which is not a pill. I was so happy and have been ever since.

            *** Okay guys come on back***

            So here are my suggestions for medications. First off is it not kind of ironic that these medications are meant to make our lives easier? Anyway.

·      Find a great doctor. You need to find someone who really listens to you and takes what you say seriously.

·      Find a doctor who does the work for you. You should not have to find your own medication that will work for you. That is your doctor’s job.

·      With that said, research all medications you are going to take on your own. Even if your doctor checked it, which they should have, you should still do it if not to just make you feel better.

·      When you are first taking the medication take it in a safe place. Whenever I try a new medication I always come home to my parents house to try it. I take the first one during the day on the weekend. (Not at night on a weekend because that is when the ER is full of drunken people. Seriously my mom worked in hospitals all her life and always told me if I could wait to go in the morning to avoid the rush of the drunks.) Take the first one around people who know your situation and know what to do, like your parents. This will mostly ease your mind and help you relax.

·      Try and find pill alternatives. With my option of birth control I choose something that was not pill form to avoid the milk problem altogether, try and go that route anyway.

·      Try natural remedies first. There seems to be a pill for everything but sometimes they can do more harm than good. If you can cure the problem without medicine you save trouble and money.

·      Be proactive in your health. If your doctor is not doing it for you, switch. Even if your family all goes there, explain it to them that you don’t feel comfortable.