Use Meds AND Get Dead

"Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel. True, and they have many other fine qualities as well." -- Missy Dizick
(the quotes have NOTHING to do with my posts--I just like them! :))


As I 'revealed' several posts back, I have psoriasis. Anyone who watches TV has seen the commercials for a 'new and better way' to treat the disease. Well, the new way is a drug that is injected under the skin and it works on a person's immune system--as psoriasis is an auto-immune disease. This has had an amount of success and I was very happy when they first came out with it: maybe a way to go into complete remission! WRONG! As of now, I will not be going that route--going to the tanning salon has helped me a lot, so I will continue with that. I received, in the mail, a packet containing info on one of the biologic treatments out there and I thought I would give you an idea as to why I won't be using the new treatments any time soon. (As if you asked or REALLY want to know! :))

Now, I'm not saying that using this stuff is wrong for EVERYONE--we all have to make our own choices. What I am saying is this: a person has to do a lot of research and soul-searching before agreeing to use this stuff. The side-effects are rather frightening. (I won't mention the name of the particular drug I have paperwork on--suffice it to say, all of the similar drugs have the same side-effects.) Here we go (and this is just what the company ADMITS to): serious infections--including tuberculosis and sepsis, nervous system disorders, blood problems--including symptoms that resemble lupus, heart problems, allergic reactions, malignancies, injection site reactions, upper respiratory infections, and headaches. YIKES--scary stuff!

After pondering the list of side-effects of what I WON'T take, I thought I would look at the side-effects of the stuff I AM taking. Just as scary! Here are some of them: headache, sore throat, nosebleeds, hair loss, stomach upset, dizziness, cough, nausea, hallucinations, fever, irregular heartbeat, easy bruising or bleeding, seizures, heart attacks, stroke, blood clots, blurred vision. OMG! And the meds I take are older, not 'new' or 'experimental'--and they are for non-life threatening conditions/diseases (or easily treatable): allergies, high blood pressure, thyroid, etc.

I guess it is true what is in one of my drug-info sheets: a person MUST discuss with his/her doctor all of the side-effects vs. the benefits of any medication. Some people will accept whatever side-effects there are just for the benefits of the medication and some will not. I have weighed the benefit vs. side-effect factors of what I take and am comfortable with my choices. I also have decided against some drugs because of the same factors. It all comes down to this: everyone makes their own choices--as it should be!