by Michael Penner

Created on: February 13, 2009

Prescription medication is expensive. Getting to the doctor's office is disruptive if it has to happen in the middle of a working day. These two factors can make it tough to consider discontinuing medications so painstakingly obtained. But being married to a medication for better or worse is rarely a wise commitment. Antibiotics, psychiatric medications, and maintenance meds such as those used to control water retention, heart rate, high blood pressure and so on each have unique ways of telling you the relationship is over. But breaking up is hard to, and if you're not careful, it can get ugly. However you end it, don't do it alone. Always consult with your physician.

Antibiotics tend to signal their usefulness has ended in two ways. They either fail to fight back an infection they are supposed to target, or an allergic reaction occurs. Most antibiotics are prescribed for durations between 3-14 days. Recovery should begin to occur prior to the end of the prescription period; for the most part. If not, physicians usually don't extend the prescription beyond the original prescribed duration. Instead they will choose a different antibiotic and see what happens. In mildly chronic cases, they may even go through 4 different prescriptions before successfully knocking down the problem.

An allergic reaction, even mild, is a warning sign that something dangerous could be coming next. Time to stop, but of course in such situations seeking immediate medical attention is imperative. Rashes, severe headaches, and even non-stop hiccups can all be signs that things are not going well.

Psychiatric medications are especially difficult to consider changing because of the long term commitment most of them require before beneficial results even begin. Lamictal, zoloft, and others require gradual dosage increases, often over weeks or months, before therapeutic levels are achieved. Each dosage period requires visits to the prescribing psychiatrist, and careful evaluation of effectiveness. Just like antibiotics, these drugs can cause allergic reactions, have mentally destabilizing side effects, or do nothing at all. After weeks of trying a specific regimen, it can be disheartening (and expensive) to change medications and start the process all over again. Stopping these drugs cold can be very dangerous, even fatal as the possibility with Lamictal. As usual, never do anything without professional medical advice.

Maintenance meds are a slightly different story. Just as with antibiotics or psych meds, the relationship is over when they have no effect after a prescribed time period, or when adverse reactions occur. But because they tend to be prescribed in schedules of multiple drugs, they run the special risk of drug interaction problems. For instance, a beta blocker might be prescribed with a diuretic and blood pressure medication. This is a common triad. These drugs could be prescribed for periods of months or years, but like jealous lovers they might not tolerate a new relationship with some psych meds or antibiotics being introduced into the mix. It is even possible, over time, for adverse reactions among themselves to suddenly erupt. The complexity of this situation makes it difficult to identify the root cause of the problem, and require frequent trips to the doctor or even hospitalization to resolve.

So, don't get too comfortable with your medication, watch it closely, and understand that along with the prescription comes an obligation on your part to follow the directions religiously, and plan on visiting your doctor as often as it takes. This approach will increase your odds of better health, and getting your money's worth.

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