| Recently, a regular visitor to my web site had to be | | | | if you take drug D with drug B. When I finally saw Dr |
| admitted into intensive care having taken an overdose | | | | Clever again, he stopped drugs B, C and D, and just |
| of several medications. She was on a ventilator for | | | | reduced the dose of drug A, and apologised to me for |
| several days, and was not expected to live. Thankfully, | | | | the unnecessary X-Rays. I'm fine now." |
| she has survived, although she still has many problems. | | | | I think that that messy paragraph describes the point |
| She did not intend to take her own life. She was | | | | perfectly. But what is the real point here? Why am I |
| merely the victim of what is currently a very significant | | | | bringing it up now? |
| issue amongst sufferers of alcoholism. | | | | The vitally important point is that with high dose (often |
| Polypharmacy literally means multiple medications. | | | | very high dose) Baclofen being taken by such large |
| However, its use is generally understood to mean a | | | | numbers of us, we are in somewhat uncharted |
| situation where more medications than are required | | | | territory. Further, many of us also:o Are self diagnosing, |
| are being taken by the individual. This may result in any | | | | self-prescribing, self-dispensing, self-monitoring their |
| or all of the following:o Unexpected complications and | | | | Baclofeno Are taking other anti-alcoholism medications |
| syndromeso Drug - drug interactionso Unnecessarily | | | | alongside Baclofen. Many of these are very powerful |
| higher costs | | | | 'brain chemistry' altering medications.o Have other |
| Baclofen is a relatively new and revolutionary new | | | | psychological, if not psychiatric, problems for which we |
| treatment for alcoholism cravings; particularly in the | | | | may be prescribed other powerful 'brain chemistry |
| alcohol dependency results from a chronic anxiety / | | | | altering' medications. Benzodiazepines are especially |
| stress / panic state. Baclofen is a very safe drug, but | | | | worrying in this regardo Are on other medications for |
| because of medical politics, most people taking | | | | other unrelated medical conditionso Are not eating |
| Baclofen throughout the World and taking it without | | | | properlyo Are not sleeping properly |
| their doctor's consent or even knowledge, usually | | | | Have relationship problems at home |
| purchasing it over the internet. | | | | Have other social, housing, financial problemso Are, |
| In a previous life, polypharmacy was one of my | | | | perhaps most importantly, still drinking large amounts of |
| hobby-horses. Most surgeons find that the average | | | | alcoholo And keeping the fact that we are taking high |
| age of their patients is getting higher and higher. Many | | | | dose Baclofen secret from our doctors looking after all |
| of these patients come into hospital with almost | | | | the other stuff |
| suitcases of medications that they are taking at home. | | | | Consequently we are each of us potentially concocting |
| When questioned properly about their symptoms and | | | | our own version of Baclofenestrone Soup, each with |
| medications (which I always did, but which few others | | | | its own distinct recipe and unique effects. A recipe |
| seem to), the following pattern was oft repeated - | | | | previously unknown within the annals of medical / |
| "When I was at the hospital, Dr Clever (my consultant) | | | | pharmaceutical cookery. So individual to you that you |
| gave me drug A. Then I got symptom Z. I went to my | | | | may be first to add it to the books. God help you. |
| GP, Dr Smith, who gave me drug B. That gave me | | | | I'm not scare-mongering; I am merely highlighting an |
| symptom Y. So, I went back to the surgery, and saw | | | | important issue, and asking you all to be very careful. |
| a different GP, Dr Jones. He prescribed drug C. But | | | | After all, polypharmacy almost killed a friend of mine. |
| that only gave me symptom X. When I went back to | | | | Without realising the consequences, she took a |
| the hospital, I saw a junior doctor, can't remember his | | | | potentially fatal cocktail of medications and alcohol; |
| name, nice man though, who ordered some X-Rays. | | | | some physician prescribed, some not. But all commonly |
| They were normal, so he gave me drug D. That made | | | | available. |
| me develop Horrid Syndrome, which apparently occurs | | | | |