Arguably, this is the end of my youth. I always hoped that my life would never need to be sustained by medication and that I would live drug-free to the end of my days. But at the grand old age of 71, reality has finally caught up with me.
Ten days ago I knew virtually nothing about blood pressure or indeed cholesterol but following a rather accidental, unplanned health check all that has changed. Yesterday, I agreed to be put on low doses of both "Amlodipine" for my blood pressure and "Atorvastatin" to address mild cholesterol concerns - preventative really.
I know that if was inclined to find out more about The Green Bay Packers or The Irish Potato Famine then Google would open up vast granaries of knowledge. And it's the same with antihypertensive medications and statins. There are YouTube videos, learned papers, lists of side effects, comparison debates, reviews etc.. Before you know it a whole world of previously unrealised knowledge has appeared in front of your eyes.
This is just the start. I will have to check my blood pressure regularly, attend more doctor's appointments and so on. It's possible that my medications may need to change - dosages upped or brands replaced. I will also need to watch out for side effects such as swollen feet.
It's a little depressing to admit to myself that these medications will now be part of my life till the day I die but of course the up-side is that I will probably live longer than I would have done without them.
Finally, why do these drugs have to have such unmemorable and unpalatable scientific names? I would much prefer it if "Atorvastatin" was called "Misty Forest Path" and "Amlodipine" was called "Ramalamadingdong". Yes - that would be much better.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/tyksgH3