The Balancing Act of Medications

People may be so amazed by the benefit of medications that they think more is better. It's not really true and may in fact be dangerous.

The big news this week is that actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment. As of this blog post, an investigation into the cause of death is still underway, but there is interest towards the possibility of accidental overdose with prescription drugs, specifically medications like Xanax, Valium, and Ambien. Such medications can be beneficial for problems like insomnia and anxiety. However, it's only true when the total dose is not too high.

Even though Ledger's death is likely accidental, we should still remind ourselves that more does not mean better. Any condition is an imbalance that needs correction. Acid reflux is balanced with proton-pump inhibitors. Airway constriction in asthma is corrected with bronchodilators. When you take enough of a medication to achieve balance, then you've met your goal. If you overdo it, you create an imbalance in the other direction. I once heard about a patient who took so many Tylenol pills per day for many days that she went into liver failure. Just like that. A normal liver that suddenly requires transplantation. This patient took Tylenol for pain but took it like candy.

Some people may be prescribed new medications on a regular basis that they end up with at least fifteen medications. Polypharmacy is a problem, especially for the elderly. Not only can one lose track of all the medications, but also the possibility of interactions between medications is greater. Sometimes, the patient can be better managed by discontinuing unnecessary medications and changing the doses of others.

When it comes to medications, take only what is necessary. The number of medications and the dose of each should not be excessive for your conditions. If there is any doubt about why you're taking each one, ask your doctor to sort it out.