Drugs & Side Effects

After a lifetime of avoiding almost all medical prescriptions, I have been living under the influence of legal drugs for the last seven months - ever since I was admitted to the hospital last January. When a child, I lived through the travails of chicken pox, measles, German measles, and mumps without medications. With the exception of taking antibiotics on the occasions of strep throat or serious infection, I've had the good fortune to live free of prescription medications. In the last few years, doctors have remarked how unusual it is for a woman of my years to be drug free while I think it most natural. Not known for reticence in expressing my opinions, I tell the doctors most medications are riskier than the illnesses for which they're prescribed. Then, in January, I was prescribed two very potent drugs to save my life - or so they said. The results have been mixed.

The steroid, Decadron was given me to reduce the swelling in my my left temporal lobe where a large tumor had invaded my brain tissue. Steroids, in my mind, are one of the most often abused - given like candy for the least little thing. On the advice of my children's pediatrician, forty years ago, I've not accepted the offer or suggestion of taking any steroids. In January, I accepted the steroids willingly. The swelling had to be reduced before surgery. In addition, I was prescribed Dilantin, an anti-seizure drug, and told not to drive a car. Once again, I didn't hesitate in accepting their advice.

Decadron acted on me like a mixture of speed and marijuana. For the duration of being on the steroid, I was unable to sleep more than six hours at night and in the daylight hours, I jabbered to whomever happened to be around. Losing those pounds has been more difficult than was the gain since I could not exercise for some time and even now, seven months later, I’m not exercising as often or vigorously as I was pre-surgery. For the most part, these side effects were tolerable, especially since my speech difficulties disappeared within a day of taking the pills.

Dilantin did not work as well. Though I've not had any seizures, the rash that developed was severe and took more than a month to disappear once a 'safe' anti-seizure drug was found. It wouldn’t have gotten so bad if I’d recognized it as one of the “go to the doctor immediately” side effects. In my attempt to be obedient, I neglected reading the fine print and no one ever suggested that I be wary of any side effects. After the fact, I learned that rashes, a sign of allergy, are fairly common. Once I read the fine print, I contacted my neurosurgeon who promptly wrote a prescription for Keppra.

Keppra is newer and stronger than Dilantin. Rashes can occur with Keppra as well. In my case, it was not a rash that drove me back to the doctor but unbearable muscle pains that first occurred in the middle of a Friday night. The pain registered at 9 on a 10 point scale. In a moment, in between spasms of muscle pain, I thought of side effects and read the fine print. Sure enough. Muscle and neck pains are listed as side effects that direct you to "report to your doctor". Being a Saturday, reporting was problematic but once contacted, my neurosurgeon said "STOP!" and so I did. I suggestion is beware of any new drug. Not only are they more potent, but so are the side effects. Expensive, too.

"Go to the neurologist who first prescribed Dilantin" Mike was told when he spoke to the neurosurgeon on Saturday morning. Turned out she didn't want to do anything because she was the 'on-call' doc when I was in the hospital. The neurologist who she was replacing (in the hospital) had never seen me and would not without an examination. The on-call neurologist wouldn't see me because it was against protocol to take on someone else's patient once they've left the hospital. All understandable when you're not caught in the midst of a medication Catch-22.

Mike typed up a chronology of anti-seizure medications taken and on whose watch and I dropped it off at the on-call neurologist's office. Reading between the lines, the neurologist called me herself within two hours fearing a law suit was pending. She explained her difficulty with follow-up care for me and told me she'd see me the next day if she received permission from the neurologist for whom she had been on-call. I went to see Melissa Gamponia, my PCP, and was prescribed Tegretol, an older medication with clearer guidelines. She also suggested I see the neurologist I was supposed to see in the hospital even if it took a month or so to get the appointment. And that I did.

I'm still taking Tegretol, have had no side effects and will have to continue taking this medication for six months following my next surgery.