Q. I take a lot of medicine. Even my doctors say I am a walking drugstore, and I am only 37. My husband’s in the Army so I use the military hospital and rarely see the same doctor.
I take Prozac for depression, Prilosec for acid stomach, pseudoephedrine for sinus, Provera and Halotestin to increase my sex drive, estrogen pills and Premarin cream for vaginal dryness, Imitrex for migraines, Clonidine for hot flashes, amitriptyline for migraines and Daypro for an arthritic knee.
I am worried about all these medicines and their interactions. The doctors and pharmacists don’t have time to tell me about my drugs. I have gained weight, am losing my hair and have no energy or sex drive. Please send me something that will explain all these pills.
A. Wow, that is a long list of medications. We worry about their interaction potential. For example, Prozac can increase blood levels of amitriptyline which could lead to sedation or dry mouth. Both antidepressants could cause weight gain and affect your energy and sex drive. The Provera also may have a negative impact on libido.
We are also concerned about the double dose of estrogen you are getting, plus the combination of clonidine and amitriptyline which can be hazardous. Sorting out all of these drugs will take some effort.
We are quite fond of the website MediGuard.org. If you put all your medications into their drug interaction tool you can better assess the danger. Please get back in touch with your various physicians and point out the potential for problems with all these medications.
