What medicines do SMBers take?

[mackemglastoid]

Was on Prozac for 16 years. Served its purpose of masking symptoms. Decided to address the root problem and then weaned mesel off it.

Was told to take Ramapril for high blood pressure. Stopped taking it after 13 days as it made me feel vile.
Went out walking, eating properly and stopped boozing and blood pressure came down.

Currently take Codiene phosphate 30mg x2 PRN. Usually just 2 on an evening.
Amytrptline 10mg 1 or 2 a night.

 

[jcrossan]

Allopurinol for gout. resisted for a while cos didn't want to take a pill a day for ever.

Daft..when it got my second big toe I bent the knee. Thank God i did.

 

[Midday Sun Englishman]

55, I take the statin as I have hereditary high bad cholesterol. I also have high good cholesterol as well.

Me too - but I have very high HDL (good c). I don't take stains as a result. There's quite the debate as to whether the total level or the HDL/LDL ratio is the important factor. There's also quite the debate as to what is really optimum blood pressure.

 

[Frasmotic]

That's the problem with high BP - there usually are no symptoms. Until it's too late.

We had friends staying a few years ago. My wife had bought a blood pressure monitor and someone spotted it and it ended up getting passed around. Our fit-as-a-lop strapping mate discovered his blood pressure was off the scale. He got it checked by his GP and he's on meds for life. He had no clue there was anything wrong up till that test.

 

[bagpiperay]

I'm currently on 11 a day which include multi vitamins and vitamin D...

Did you mean to include supplements as 'medicines'? I take daily doses of vitamin D, a pure cod liver oil gel capsule and use Voltarol gel on my bad left knee but I consider only one of them to be a medicine.

 

[The Mole]

Did you mean to include supplements as 'medicines'? I take daily doses of vitamin D, a pure cod liver oil gel capsule and use Voltarol gel on my bad left knee but I consider only one of them to be a medicine.

Yes as they help you function.

 

[bagpiperay]

Yes as they help you function.

Quite clearly Vitamin D and Cod Liver oil are both supplements and are described as such whereas Voltarol is described as a medicine on the same sites. Here, for example, is information from the National Institutes of Health.

Office of Dietary Supplements - Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know

Important things to know about dietary supplements. Learn about their label information, effectiveness, safety, risk, quality, and regulation here.

ods.od.nih.gov

Federal Regulation of Dietary Supplements​

Dietary supplements are products intended to supplement the diet. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases. The FDA is the federal agency that oversees both supplements and medicines, but the FDA regulations for dietary supplements are different from those for prescription or over-the-counter medicines.

Medicines must be approved by the FDA before they can be sold or marketed. Supplements do not require this approval. Supplement companies are responsible for having evidence that their products are safe, and the label claims are truthful and not misleading. However, as long as the product does not contain a “new dietary ingredient” (one introduced since October 15, 1994), the company does not have to provide this safety evidence to the FDA before the product is marketed.

Dietary supplement labels may include certain types of health-related claims. Manufacturers are permitted to say, for example, that a supplement promotes health or supports a body part or function (like heart health or the immune system). These claims must be followed by the words, “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”

Manufacturers must follow good manufacturing practices (GMPs) to ensure the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their products. If the FDA finds a dietary supplement to be unsafe, it may remove the product from the marketplace or ask the manufacturer to voluntarily recall the product.

The FDA monitors the marketplace for potential illegal products that may be unsafe or make false or misleading claims. The Federal Trade Commission, which monitors product advertising, also requires information about a supplement product to be truthful and not misleading.

The federal government can take legal action against companies and websites that sell dietary supplements when the companies make false or deceptive statements about their products, if they promote them as treatments or cures for diseases, or if their products are unsafe.

This Information from GOV.UK might also prove helpful:

[Withdrawn] Decide if your product is a medicine or a medical device

How the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) makes decisions on what is a medicine or medical device (borderline products).

www.gov.uk

 

[The Mole]

Quite clearly Vitamin D and Cod Liver oil are both supplements and are described as such whereas Voltarol is described as a medicine on the same sites. Here, for example, is information from the National Institutes of Health.

Office of Dietary Supplements - Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know

Important things to know about dietary supplements. Learn about their label information, effectiveness, safety, risk, quality, and regulation here.

ods.od.nih.gov

Federal Regulation of Dietary Supplements​

Dietary supplements are products intended to supplement the diet. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases. The FDA is the federal agency that oversees both supplements and medicines, but the FDA regulations for dietary supplements are different from those for prescription or over-the-counter medicines.

Medicines must be approved by the FDA before they can be sold or marketed. Supplements do not require this approval. Supplement companies are responsible for having evidence that their products are safe, and the label claims are truthful and not misleading. However, as long as the product does not contain a “new dietary ingredient” (one introduced since October 15, 1994), the company does not have to provide this safety evidence to the FDA before the product is marketed.

Dietary supplement labels may include certain types of health-related claims. Manufacturers are permitted to say, for example, that a supplement promotes health or supports a body part or function (like heart health or the immune system). These claims must be followed by the words, “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”

Manufacturers must follow good manufacturing practices (GMPs) to ensure the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their products. If the FDA finds a dietary supplement to be unsafe, it may remove the product from the marketplace or ask the manufacturer to voluntarily recall the product.

The FDA monitors the marketplace for potential illegal products that may be unsafe or make false or misleading claims. The Federal Trade Commission, which monitors product advertising, also requires information about a supplement product to be truthful and not misleading.

The federal government can take legal action against companies and websites that sell dietary supplements when the companies make false or deceptive statements about their products, if they promote them as treatments or cures for diseases, or if their products are unsafe.

This Information from GOV.UK might also prove helpful:

[Withdrawn] Decide if your product is a medicine or a medical device

How the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) makes decisions on what is a medicine or medical device (borderline products).

www.gov.uk

 

[Gelan]

I once took an aspirin.

 

[pavarotti1980]

Quite clearly Vitamin D and Cod Liver oil are both supplements and are described as such whereas Voltarol is described as a medicine on the same sites. Here, for example, is information from the National Institutes of Health.

Office of Dietary Supplements - Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know

Important things to know about dietary supplements. Learn about their label information, effectiveness, safety, risk, quality, and regulation here.

ods.od.nih.gov

Federal Regulation of Dietary Supplements​

Dietary supplements are products intended to supplement the diet. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases. The FDA is the federal agency that oversees both supplements and medicines, but the FDA regulations for dietary supplements are different from those for prescription or over-the-counter medicines.

Medicines must be approved by the FDA before they can be sold or marketed. Supplements do not require this approval. Supplement companies are responsible for having evidence that their products are safe, and the label claims are truthful and not misleading. However, as long as the product does not contain a “new dietary ingredient” (one introduced since October 15, 1994), the company does not have to provide this safety evidence to the FDA before the product is marketed.

Dietary supplement labels may include certain types of health-related claims. Manufacturers are permitted to say, for example, that a supplement promotes health or supports a body part or function (like heart health or the immune system). These claims must be followed by the words, “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”

Manufacturers must follow good manufacturing practices (GMPs) to ensure the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their products. If the FDA finds a dietary supplement to be unsafe, it may remove the product from the marketplace or ask the manufacturer to voluntarily recall the product.

The FDA monitors the marketplace for potential illegal products that may be unsafe or make false or misleading claims. The Federal Trade Commission, which monitors product advertising, also requires information about a supplement product to be truthful and not misleading.

The federal government can take legal action against companies and websites that sell dietary supplements when the companies make false or deceptive statements about their products, if they promote them as treatments or cures for diseases, or if their products are unsafe.

This Information from GOV.UK might also prove helpful:

[Withdrawn] Decide if your product is a medicine or a medical device

How the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) makes decisions on what is a medicine or medical device (borderline products).

www.gov.uk

I dont want to sound too much of a pedant but that is all relating to the FDA in the US.

Also vitamin D is classed as a food supplement (but only up to a certain strength). It is then classed as a medicine and requires marketing authorisation from the MHRA and is given a PL number and is a Prescription Only Medicine

 

[bagpiperay]

I dont want to sound too much of a pedant but that is all relating to the FDA in the US.

Also vitamin D is classed as a food supplement (but only up to a certain strength). It is then classed as a medicine and requires marketing authorisation from the MHRA and is given a PL number and is a Prescription Only Medicine

Not all of it as the bottom link is clearly that referring to the UK Government. Looking at the original post, it seems to group multi vitamins and vitamin D together. Thus, I took that as within the same context.

It wouldn't surprise me if what you say is true as there are always exceptions within medicine though my 'general' point remains true. Nevertheless, you raise an interesting point and I'd be very interested to have access to the details you refer to in respect of Vitamin D.

 

[pavarotti1980]

Not all of it as the bottom link is clearly that referring to the UK Government. Looking at the original post, it seems to group multi vitamins and vitamin D together. Thus, I took that as within the same context.

It wouldn't surprise me if what you say is true as there are always exceptions within medicine though my 'general' point remains true. Nevertheless, you raise an interesting point and I'd be very interested to have access to the details you refer to in respect of Vitamin D.

Which bit are you referring to? The transition from supplement to prescription medicine?
https://www.medicinescomplete.com/#/content/bnf/_569528362?hspl=vitamin d
Have a look at the medicinal forms and notice on the smaller strengths (<800iu) there is no annotation of POM but as you increase the strength and this will appear which restricts the manufacture, wholesale dealing and supply of drugs.

Caveat: 20 years as a hospital pharmacist