Hello I am a 48 year old male. I am taking several medications to include, Toprol, Lyprica, Vytorin, Previcid, and Reglan. I also take Coq10, and omega 3. I suffer from severe pain in my chest from surgeries. I had a Nisson wrap twice. Since the last one the pain has been horrible. I have had every test in the world for my heart, all have been positive, I have had several Endoscopies, all have been positive. I am concerned about taking so many prescription drugs. Can taking so many presciptions shorten my life? Should I stop taking them and just hope for the best? I and my wife think I am to young to be on so many drugs. the toprol is for a benign pvc. The lyprica is for nerve damage. The previcid and reglan are for reflux that one doctor say’s I don’t have and another say’s I do. Please help with this delema. Thank you

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Dr. Joshua’s Answer:

The drugs you mention do not have significant interactions with each other, so in that respect your prescriptions seem in order. Taking these drugs won’t shorten your life. Do not just stop taking them. On the other hand, you could discuss each drug with your doctor, and see if you can decrease the dosage or stop one or more of the drugs. My guess is that Toprol and Vytorin are drugs that will probably prolong your life, these are for blood pressure, heart disease, and high cholesterol. Good medication. As for the rest, Lyrica is good for neuropathic pain. It’s reasonably safe and well tolerated. If it helps, continue. If it doesn’t help at all, there’s no point in continuing. Prevacid is for reflux disease. This one could be reduced to be used only when necessary (if you don’t have gastric ulcer). Reglan is also for reflux disease / nausea / vomiting. This is the one drug that I would be inclined to discontinue if there is no clear benefit from its use. Of course, you’d need to consult your doctor first.?