Lived Experience Forum

[Fee1]

Hello everyone. Has anyone had any trouble with getting a lot of viruses and flus since going on medication? I have been on medication long term and always seem to be just getting over a virus or just getting something. Is a real pain. My psych. says this is not a common side effect but everyone reacts differently to the meds. Sorry I Havent responded to tags this week. Been a bit sick with a virus.

Cheers

Fee1

[Amour_Et_Psyché]

Hi @Fee1,

Thank you for your question. I haven't quite come across another thread bringing up the way in which medication can weaken/affect the immune system. Hopefully, other members on the forums have some relatable experiences and can shed light on this.

However, you may be interested in calling the Medicines Line. I have listed their details below:

Medicines Line:

Providing consumers with information on prescription, over-the-counter and complementary (herbal, ‘natural’, vitamin and mineral) medicines. 

1300 MEDICINE (1300 633 424) NAT
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST (excluding NSW public holidays).
www.nps.org.au/contact-us/medicines-line 

I hope the above service is helpful to you, and may serve to answer some of your questions.

Kindest,

Amour_Et_Psyché

[Fee1]

Thanks @Amour_Et_Psyché, that was a good idea. I called them and they confirmed my long held view that the meds are affecting the white blood cell count, which I guess I already knew but might have forgotten. I guess the real question is what can be done if one can't come off the meds... I would be interested to know what others are doing to stay healthy.

I spoke to one woman on the weekend who said she takes a lot of vitamin C everyday and never gets sick. I have tried vit C before but never seemed to make much difference. Maybe I will try again with bigger doses. Also, a homeopath thinks he can help but I have faltered a bit with them in the past making me feel rather odd.

Kind regards, Fee1

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[Birk1989]

that's an interesting point of view, will discover this info here and ask to write a research paper on the topic, what can we do to come off the meds

[Fee1]

thanks @Birk1989. I'm not familiar with this service, can you ask for an essay on a topic for free? thanks Fee1

[Former-Member]

Meds can affect you white cell count, if you're concerned then get your doctor to run a blood test.
The reality is, with what we know about medicine and the body it's unlikely they will find any link between your meds and you getting sick (unless your WBC count is low - which you NEED confirmed by blood test because it can be VERY VERY dangerous if it is low).
But chances are yours is not low and this is just an association you have made. It may or may not have anything to do with the meds. And we don't have many ways of knowing either way.
(P.S. I have a degree in Pharmacology and Immunology and I'm doing my masters in Health)

[Fee1]

thanks@5-HT. Yes I have been to an immunologist who has run some tests and said with the rudimentary tests they have available nothing shows up, though the meds I'm on do have a side effect of suppressing the white blood cells (according to the manufacturer). thanks for your thoughts. Might cut down on alcohol, that might help. Regards, F

[Former-Member]

@Fee1 what you really need is medicine to understand the body and mind/body connection better.
Perhaps zoom ahead to the future 500 years?
The link to low WBC for some meds is very well known, but I presumed your doc would have checked that 1st thing. From my understanding beyond that there doesn't seem to be a strong link between the two. And if you've seen an immunologist I'm sure they have checked out everything we know about.
Perhaps you've just been subject to some nasty bugs? Perhaps you've had a nasty infection that has impacted the function and viability of your memory T and B cells and this has hampered your response to further infections.
Kinda like measles does - it wipes out your immunity so you are susceptible to all these other infections. There may be many other viruses that do this too, we just don't know yet.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27481-measles-leaves-you-vulnerable-to-a-host-of-deadly-disea...

[Fee1]

Thanks @Former-Member, that's a really interesting article. Yes of course it could be a coincidence...all I know is that 20 years ago when I started on the meds, that's when my immune system started playing up. The product info does say that the meds reduce the white blood cel count and years of working with doctors and immune specialists hasnt helped. I am also salicylate sensitive so that cuts out all the herbal remedies that are supposed to boost immunity, and homeopathics have not helped - usually making me feel off balance and wierd. So I just wondered if anyone here has had the same experience - it is hard to compare as we are not able to say what meds we are on...thanks for your response.