Is it that unusual to be in your 60s and not on medication?

[Mumblechum0]

This is just something that made me think this week; 3 separate groups of friends and family, all late 50s or early 60s.

im finding increasingly that a lot of conversations turn to various ailments etc. I find these very dull.

amyway, in all 3 groups (I know how bizarre this sounds), they talked about what medications they’re on, and were surprised that I don’t take anything, not even vitamins, hrt etc.

i had cancer over 20 yrs ago but have been to the GP twice in 10 years. If I get ill, I tend to just wait for it to pass.

anyway, I wondered idly whether I just hang out with a lot of very unlucky people in terms of health, or is it usual to be on 3 or 4 meds?

(one friend had an alarm going off on her phone all day to remind her to take her tablets which led to today’s conversation)

Of my DH and my parents, only 1 was on no medication. At 77 she fell ill, and was gone in 5 months.

4 years later the others are still rattling with growing lists of daily medications.

I think those on meds are having regular checks, symptom discussions and scans. They have a higher chance if something is bubbling away of it being caught quicker.

So I tend to have a mixed view on not being on any meds

I don’t think it’s necessarily a good thing to be not on any meds by certain age - some meds are taken to prevent disease not treat, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that someone has ailments. As with all these things, there may be side effects so it’s a case of weighing up the pros and cons.

Which is fine if you need/want it, but not everyone does.

My dad always said mum who is always in and out of appointments would live to a huge age because she had them essentially keeping an eye on her, he said people like him, who only went to the doctor once in a blue moon would suddenly collapse and everyone would say ‘it was out of the blue’ when actually he’d have had something secretly wrong with him a long time and it would all have just suddenly come to a head. He was kind of right,

DH & I 63. He takes statins & we both take vitamins.

Absolutely this. A friend's DH has an inherited genetic heart condition that nearly killed his father.

He refused to take any prescribed meds for his condition, and nearly dropped dead of a heart attack. He was incredibly fortunate to have been told by his MIL to go to A&E who were brilliant and they saved his life.

But I often think that he is his own worst enemy, not taking prescribed drugs for an inherited condition that he knew might kill him.😳 He nearly paid the ultimate price.😢

In my fifties I had two separate small accidents which resulted in broken bones.
I was given a bone density scan which showed osteopenia - loss of bone density. Not severe and no action necessary, just told to go back in 5 years for another scan. I assumed they expected the situation to worsen.

Shortly afterwards my life changed completely. Previously I'd been much more sedentary but when I retired I moved to the country, got a dog and spent my days walking in the very steep hills, renovating my house and garden volunteering in a garden (heavy work) and swimming in the sea every day.

When I went back for the second scan my bone density had improved to the extent that I was better than five years previously and was told no need for future scans.

I'm not saying this is possible for everyone, but it worked for me.

I’m one of those who hasn’t seen my GP for at least a decade and am on no medication at 60.

I do however attend every single health check I have the opportunity to do. So regular BP tests, mammograms and smears. I’m also taking part in a NHS health survey which means regular blood tests. I think my gp would be baffled if I made an appointment on the basis of the fact that I feel extremely well!

At 70, I take Levothyroxine and topical oestrogen, so I'm basically putting back what my body no longer makes. I should be on meds for a heart condition, but we've tried three so far and the side effects of all three have been so awful that they would prevent me from living a normal active life.

Mid 60s on the same two meds for years, blood pressure and statin, I’d rather take them than the potential consequences of not, don’t take anything else , DW slightly younger on nothing

I am 64 and don’t take any medication. That isn’t to say that I am in perfect health as I have arthritis in my knees and hip, but I don’t need to take anything for it (yet)!

I don’t take vitamins or supplements either, as I think I have a good enough diet, but I have considered taking vitamin D in the winter.

My 2 siblings (younger than me but also in their 60s) don’t take anything either. There is obviously some luck involved, and healthy genes, but we have also led healthy lifestyles: none of us has ever drunk much or smoked at all. We all exercise regularly and we all cook from scratch most of the time, rather than relying on UPFs.

Even more impressive, our 97 year old aunt (no blood relation) still lives independently. She takes various supplements but no regular medication.

Because unfortunately I was left with patches of gastritis, then I had a GI bleed, so the PPI is protective. Most people just have to take the two week treatment course and that's that. Hope you're doing well now.

The tests you get every year when you are over 60 include a wide range of blood tests, not just blood sugar.

I run every day, static cycle and do Pilates. No bone density problems here and I'm not on HRT, because I don't need to be. No menopausal symptoms of note (apart from a reluctance to suffer idiots, and that's not a symptom that's a blessing).

I'm 61 and not on any medication - unless you count the Vitamin D tablets I've started taking for the winter months.
Given the questioning glance I get when a healthcare professional (eg dentist) asks what medication I'm on, then I assumed it is quite unusual to not be taking anything at my age. All my friends of a similar age are taking meds for blood pressure, type 2 diabetes etc.

I used to take HRT primarily for bone health, as I have very few menopause symptoms. But I found the side effects dreadful and I feel much better not taking it. I do worry about my bones, but it's not as simple as "just take HRT" for everyone.

I check my blood pressure myself and it's always normal, but I have no idea about blood results. We don't have regular checkups at my GP. I'm in my 50s.

69 here. Until quite recently only on HRT and vit D then I was finally diagnosed with chronic cough syndrome and one little pill, Amitriptyline, taken at night has changed my life after years of aggravation. Still have coughing fits but so much better than it was.
DH 68 takes one tablet for high blood pressure.
Neither of us take statins.

Thanks, I'm sorry to hear that.

I only finished my antibiotics a couple of weeks ago and I feel much better.

I had a colonoscopy as there was blood in my FIT test which was fine as well as a CT scan, which was also fine.

I'm not sure whether to have a OGD as I am not in any pain. Did you have one?

My mum is 74, she got rushed into hospital in the summer as she couldn't breath and honestly, every single nurse and consultant was completely in awe that she wasn't on any meds!

She still isn't on anything.

I’m 61. Nobody has asked me (or anyone I know) for these tests.

I'm nearly 66. I'm not on any medication at all. I never took HRT.
My siblings, around my age, aren't on medication either. It's just one of those things. Luck, good genes, sensible lifestyle?

Ah OK. Yes, every surgery is different. I think we have as many nurse practitioners as we do GPs.

Eh? I've never had any such tests!

My dad needed an ambulance earlier this year and was asked over and over again to bring his medication. He wasn't on any and was 80 at the time and it took a while for them to believe us. So I can't say for 60 but apparently it's rare at 80. He now has to take one tablet a day.

Yep it’s odd - it’s like you kind of have to be ‘on their radar’ - I never was , but the minute I had some tests that picked up a couple of slight abnormalities ( and they were not huge) I’ve got invites for this that and the other coming out my ears