Too Many Pills

by James Le Fanu

The number of prescriptions issued by family doctors has soared threefold in just fifteen years with millions now committed to taking a cocktail of half a dozen (or more) different pills to lower the blood pressure and sugar levels, statins, bone strengthening and cardio protective drugs. In Too Many Pills , doctor and writer James Le Fanu examines how this progressive medicalisation of people's lives now poses a major threat to their health and wellbeing, responsible for a hidden epidemic of drug induced illness (muscular aches and pains, lethargy, insomnia, impaired memory and general decrepitude), a sharp increase in the number of emergency hospital admissions for serious side effects and implicated in the recently noted decline in life expectancy. The paradoxically harmful, if increasingly well recognised, consequences of too much medicine are illustrated by the remarkable personal testimony of the readers of James Le Fanu's weekly medical column, coerced into taking drugs they do not need, debilitated by their adverse effects - and their almost miraculous recovery on discontinuing them. The only solution, he argues, is for the public to take the initiative. His review of the relevant evidence for the efficacy, or otherwise, of commonly prescribed drugs should allow readers of Too Many Pills to ask much more searching questions about the benefits and risks of the medicines they are taking.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medicine, Health, Science

304 pages, Paperback

Published May 24, 2018

About the author

James Le Fanu studied the Humanities at Ampleforth College before switching to medicine, graduating from Cambridge University and the Royal London Hospital. He subsequently worked in the Renal Transplant Unit and Cardiology Departments of the Royal Free and St Mary’s Hospital in London. For the past 20 he has combined working as a doctor in general practice with contributing a weekly column to the Sunday and Daily Telegraph. He has contributed articles and reviews to The New Statesman, Spectator, GQ, The British Medical Journal and Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. He has written several books including The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine that won the Los Angeles Prize Book Award in 2001.

He has made original contributions to current controversies over the value of experiments in human embryos, environmentalism, dietary causes of disease and the misdiagnosis of Non Accidental Injury in children. He lives in south London.

Reviews

[Adaeze Chi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now I don’t know how to feel about this book…

This book was clearly targeted to those not in the medical profession so I as someone in the medical profession did feel like so much of it was scare-mongering people that don’t know any better. It is shocking that a GP such as himself would be okay increasing distrust in the medical profession in such a way and potentially causing harm to many patients.

Although I agree that polypharmacy and burdens of many medications is a real thing, as well as real and harmful side effects of medications routinely prescribed, I felt like he drew so many harmful conclusions with a lot of data quoted. The extrapolation used to put people on these medications long-term which he is fighting against is the exact same extrapolation he is using to say that polypharmacy or specific medications are causes of the lowering of average age of death etc.

Not massively impressed by this book tbh, but I have to admit I did learn more about common side effects of commonly prescribed drugs.

[MargCal · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ☆
Finished reading ... Too Many Pills: how too much medicine is endangering our health and what we can do about it / James Le Fanu ... 05 August 2018
ISBN: 9781408709771 … 303 pp.

This book is a MUST READ for those in or approaching their crumbling years and for those who might be called upon to care for them and be their advocates (and will one day get to that stage themselves). The book is easy to read with maybe slowing down a bit occasionally to take in new concepts, but that is easily do-able.

The book covers the three most common types of drugs most people are likely to be prescribed, those for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type II diabetes. There are two appendices covering drugs for osteoporosis and the ('toxic') cardiac cocktail of drugs that people can be prescribed. What is covered well is the side effects of the various drugs and also the hazards of drug-on-drug interactions, the latter particularly relevant to “drug cocktails”.

It also covers the role of drug companies (they are not benevolent) and the different ways results can be presented, or spun. Effectiveness of various medications is not always as good as it seems.

Le Fanu acknowledges that there are legitimate reasons to take these drugs. He does not advocate stopping drugs off your own bat, instead talking to your GP and, after discussion, if appropriate, to come off drugs under supervision. He urges patients to ask questions and be persistent about it, to not accept brush-offs such as “you'd be dead without it” or “you've got to expect that at your age”.

Note that some aspects of medical practice in the UK (tick-box of performance measures marking off tests ordered and drugs prescribed which to some extent determine the income of GPs) might not be be applicable in your country but that type of prescribing can't fail to influence prescribing elsewhere.

I'll be talking to my GP about eliminating or reducing my blood pressure medication.

Borrowed from my local library … and now I'm going to buy my own copy.
Very highly recommended.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is an important book - intelligently exploring the need - or absence of need - for commonly-prescribed medications. As I was reading it, I had arranged an annual blood test I need to confirm I’m still fit to take some medication I take for a chronic condition. Without explanation, and with no obvious need, my gp slapped on some additional tests - to check cholesterol and glucose. This book has made me cynical about these extra blood tests. And maybe I should be. I don’t want to feel cynical about my relationship with my gp, but this book has awakened a glimmer of doubt.
I couldn’t follow all the statistical analysis of all the studies the author included- shame on me! But I’m glad it was included. I enjoyed the anecdotal evidence- which saved this book from being very very dry (though important!).

[Brian Gowthorpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional book that provides a hugely valuable insight into the tangled subject of prescription drugs. Modern pharmaceuticals have saved many millions of lives but they are highly profitable commercial products and the stock in trade of powerful drug companies. It is hardly surprising that drug trials are sometimes manipulated and interpreted over-favourably. The differences between relative and absolute benefit are clearly skewered here as is the woeful lack of research into all-too-common drug cocktails.

The chapter Good Doctors and Bad Medicine is jaw-dropping: the NHS Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is a pernicious system that builds on the now discredited theory that by treating the well with drugs and regimes designed to benefit the sick, there will be a major reduction in premature deaths. The opposite may have occurred and the lives of many well people have been made wretched because of skewed thresholds for treatment.

[Effie Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is over subscribing of pills, caused in part by the way doctors are paid. Be careful when prescribed drugs especially if it is to be taken indefinitely.
Note - the older you are the worse the affects of drugs are and if you take more than 6 the chance of a side effect affecting you is 100%

[Jan Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting, will be doing more research about drugs proscribed for my family and ensuring they are necessary.

[Dan Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. must for anyone taking multiple medications or have relatives who do.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly written, this explanation of how doctors prescribe and why some people end up on drugs that cause them harm is a real eye-opener.
Library book

[Troy Cooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overarching point but abit conspiratorial re. so-called 'Diet-Heart' thesis.

[Emmaline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be interesting to revisit when completed pharmacy course.

[Lucas A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this book for my epq and remembered some pages off by heart

[Kathleen Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read which makes one wonder about the ethics of pharmaceutical companies.

What do we expect of the medical profession and what responsibility must we take for our own health

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting book! I learned so much from this book and it completely revolutionized my view on scientific studies and how to interpret them. The book goes through the relevant problems the modern pharmaceutical industry has caused on societies and gave me a lot of insight on how the industry works.
A highly recommended read!