Ask a Geologist

“Is it better to take medicine that makes you miserable and feel like shit or to just be fat? I'm struggling with this question right now!”

Oh man. Do I ever feel your pain on this one. I have to say that it’s up to you and would have a lot to do with your overall health.

So if these are magic meds that make you feel nauseous and headachey and just schlubby overall that make you thin and nothing else then there’s that. Or if they make you feel bad, lose weight AND cure other serious ailments that you have then that’s totally different.

If someone offered me a pill that would make me look great but feel like absolute shit for a week I think I’d probably take it. If made me feel bad for a month, well, I guess it would depend on your definition of absolute shit but if I could still manage to sleep and go to work I think I’d still probably take it. If the giver of the pill could not with certainty describe how long I would have to take it in order to achieve gorgeousness I’d probably pass. I’d rather feel healthy and be healthy than look healthy. What fun would it be to look like a model but be stuck with a heating pad on the couch all day? That’s just me though and depending on my hormone level I might take that back.

Most of the pills I am on are treating some other endocrine thing that’s wrong with me and not specifically geared towards me losing weight. Most of them don’t make me feel better or worse. Once again I think I’d have to look at the length of time vs the results and weigh that.

But the real thing is that you are struggling with this question right now and using language that suggests that you’re pretty fed up. I would recommend talking to yourself and loved ones to decide what is more important to you feeling good or looking good and then ASAP meeting with your doctor and having a very frank discussion about what you want and need and what your options are. If your doctor is not up to this then move on to another one. This may require use of a bossy tone and big girl panties.

There are some cases when the meds that make you feel bad are simply non-negosh. Ask your doc for ideas about how to alleviate the side effects or figure out how you can get off of them in a timeline that works for you.

Thyroid problems run in my family and I was pretty certain that I had one but my GP refused to discuss it. In fact, whether I was in for a sore throat or a tick bite all she wanted to talk about was breast feeding. (Which is awesome and all but I don’t have any kids. At all. And I don’t want to breast feed strangers.) So she wrote me a referral to talk to an endocrinologist who I went to and that lady double my meds without giving me any blood tests. The happy ending is that I found my own endocrinologist who actually listens to me, speaks to me at my level and adjusts my treatment plan based on what I’m up for. I had to bite and kick and make charts in order to get to this point but it was worth it. Be honest with yourself about what you want, need and can handle and then armed with that find a doctor who will work with you.