Diana: The attitudes of others – Taking ‘many’ medicines (1)
Listen to patients and health professionals speak about their experience with taking multiple medicines.
Diana
Female
Age at interview: 22
Number of medicines: 13
Cultural background: Anglo-Australian
Diana found that some medicines were considered acceptable by the students when she was at school, whereas others were not.
A lot of the time I'd hide how much I was on because even at school I was asthmatic and everything, so they'd be okay with the Ventolin puffers but they weren't okay with me pulling out a packet of Panadeine Forte and having to take three or four tablets in front of them. So I really did use a lot of hiding methods. But thankfully I've got a good family support network which I can be honest with them about my medication. But it did lead to a bit of, like, distrust between the group because I just couldn't be honest. I couldn't say, oh I can't eat that because it'll react with such and such. So I had to really learn to act a lot.
The Living with multiple medicines project was developed in collaboration with Healthtalk Australia.