Medicine advice

[Noda]

Please help me. I have just been prescribed 3 different medications, pills to lower my blood pressure, because it is very high 192/120. I already take SSRI for ocd. But with the pills for ocd, I got an answer from the producer that nothing in the pill is of animal origin. So I took it. I know all medication is by law obliged to be tested on (oh, my dear universe, why?) animals. I wouldn't take a pill if it was not a matter of life and death. At least I try and make sure that there is no gelatin or lactose,.... In the pill. But now, today, I do not have the time to contact the producer about the high blood pressure medicine. I am supposed to take it all within an hour and I have not even been to the pharmacy yet.

I have been ordered a total bed rest.
Guys, what am I to do.??? I have no time to do the research, but I feel sick to my stomach just at the thought that there might be sth of animal origin in the pills.
I am an ethical vegan. Veganism is who I am. After my immediate family, my hubby and pets, it is the most important thing in my life.

What would you do in my shoes? I am not trying to throw the responsibility of a choice to someone else, I just need to know what would you do?

I hope someone answers real soon.

Best wishes to all. Love.

 

[Lou]

I like to check the VF while I eat breakfast. And I saw your post for help.

I'm going to quickly give you a fast answer. and then maybe come back and discuss it.

For now, go to bed and take all your prescriptions and follow all of your doctor's orders. BP of 190/120 is called a hypertensive crisis. It IS a medical emergency. You probably should NOT be left alone for the next couple of hours. In fact, you might want to go right to the ER. I'm sort of surprised that your physician did not suggest (or insist) on this.

This IS a life threatening situation.

I'll be more than a little blunt. Personal Purity is not your biggest concern here. At least for the next couple of hours (and maybe years). Whether your medication is vegan or not is not an issue when your life is on the line.

 

[Second Summer]

MOD POST
I'm very sorry to hear of your health struggles, Noda. And I totally understand how having to take medication that you feel might be incompatible with your ethics can add extra stone to the burden.

First of all, I agree with what Lou wrote above.

Also, taking life-saving medication, even if not a vegan product, does not in your case make you any less of a vegan person.

"Vegan" does not have the same meaning in the term "vegan product" as it does in "vegan person". (In a way it's unfortunate and confusing that we use the same word in both instances.) We often think of a vegan person as someone who exclusively consumes and uses vegan products - but that is not the case!

A vegan product is relatively easy to describe, and it's relatively easy to agree whether a product is vegan if we know the ingredients and production process. (Which is of course not always the case!) However, a vegan person means someone who adheres to veganism which - according to the Vegan Society definition - is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude - as far as is possible and practicable ... (You probably know the rest.)

So, there's actually quite a bit of leeway there in the definition of vegan person, and again, you're not compromising your principles by taking life-saving medication especially when it's so urgent that you don't even have time to determine how vegan said medication is!

Personally, I have used non-vegan medication for non-life-threatening issues several times, as well as received non-vegan vaccinations, because I couldn't find any alternatives.

The moderator team decided to lock this thread earlier today because they didn't want to risk that you were given bad medical advice, especially as it was a life-threatening situation.

So, I hope you already took the medication earlier, and that you are on the way to recovery.