DRUG SIDE EFFECTS

List of bad record of a drug is often impressive. Do not worry about all of these side effects do not occur regularly and often benign. They are usually felt at the beginning of treatment and tend to disappear after a few days or weeks.
How the effects identified?

Once a drug is studied, evaluated the effectiveness in clinical trials in which he provided to thousands of patients. This study is also important to identify side effects. So, when a participant in a clinical trial reported symptoms that seem unrelated to the treatment of illness (nausea, diarrhea, headache), is listed as a potential adverse effect of treatment. At the end of the study, the statistics are made. The frequency of each of these symptoms was found with patients who take drugs and those who have not taken. If these symptoms occur more frequently in people who receive the new drug, known on the list of side effects. That all these effects is the record of the drug. After the drugs are marketed, other side effects may be reported, which will improve this list.

When a patient is reading the notes that required medication, as required to do so, often frightened by the long list of side effects and wondered if that had to bear all this. In fact, in many cases it develops in one or two mild or not. Serious adverse events are exceptional. What is then the reason for this long list?

Side effects most felt in the beginning of treatment, during the period when the body adapts to the drug action. Most of these effects tend to disappear after a few days or weeks of treatment.
What to do if the side effects?


It is important to remember that during the study, these effects are not all present in all patients. The majority of participants had never experienced, and those who reportedly did not know one or two. Similarly, if the drug is prescribed, only a small proportion of patients suffering from this effect.
Who is more likely to develop side effects?

Occurrence of side effects associated with many factors. In some cases, it does not depend on the dose (hypersensitivity or allergy). In other cases, the risk of side effects increased with dosage and duration of treatment prescribed. This risk also depends on each patient's particular sensitivity to certain drugs. This factor is unpredictable and poorly understood mechanisms. Finally, some side effects can occur in special circumstances (dehydration, alcohol consumption, for example).


When prescribing a new medication, it is important to read labels. It is also useful to ask your doctor or pharmacist side effects most commonly seen with this drug, and the attitude to adopt if they should occur. Often, simple steps that can be implemented to reduce these effects until they subside. If they survive, or they interfere with daily life, it is important to report immediately to the doctor. In any case, do not change the treatment (reducing the dose or skip doses) without talking to him. Similarly, it is important to learn before taking the drug available without prescription to eliminate side effects (nausea, headaches for example). Prescription drugs in full and may interfere with those prescribed by the doctor.

source: www.eurekasante.fr