February 23, 2012

Side Effects of Medicines

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Pharmaceutical medicines that are supposed to cure a disease sometimes work against the body by causing undesirable side effects. Every pharmaceutical medicine produced by the industry has multiple side effects. Are the drugs provided by the modern pharmaceutical industry worth the adverse effects that they cause? These side effects range from severe to mild problems and may occur at a completely different part of the body from where the medicine was applied. Side effects are completely different from  adverse effects that arise due to incorrect procedure or dosage. It is true that any drug has undesirable effects after a certain threshold. But when these undesirable effects are seen within the threshold of treatment, then it is completely unethical and very dangerous.

Although each medicine is thoroughly tested for side effects prior to being commercialized, the side effects that arise in the longterm due to long-term usage can never be predicted. Even if minor side effects are seen during this clinical trial stages, they are set aside because of the profit motive. There is no scientific means of figuring out the side effects of a drug in the long term.

Before a medicine is consumed, it is important that one check reference material about the side effects. Internet forums dedicated to common side effects of medicines are found abundantly on the Internet. Get complete information about the drug before letting it into your daily prescription list. Even consult the doctor about the side effects and find out if one’s health history will cause any side effects. A pharmacist is also a reliable source of information, since he or she is in direct contact with multiple patients, and has a good idea of long-term effects of drugs. Many pharmaceutical companies give a complete list of observed side effects and give you advice for when any side effect symptoms are observed.