Medication side effects

What do you think of when you hear about medication side effects? Tiredness, dizziness, nausea, weight gain? Side effects and interactions of medicines should not be underestimated.

Tiredness, dizziness, nausea and weight gain are the most common side effects, and they subside after the drug is stopped. Miscarriages, malformed limbs, sudden cardiac death, and liver and kidney failure are also side effects, but with lasting consequences. Particularly severe side effects were seen with, for example, Contergan (thalidomide), Lipobay (cerivastatin), various antirheumatic drugs and antiarrhythmics.

As a consequence, very strict requirements were imposed on drug manufacturing, so that after an average of 14 years of development only one of 10,000 tested substances receives marketing authorisation. Nevertheless, according to a Norwegian study about 18 percent of all deaths are caused by medicines, or by their incorrect prescription or use. The insidious side effect of Contergan was noticed only 3 years after approval; for Lipobay it took 4 years.

Weighing the benefit

Medication side effects are generally unwanted, but most people know the saying: "No side effect, no effect." The possible benefit of the drug must therefore be weighed against the expected side effects. Many factors must be considered, for example whether the natural course of the illness (self-healing) can be awaited and no drug is needed; which dosage form and starting dose should be chosen depending on sex, age, weight and pre-existing conditions; or whether drug interactions (interactions between different medicines) are to be expected.

Gentle medicine

One should always consider whether treatment can also be given with "gentle" measures such as orthomolecular or mitochondrial medicine: migraine can be effectively prevented with vitamin B2 and magnesium. Vitamin B3 lowers cholesterol and reduces vascular deposits. Sleep disorders often respond well to vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid. For heartburn and loss of appetite, vitamin B12 can help. Autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto) can resolve with selenium alone. This list could be continued at length, and many complaints are caused solely by a lack of micronutrients. Medicines can also cause a micronutrient deficiency: for example, cholesterol-lowering statins lead to a lack of coenzyme Q10, which plays a key role in cellular energy production. The result is the well-known side effect of muscle pain and, in severe cases, life-threatening lactic acidosis.

Read the package leaflet carefully. You cannot expect physicians and pharmacists to know and tell you every side effect of a drug. Watch for new complaints while taking a medicine and compare them with the information in the package leaflet. Handling medicines must be careful and precise on all sides; then it is as safe as it can be.