What you need to know about medications
July 13th, 2017If you’ve watched the evening news on any major network, you will often notice the ads in between the newscasts are often for medications. I always find it amusing that the last few seconds is usually someone rattling a list of “possible side effects” which often include some awful issues which could be even more serious than the problem you were prescribed the medication for in the first place! For example, some asthma inhalers have the side effect of “asthma related death”! Most of these side effects and warnings (the most serious being the “Black Box” warning which means something went very wrong) are actually based on trials when the drug was being developed.
If you are being prescribed a medication, check with your healthcare provider or pharmacist and obtain a list of common side effects. Keep these in mind in the days and weeks after starting the medication. I also recommend writing down a diary or log of symptoms. Do you feel more fatigued? Are you having vivid dreams? Is your heart racing? Everyone has different reactions to medications and there usually isn’t an easy way to find out which is the ideal medication without trial and error.
I have an example to share from my own life. Every spring, I have terrible seasonal allergies to pollen. I have tried all the “second generation” antihistamines (ones that technically don’t make you drowsy like benadryl) over the years. When I take Allegra, it is not effective at all (I might as well be taking a Tic-Tac candy!). If I take Zyrtec, my allergy symptoms improve but I feel VERY tired. Claritin works the best for me; it relieves my symptoms and does not make me drowsy. Interestingly enough when I brought the issue up with some friends, they each had their own variation of experiences. Some swore by Zyrtec and said Claritin was like a placebo to them. Others said Allegra was amazing and the others are not as effective. Bottom line: People react differently to different chemicals and sometimes it takes patience to find the right match.
If you are given a recommendation for a medication by your healthcare provider, read up about it and do your due diligence. Don’t be afraid to ask the provider or pharmacist questions before or after taking the medication. If you experience any intolerable side effects, inform your provider and ask if there are other medications you can try. There are often many options. Don’t consider side effects a failure on your part, it just means you haven’t found the right one yet.
