Why does medicine have side effects

Please check and try again Please enter recipient's email Recipient's email is invalid. Please check and try again Agree to Terms required. Thank you for sharing our content. A message has been sent to your recipient's email address with a link to the content webpage. Your name: is required Error: This is required. Your email: is required Error: This is required Error: Not a valid value. Send to: is required Error: This is required Error: Not a valid value. What are medicine side effects? What types of medicines can cause side effects?

Even though all medicines can cause side effects, not everyone will get them. How to get help if you have side effects If you think you might be having a serious side effect, see your doctor or hospital immediately. Where to get information on side effects For information about potential side effects, speak to your doctor or pharmacist. Here are some questions you might want ask. What are the possible side effects of the medicine?

How commonly do the side effects happen? What can I do to avoid or reduce the risk of side effects? Do the side effects get better with time? Thinking about side effects If you are thinking about starting a new medicine, it is worth thinking about the side effects.

Looking for more medicine information? Back To Top. General search results. For example, the drug amitriptyline is commonly used after spinal cord injury to manage neuropathic pain by acting on serotonin receptors. Amitriptyline however, can also cause blurred vision, dry mouth and constipation by blocking acetylcholine receptors, lower blood pressure by affecting norepinephrine receptors and produce sleepiness and weight gain by binding to histamine receptors.

Spinal cord injuries - is there a concern? Persons with a spinal cord injury are at risk of developing many secondary complications during their lives. Those include problems with the respiratory, cardiovascular and excretory systems bladder and bowel as well as spasticity, osteoporosis, pain and pressure ulcers.

Considering the possibility of drug interactions, people with a spinal cord injury are much more likely to face the issue of side effects. Alternative and herbal medications Many patients and even some physicians wrongly assume that herbal medicines are harmless since they do not come with a drug label that contains a long list of potential side effects.

In fact, many such products, including aloe vera, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, garlic and green tea, can interact with conventional cardiovascular drugs and lead to serious adverse reactions. For many reasons, patients tend not to disclose to their doctors if they are taking herbal remedies, including fear that their doctors will not approve or that they will be told to stop them. This is the reason why it is important to disclose as much information as possible while setting up any medical treatment.

One size does not fit all An astonishing aspect of medications is that their effects vary greatly from person to person. This is true for the desired effect for example as painkiller but mostly for the side effects. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances.

The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website. Skip to main content. Home Medications. Medicines and side effects. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. What is a side effect? Prescription medicines can cause side effects Complementary medicines also cause side effects Complementary medicines can interact with prescription medicines Alcohol used with medicines can cause side effects What to do if you experience side effects How to reduce the risk of side effects Where to get help.

Prescription medicines can cause side effects All medicines can cause unwanted side effects. Some examples of complementary medicines that can cause side effects include: Echinacea - more than 20 different types of reactions have been reported. Some include asthma attacks , hives , swelling, aching muscles and gastrointestinal upsets. Feverfew - pregnant women should not use this herb, as it can trigger uterine contractions. In animal experiments, feverfew triggered spontaneous abortions miscarriages.

Complementary medicines can interact with prescription medicines About one in 5 Australians take both complementary and prescription medicines. Many complementary medicines including feverfew, ginkgo and chamomile may increase the risk of bleeding in people taking anticoagulant medicines such as warfarin and anti-inflammatory medicines such as aspirin.

If taken with other medicines that increase serotonin such as antidepressants it can cause serotonin toxicity. Serotonin toxicity can range from mild to life threatening. Symptoms include tremors, high temperature and low blood pressure. For advice about complementary medicines, speak with your doctor or other health professional.

Alcohol used with medicines can cause side effects Drinking alcohol with some medicines can also cause unwanted and sometimes dangerous side effects. For example: Alcohol can cause drowsiness or dizziness when taken with some antihistamines, antidepressants, sleeping tablets or medicines for anxiety. Even when the information is simplified, it should include: How and when to take the drug. Whether you need to take it with food. Interactions with other drugs.

The studies that led to approval, and Food and drug interactions, and doses, including dose changes. Sometimes the risk is described with more general words, like rare, or common.

Language is very important but it is not always used correctly. Table 2.