| There are times in our lives when we need a quick patch or remedy for a few days. Most of us take prescription medicines - medicines that, by law, must be prescribed by a medical practitioner. If everything goes well, the medicine works for you as it is supposed to. But there is no "magic bullet", or drug that works the same for everyone without any risks or side effects. Basically, a side effect is an unintended occurrence that results from using a medicine. Side effects can be good or bad, depending on how you take the medication. For instance, antihistamines, used to help with allergy symptoms, such as itchy eyes and sneezing, produce the side effect of sleepiness. If you are having trouble sleeping, this side effect is good. If you need to relieve your allergies and drive your automobile or function at your job, yet, it is bad.
The commonest cause of side effects is the simple fact that prescription medicines are highly concentrated and usually do not exist in nature, so they badly affect the liver. Once your liver is chronically stressed out by using a medicine daily, any other stress you put on it, such as exposure to toxins, can undermine your health. As we get older, the liver works less efficient, so prescription drugs badly affect aging. Certainly, aging can have all those effects on us, but prescription medicines can advance and speed up the process.
Once you start combining drugs the side effects multiply. When some medicines interact, they might get dangerous, ineffective or trigger potential problems to your well-being. At times, drug-to-drug interactions may bring on serious side effects, which may vary from mild to fatal. Prescription medicines might interact with each other and with non-prescription medicines. Some kinds of food might also decelerate drug absorption, increase or reduce its efficacy, or trigger unexpected side effects.
Alcoholic beverages and caffeine might also affect how medicines work. For example, mixing alcoholic drinks with beta blockers, a type of medication used to treat hypertension and cardiac problems, may lower your blood pressure significantly. Alcoholic beverages may raise sleepiness and make it dangerous to drive or operate machinery if consumed with certain medications. Combining big amounts of caffeine with bronchodilators – taken to treat asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema – may not be safe, because this kind of medication and caffeine both stimulate the CNS.
So, before you start using a medication, inquire your doctor about potential side effects and drug-to-drug interactions. If there is a natural remedy for the medical problem you are having, opt for the safest treatment. |
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