Understanding Drug Side Effects

Drug side effects is a reaction to an unexpected and dangerous due to a medication. Drug side effects, as well as the expected effects of the drug, is a performance of the dose or amount of drug in target organs.

Drug interactions is also one of the causes of side effects. This occurs when the health personnel (doctors, pharmacists, nurses) negligent in checking drugs consumed by patients, resulting in certain effects that are not expected in the patient's body. Increased severity of disease that can lead the patient's death is a condition common in the whole world because of this drug interaction.

These interactions can occur between drugs or between drugs with food / drink. Even plants that are used in alternative medicine is presumed safe by the majority of people can also interact with other drugs. An example is the plant St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), which is used for the treatment of depression was. These plants cause an increase in cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in metabolism and elimination of many drugs in the body, so patients taking St. John's wort will experience a reduction in levels of other drugs in the blood that can be used together.

The following are examples of drug side effects that usually occur:

1. Abortion or miscarriage, due Misoprostol, a drug used for prevention (gastric ulcers) gastric ulcers are caused by medication non-steroidal anti-inflammatory.
2. Addiction, due to sedative drugs and analgesics such as diazepam and morphine.
3. Damage to the fetus, due to Thalidomide and Accutane.
4. Intestinal bleeding due to aspirin.
5. Cardiovascular disease, due to drug COX-2 inhibitors.
6. Deafness and kidney failure, due to antibiotic Gentamicin.
7. Death, due to propofol.
8. Depression and injury of the liver, due to interferon.
9. Diabetes, caused by psychiatric drugs neuroleptik.
10. Diarrhea, due to the use of Orlistat.
11. Erectile dysfunction due to antidepressants.
12. Fever, due to vaccination.
13. Glaucoma, due to corticosteroid eye drops.
14. Hair loss and anemia, because the chemotherapy against cancer or leukemia. Hypertension, due to the use of ephedrine.
15. This makes the FDA revoked the status efedra plant extracts (source of ephedrine) as a food supplement.
16. Liver damage due to paracetamol.
17. Drowsiness and increased appetite due to the use of antihistamines.
18. Troke or heart attack due to the use of Sildenafil (Viagra).
19. Committed suicide due to the use of fluoxetine, an antidepressant.