Medication Side-Effects - Find Common, Rare and Crazy Symptoms

Medication and side-effects seem nearly synonymous to anyone who requires pharmaceuticals regularly. But some drugs pose some seemingly unrelated symptoms.

Example: An often overlooked potential Klonopin side-effect involves upper respiratory problems, such as bronchitis. Medications are often the last considered in what appears to be a viral infection.

Worse are the frightful drug side-effects that appear as life-threatening symptoms, neurological disorders, or some form of psychosis.

Take Zyban, which is sustained release bupropion hydrochloride -- the same active ingredient in the antidepressant Wellbutrin -- an aid use in smoking cessation treatment. A handful of potential medication side-effects include delusions, hallucinations, psychosis, paranoia, and confusion.

The good news is that more health care providers are aware of the link in this instance. Too often, that is not the case.

Medication Side-Effects Lead to More Problems

Unbeknown to the patient as to cause, both typical and atypical medication side-effects may cause considerable fear, understandably. Further, expensive, and potentially unneeded, trips to the E.R. can result from lack of awareness.

Conversely, a patient cannot be too careful with some symptoms. Take for instance, chest pain. Even if angina is listed as a potential medication side-effect, a heart condition is possible. Thus a cardiac workup may be performed in the E.R. prior to consideration of any medication.

Are Healthcare Providers to Blame?

Many physicians and pharmacists are not as familiar with less common medication side-effects. Not to say health professionals are lax, in general, but there is a limit to expert knowledge and memory.

Health care providers rely on both available information and experience, and time-constraints pose a problem as less research is done.

Some medication side-effects are not well-documented, as a known link has not been established to the medicine. More commonly, the full list of rare side-effects is not included in general documentation.

Finding Listed and Unlisted Medication Side Effects

Peer-reviewed, scientific information as well as anecdotal information from patients is available to research potential medication side-effects. Each type offers unique benefits.

Say, for instance, a patient experiences hair loss while on a particular drug. Yet this medication side-effect is not noted in the Physician Desk Reference (PDR).

Though generally reliable, not all side-effects are known or listed when a medication is approved for sale. Addendums to pharmaceutical information can take years. Think of the "Black Box" warning on antidepressants, for example.

This is where the benefit of a consumer-driven medication web site helps. Several patients may have similar complaints involving the same drug.

While other causes for a symptom, such as hair loss, exist, the medication may in fact be responsible. Additionally, the medication side-effect may be a cumulative effect, involving additional medications or other factors, such as diet.

Information for the Doctor

Armed with anecdotal knowledge, which some physicians heavily criticize, a patient can approach a thoughtful physician. The doctor may at least consider the possibility, or offer a contrary explanation.

If feasible, and a potential medication side effect is distressful, a different medication may be considered instead.

How to Research Drugs and Medication Side-effects:

Both the brand name and generic name of a medication is useful to obtain when searching for medication side effects.

It is best to start with sound medical information and then proceed to other sources if the suspected medication side-effect is not found, and compare notes.

Medication Web Sites

Pill Identification: Whether you have a new prescription, a generic drug that looks different, or otherwise need to identify a pill, Drugs.com provides a valuable resource.

Medications can be searched by name or by description to obtain a descriptive image for comparison. Some medication side-effects occur from inadvertently ingesting the wrong medication, so identification may be a useful first step. The pharmacist or health care provider should be contacted if in doubt.

The Basics: For information on drugs and herbs, MedlinePlus offers patient-friendly information on both medications and herbs, with a list of mostly common side effects.

Provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the information is typical of what is provided by a pharmacy insert.

RXList: Deemed the Internet Drug Index, RXList.com provides an enormous amount of information on medications and medication side-effects. The Web site provides both professional (PDR) and patient information as well as up-to-date FDA warnings.

Navigate the Web site using the left menu as needed. Though exhaustive clinical trial information is included, patients can skip to the medication side-effect charts for easier review.

AskAPatient: If a patient has experienced a potential medication side-effect it is likely to be found at AskAPatient.com. Patients contribute both positive and negative experiences on over 2500 drugs.

The downside is that the information may be inaccurate, so it's important to look for repeated testimony, which may better indicate a viable drug reaction. For ease in searching for a particular medication side-effect use the "Find" function (CTRL-F on the keyboard), to efficiently locate a word or phrase.

CrazyMeds: Not your conventional medication web site, CrazyMeds.org offers some bold information, and oftentimes language, on psychotropic medications -- for treatment of mental illness and related disorders, such as anxiety.

Offering sections such as "What the doctor probably won't tell you," variably useful information is found on potential medication side-effects.

Unique and detailed, an interesting example is repeated dreams with the treatment of Topamax (used for mood stabilization and migraines).

While CrazyMeds.org may not completely hold up to the rigors of scientific analysis, if you feel you are losing your mind, and it may be your medicine, the information is worth checking out.

Conclusion

Heath information research is designed to provide education and perhaps some piece of mind. It may also offer a venue to more efficiently communicate with your doctor concerning your health care needs. Yet, if you are concerned about medication, symptoms or potential medication side-effects, a consultation with a medical professional is in order.

This article is for information purposes only and not designed to replace qualified medical advice.