Introduction
It has been found that about half of the studies which are published on the new medical treatments do not cover all the adverse side effects that they had found. It was found when some British researchers came across individual cases in which missing side effects were reported. It includes academic, hospitals and pharmaceutical studies. For analyzing how much wider this problem has spread, they conducted the study on 28 journal articles and cross-checked it to analyze if any data was not reported. The results confirmed the assumption that some of these drugs have the side effects which is not even known by the doctors, therefore, making the treatment altogether quite unsafe (Golder, Loke, Golder, & Norman, 2016).
Mostly, the medicine we take makes our lives safer. These drugs reduce pains, aches, fight infections and get control over the problems which can become dangerous after getting out of control like that of diabetes and high blood pressure. However, this is not always the case. Medicines do have unwanted side effects or reactions as well. One of the problems is the interactions that may occur when drugs and food like statins and grapefruit are taken together, or when two drugs like blood thinners and aspirin are taken together, or when drugs and diseases like peptic ulcers and aspirins occur together or when drugs and supplements like blood thinners and gingko are taken simultaneously. The interactions may change or alter the actions of both or one drug. Either the drug might not work, or it can show some side effects.
Side effects are the unwanted reactions caused by the drugs which can be as mild as drowsiness and stomachache to some serious ones as well. Drug allergies are another reaction kind which can also be life-threatening to mild. Having skin reactions like rashes and hives is common as compared to having a serious allergic reaction like Anaphylaxis (Medline Plus.gov, 2018). This paper is going to delve into some specific drugs and their side effects in detail.
Anti-Depressants
People suffering from severe depression and anxiety often consult doctors and psychiatrists. Along with the talk therapy, these doctors also recommend their patients’ different antidepressants. Antidepressants basically change the number of particular chemicals in our brains that are capable of affecting our emotions and mood. Thus, they are believed to be a quick and easy solution for anxiety patients. But like all the other medicines, they also have certain side effects (Allen, 2011).
Antidepressants include a range of medicines prescribed by doctors all over the world to patients suffering from depression and other mental health issues. These medicines include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), monoamine oxidize inhibitors (MAOIs), atypical antidepressants and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs).
It is commonly known that depression is caused by a certain imbalance of chemicals in our brain. But is it true? The truth is slightly different. Antidepressants do increase the amount of neurotransmitter serotonin in human brains, but depression is so not caused by the deficiency of serotonin. Research says that depression and anxiety are caused due to immune system suppression, inflammation, an excess of stress hormones, and deficiency of certain nutrition and shrinking of brain cells. Along with these biological causes, some psychological factors such as low self-esteem, loneliness, poor diet and lack of exercise can also cause a person to face depression. It does not mean that these medicines do not work. Antidepressants can be lifesaving for people who are dealing with severe depression. But people do face certain side effects due to them (Helpguide.Org, 2018).
The side effects of antidepressants vary from person to person. They might depend on your health condition or genetic makeup. Even the same antidepressant does not have the same effect on every person. Some side effects caused by these medications include diarrhea, weird dreams, jitteriness, insomnia, nausea, restlessness, dizziness, dry mouth, sweating, tremors, weight gain, constipation, headaches, and fatigue.
One of the rarely known and less talked about side effect of antidepressants is decreased sex drive. Patients who take SSRIs normally report their decreased interest in sex and having an orgasm. One way to deal with this symptom is to change your antidepressant or to include any other medication along with it. These antidepressants can also affect a person’s weight. People consuming these medicines often complain about their weight. Some patients face an excessive amount of weight gain while others have reported an evident amount of reduction in their weight. Some antidepressants are capable of boosting one’s energy level. They might be fine for people who feel sleepy all the time but can become a cause of major insomnia for others. Thus, a single antidepressant might provide benefit to one person, but can become a cause of stress and anxiety for another (Ferguson, 2001).
The side effects of the antidepressant can be identified by using the site of action and receptor selectivity. Even though the SSRIs have shown better safety and tolerability as compared to the other older antidepressants, the broad-based experience regarding the SSRIs has shown the type and frequency of side effects to be increased. The study shows the reasons for the various profiles and the side effects it shows. The adverse effects included weight gain, sexual dysfunction, and sleep disturbance.
The tolerance improvement from the use of SSRIs is because of its selectivity and lack of interaction with the receptors like the cholinergic, histaminic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic. There is some variance evident in the different profiles of the adverse effects of the available SSRIs. For example, it has been found that citalopram is the best-tolerated SSRI and then fluoxetine, paroxetine and then fluvoxamine are ranked. The study showed that GI disturbances were associated with fluvoxamine and insomnia, anxiety and agitation with fluoxetine and sertraline. Overall, the more troubling adverse side effects were found to be weight gain, sleep disturbance, and sexual disturbance.
Antidepressants can be harmful sometimes as they can cause a person to commit suicide. People taking medications for depression must be closely monitored in the starting one to two months of their treatment as some patients face increase instead of decrease in depression while consuming these medicines. The United States food and drugs administration require all the drug makers to attach a label of suicide warning with every drug. It is advised to the families and relatives of depression’s patients to watch them for suicide warning signs closely. These signs include suicidal thoughts, worse anxiety, worse depression, aggression, difficulty in sleeping, hyperactive behavior and other unusual activities.
Everyone taking these medications faces different symptoms, but certain people are at a higher risk and must be taken definite care of. They include pregnant women, aged people and people who are suffering from bipolar disorders.
Anti-tuberculosis Drugs
Tuberculosis therapy is mainly aimed at curing patients and reducing the possibility of transmission of bacillus to other healthy individuals. The medication of the disease via the use of anti-tuberculosis drugs can cause adverse side effects as well, making it necessary to discontinue or modify the treatment.
The chart 1 shows the doses recommended for the treatment of tuberculosis as per the World Health Organization and the Brazilian National Ministry of Health. Even though these therapeutic regimes are effective, there has been evidence of undesirable drugs interactions which can result in varying degrees of adverse reactions. Drug interactions are considered here as the reciprocal reactions from drug intake causing undesirable and unpredicted results. These interactions can change the concentration of serum of drugs, reducing their effectiveness.
The adverse side effects of anti-tuberculosis drugs are linked to many factors. The main determinants are the time of day medication was given and its dosage. Other than this, the patient’s age, and their nutritional status, and preexisting diseases are various factors. The adverse reactions of the anti-tuberculosis drugs can change therapeutic regimen and can lead to drug utilization which is more toxic and less active. It can significantly increase the costs of treatment and outpatient visits, some home visits and hospitalizations. Furthermore, patients can abandon or interrupt their treatment.
Minor or mild side effects of the drugs include vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, epigastric pain, arthritis, arthralgia, headache, peripheral neuropathy, anxiety, cutaneous puritus, insomnia, euphoria, and reduced libido. Adverse effects of drugs can be in the form of vertigo, hepatotoxicity, exanthema, and hepatitis (Arbex, Varella, Siqueira, & Mello, 2010).
Drugs Causing Depression as Side Effects
If someone is taking Zantac or Prilosec for acid reflux or is taking a beta blocker for the treatment of high blood pressure or having Xanax for the treatment of anxiety, then it is expected that they are increasing their risk of having depression. There are more than 200 common medications like the ones mentioned above which include depression as one of the side effects. The risk some time arises from taking more drugs at one time. The study has found that people taking these drugs are more likely to be the target of depression (Aubrey, 2018).
The list of drugs which were included in this study includes some commonly taken medications including the proton pump inhibitors, anxiety drugs, beta blockers, painkillers, anti-convulsing drugs, and ACE inhibitors. More doses of these medications can cause depression. The study included 26,192 adults have participated in a federal survey of the US. Each completed a depression screening, which asked about appetite, sleep, and mood (Rabin, 2018).
Almost more than a third of the people taking the medications and the survey were found to have suicidal thoughts and depression as the side effects. The researchers found them to be more likely prone to depression as compared to the others not taking the same medications (Qato, Ozenberger, & Olfson, 2018).
Anti-Hypertension Drugs & Its Side Effects:
Hypertension is the disease which impacts almost more than 40 million adults in the United States alone. Over 50% of these are treated with pharmacological treatment, while the other 25% have high blood pressure controlled. Non-adherence to medication occurs in about more than 50% of the new hypertensive patients in their first treatment year. It leads to uncontrolled hypertension. Non-adherence moreover increases the possibility of uncontrollable hypertension five times. It consequently increases the potential numbers of hospitalization rate, mortality, and cost for treatment. It can further lead to the increase in potential risk of stroke, heart failure, cardiovascular mortality.
It has been found that about 30 to 97% of the patients who intake antihypertensive medication has experienced the side effects of the drugs. Studies have shown that these side effects are the main determinants of the low adherence to the drugs from hypertension. The patients, after conducting the test with higher antihypertensive drug side effects, were found to have non-adherence with the medication. The side effects included excessive urination, the decline in the sexual drive were related to the non-adherence to the drugs. Other than these, the patients also experienced side effects of erection problems, declined sex drive and excessive urination during the night (Tedla & Bautista, 2015).
Chemotherapy Side Effects
The side effects of chemotherapy have been reported many times in clinical trials. The study has been conducted to investigate if the severity or frequency of the reported side effects of chemotherapy is serious. The method employed a prospective cohort study of the individuals with lung, breast, or colorectal cancer who have undergone are still undergoing chemotherapy. Patient-reported side effects were considered: the incidence rates, prevalence, and frequency of the side effects of the regarding the grade and type of cancer. The study results showed that most common side effects were reported to be dispensed or fatigue followed by diarrhea, and constipation. The research concluded that the side effects of chemotherapy regarding self-reported by the patients during their clinical care showed side effects of constipation, chest pain, dispense, diarrhea, mucositis, fatigue, vomiting, rash and pain (Pearce, et al., 2017).
Lantus (Insulin Glargine) Side Effects
The Lantus is the injection, which is the man-made hormone that is originally produced in the body for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The side effects of the use of Lantus include redness, pain, itching, swelling or thickening of the skin at the site of the injection. Other than this, headache, irritability, sweating, weakness, hunger, tremor, rapid breathing, fainting, fast heartbeat, trouble in concentrating and seizure can be some of the symptoms.
Furthermore, regular insulin can also cause hypoglycemia, which is low blood pressure that can be fatal as well. The symptoms of low blood pressure include hunger, sweating, headache, confusion, lightheadedness, shakiness, and dizziness. Moreover, intake of thiazolidinediones along with regular insulin can cause failure in the heart in some patients. It is predicted even if someone does not have any heart problems before this, and the ones who are having a heart problem history can be seriously threatened. Sudden weight gain, shortness of breath and the swelling of feet and ankles are the symptoms of heart problems.
Common side effects of insulin include swelling of legs and arms, low blood pressure, hunger, shakiness, dizziness, tingling in hands, tongue, and lips, allured speech, mood swings, blurred vision, and confusion. Serious side effects include lower blood pressure, low level of blood potassium, heart failure, serious allergic reactions, swelling of feet and hands (Healthline.Com, 2018).
Multivitamins and its Side Effects
It is advised never to take any dose other than the recommended multivitamins. Even though multivitamins do not cause serious side effects, it includes lesser effects of stomach upset, unusual taste in mouth and headache. Multivitamins contain minerals, which can cause side effects, including increased urination, uneven heart rate, tooth staining, confusion, stomach bleeding, limp feeling and muscle weakness.
Conclusion
Whatever the medication one is using and whatever the side effects it shows or has, it is wise to consider and ask all the side effects of the medical consultant. It is better to be aware of the side effects and its symptoms to keep a check on it. Furthermore, it is also wise to consult a doctor immediately, which can only be done if one knows about the side effects. Lastly, the research agencies should not inhibit any research and study data which entail information on side effects. As it can be drastically misleading and dangerous for patients that the doctors do not have enough knowledge about the medicine they are prescribing.
References
Allen, A. (2011). Coping With Side Effects of Depression Treatment. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/coping-with-side-effects-of-depression-treatment#3
Arbex, M. A., Varella, M. d., Siqueira, H. R., & Mello, F. A. (2010). Antituberculosis drugs: drug interactions, adverse effects, and use in special situations. Part 1: first-line drugs. Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia, 36(5), 626-640.
Aubrey, A. (2018, June 12). 1 In 3 Adults In The U.S. Takes Medications Linked To Depression. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/06/12/619274492/1-in-3-adults-in-the-u-s-take-medications-that-can-cause-depression
Ferguson, J. M. (2001). SSRI Antidepressant Medications: Adverse Effects and Tolerability. Primary care companion Journal of clinical psychiatry, 3(1), 22-27.
Golder, S., Loke, Y. K., Golder, S., & Norman, G. (2016). Reporting of Adverse Events in Published and Unpublished Studies of Health Care Interventions: A Systematic Review. PLos medicine, 13(9), 1-22.
Healthline.Com. (2018, July 15). Insulin-Regular, Injectable Solution. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/regular-insulin-injectable-solution#interactions
Helpguide.Org. (2018). Antidepressant Medication: What You Need to Know About Depression Medication. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/antidepressant-medication.htm
Medline Plus.gov. (2018). Drug Reactions. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/drugreactions.html
Pearce, A., Haas, M., Viney, R., Pearson, S.-A., Haywood, P., Brown, C., & Ward, R. (2017). Incidence and severity of self-reported chemotherapy side effects in routine care: A prospective cohort study. Plos One, 12(10), 1-12.
Qato, D. M., Ozenberger, K., & Olfson, M. (2018). Prevalence of Prescription Medications With Depression as a Potential Adverse Effect Among Adults in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association, 319(22), 2289-2298.
Rabin, R. C. (2018, June 13). Common Drugs May Be Contributing to Depression. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/well/prescription-drugs-depression-suicide.html
Tedla, Y. G., & Bautista, L. E. (2015). Drug Side Effect Symptoms and Adherence to Antihypertensive Medication. American Journal of Hypertension, 29(6), 772-779.
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