Prescription Side Effects Explored

The U.S. has a long and significant history with pharmaceutical medicines. Many of these medications treat an array of debilitating diseases and conditions, and are thus highly valuable to our society. However, as is the case with many great things in life, there is also a potential downside. Prescription drugs can interact with one’s body in unintended ways – eliciting side effects that can range in intensity from mildly bothersome to potentially life-threatening. To find out more about the drawbacks of these drugs, we sifted through a popular online repository for pharmaceutical information and identified the most commonly self-reported side effects and the medications that are likely to cause them.

Before any drug can be marketed in the United States, the FDA evaluates its effects to determine whether the drug does more good than harm. Even after a drug passes FDA approval, manufacturers are required to warn consumers of its side effects. Even with these requirements in place, manufacturers don’t always follow the rules. One recent example is a marketing tweet from Kim Kardashian touting the benefits of a morning sickness pill, which the FDA says did not make an adequate effort to warn consumers of dangerous side effects.

The side effects for commonly prescribed drugs can be quite dangerous, and it something consumers should discuss with their doctor before taking any medication. For the drugs surveyed (Ambien, clonazepam, Concerta, hydrocodone, OxyContin, Percocet, Suboxone, Vicodin, Xanax, and Zoloft), the most commonly reported side effects include lethargy, mood swings, and sexual dysfunction. This proves that side effects not only impact the body but the mind as well. Furthermore, these risks are not limited to drug abuse and can occur even when the medicine is taken as directed.

Prescriptions for painkillers, tranquilizers, and stimulants are written at an alarming rate in this country, with over 4 billion prescription drugs being filled in retail pharmacies in 2014. More people are taking these drugs than ever before, which increases both the chances of side effects and the threat of abuse. Suboxone, for instance, which is designed to help people break free from opioid dependence, is actually a source of abuse itself. Suboxone has the highest combined number of reported serious and severe side effect cases out of the many drugs analyzed. Other outliers are clonazepam and Zoloft, both of which are used to treat common medical conditions, including anxiety, depression, and/or panic disorder.

Troublesome (and sometimes severe) side effects often go hand-in-hand with prescription medications. Furthermore, even with a demonstrated medical need – as well as the requisite physician endorsement and supervision of their administration – many types of prescription medications pose a risk to those taking them for developing debilitating chemical dependencies. This is especially true if used in doses and for durations that exceed that intended for legitimate medical use. If you or someone close to you is struggling with an addiction to painkillers, sedatives or any other type of prescription medication, substance abuse treatment can provide much needed help. Call 1-888-512-4610 to speak with someone about your prescription drug recovery options today.

Some of the side effects are downright scary. Tremors, feelings of anger or rage, and irregular heartbeat are some of the more terrifying. Sexual dysfunction is also listed in five of the nine drugs listed, and insomnia and anxiety make multiple appearances as well.

Long-term abuse of prescription drugs not only increases the risk of the side effects associated with a particular drug, but it can trigger other debilitating conditions as well. Abusing prescription stimulants such as Ritalin can cause permanent heart and brain damage, organ damage, malnutrition, disorientation, depression, and even psychosis.

To be sure, not all types of prescription medication are drugs of abuse. Rather, they are employed to treat a variety of medical problems. However, even these drugs come with a laundry list of potentially unpleasant and, at times, dangerous side effects – making it very important to take them only as prescribed.

See which ones were reported most frequently by side effect in the flipbook below.

Side effects occur with any medication. In most cases, the risks of experiencing any side effect will be outweighed by the benefits of the prescribed medication in question. In comparing the side effects of both prescription drugs without abuse potential with those that do, we may see some commonalities. Both abused and non-abused substances alike can have troublesome side effect profiles; and, as a result, both warrant caution when taking them.

An important difference worth detailing is that—no matter how troublesome they may seem—rarely does the severity of a side effect approximate the debilitating nature of the compulsive drug use and addiction that can quickly develop after taking some medications. It is a point for anyone to carefully consider before taking any prescribed medication with demonstrated abuse potential.

Conclusion
The most recent survey on drug-related emergency department visits showed 2.3 million cases of adverse pharmaceutical drug reactions. Additionally 9 out of 10 poisoning deaths in the United States are a result of pharmaceuticals, for a total of over 17,000 in 2010. This is all the more reason only to take medications as prescribed by your doctor and report anything out of the ordinary as soon as possible. Never take drugs that are not prescribed to you, the potential side effects of misuse and abuse are simply not worth the risk.

Sadly, prescription drug abuse and addiction have become alarmingly prevalent. With rampant phenomenon such as doctor shopping and prescription diversion, the availability and resultant threat posed from the use of some prescription medication has grown to rival that of some illicit street drugs. Addiction treatment can help those suffering from a prescription drug dependency. Visit our website at Addiction-Treatment.com, or place a confidential call to 1-888-512-4610 – speak with a caring treatment support team member about prescription drug detox options.

Methodology
We scraped reported side effect data from rateadrug.com on July 9, 2015. We excluded any drug with fewer than 10 comments on the site, and we excluded any side effects that had a 100% rating due to an insignificant number of total reports. These are self-reported side effects.

Sources
http://www.rateadrug.com/
http://claad.org/rx-drug-abuse-stats/
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/ritalin/the-vicious-effects-of-prescription-stimulants.html
http://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/signs-symptoms-suboxone.html
http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/total-retail-rx-drugs/
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm196029.htm

Fair Use Statement
We grant permission to use the images found on this page freely. When doing so, we ask that you kindly attribute the creators by linking to addiction-treatment.com and this page so your readers can learn more about the project and its methodology.