Prescription Medications That You Are Currently Taking Can be Dangerous
Adverse reactions to medications are actually pretty common, and can also be life-threatening. How early after you start taking a new medication can symptoms start? You would be surprised to know just how often adverse medication reactions occur. Sometimes drug reactions happen as an allergic reaction, while other times there may be a very severe side effect from a drug. Certain adverse medication reactions may be very mild, like an upset stomach or diarrhea, which are usually tolerable and in most cases do not require changing to a different medication. On the other hand, even frequently used nonprescription medications can be dangerous to your health, especially if they aren’t used properly. Whoever would have had a clue that people who took very high doses of Tylenol would end up with total liver failure? The question most people often have about adverse medication reactions is - when are they likely to happen if they are going to happen at all?
In reality, however, an adverse reaction to a medication simply doesn’t always happen instantly. Sometimes, it may be several weeks or even months before symptoms of an adverse medication reaction appear. For example, many people who take statin medications to control cholesterol develop soreness in their muscles. It is not all that rare for someone to be relatively symptom-free for months or even years before they start feeling muscle ache; but generally most people begin to feel negative drug impacts within the first four to six weeks of starting a new drug.
An allergic reaction to a drug is one of the types of an adverse medication reaction that often happens soon after first taking the medicine. If you have an allergic reaction to a medication, the symptoms will usually begin within a few days, and sometimes occur just hours after you have started taking a new medicine. Symptoms may be mild, such as a skin rash, or more severe, like shortness of breath, fever, or dizziness. Even if the only symptom you develop is a rash, any symptom of an allergic reaction to a drug should be evaluated and treated by a doctor as soon as possible. After the symptoms are treated, the person should never take this medication again, because more severe symptoms could occur the next time the person took the drug.
How can you most effectively prevent an adverse medication reaction? Make sure that your doctor is aware of every prescription medication, herbal supplement, or vitamin that you take; this will help to decrease the chance that you will experience drug interactions. In addition, he or she should be made aware of any drug reaction that you have had in the past. When you get a prescription from the pharmacy, make sure the pharmacist has an updated list of the prescription drugs you are currently taking; this will help him or her to ensure that you aren’t likely to develop a conflict with another medication you are taking. Anyone who starts having new symptoms after beginning a medication should contact a doctor. When you start taking a new medicine, find out about possible side effects by looking them up on a reliable website.
Negative medication reactions aren’t unusual, and in some situations, may be life-threatening. These don’t always happen immediately, though, so be careful and keep an eye open for any new symptoms that you might experience several weeks or even months after starting the medicine.
Tags: allergic, nonprescription medications, reaction to a medication
