Medication is the easiest way to relieve pain, illness, and other unpleasant bodily effects. But before you start taking drugs, it’s important to think about what could happen. In many cases, the side effects can be worse than the problems you’re trying to treat. A doctor prescribes medication to help people feel better, but it’s also important that the patient understands how their medication will affect them. When taking prescribed drugs, there are a few things to consider.
1. Height and Weight
Certain medications can cause an increase in your weight, while others can make you lose too much weight. When considering how your meds will affect your body, it’s important to consider how they’ll affect both areas of your life: mood and appearance. If you’re smaller or heavier than average, your body may absorb the drugs differently. A free prescription discount card provides a list of safe medications for more health conditions. The amount of medication you take may also change depending on your fat. This could make some drugs less effective. Making sure these things are accurate is especially important if you are overweight before starting the medication.
2. Sexual Function
Some medications can have lasting effects on sexual function. A prescription’s most common side effect can be low sexual desire and arousal, which may leave you frustrated and unmotivated. Your doctor can help you find a medication that won’t significantly change your sex life. Sex should be an enjoyable and natural part of your relationship; if it’s not, that can affect your overall mood. Certain antibiotics can cause birth control failure. If you were recently taking a form of contraception that won’t protect against STIs, it’s important to take extra precautions while taking medicine.
3. Existing Medical Conditions
Your prescription may be too strong if you have other medical conditions. If you are already taking medications, check to make sure they aren’t going to build a toxic amount of chemicals in your body. Try switching to a doctor who can look up your past medical histories. Your doctor can tell you if a certain drug is off-limits for you because of your existing conditions or medications. Certain drugs speed up the heart rate of the person taking them, which could be dangerous for people with a fast heartbeat. The same goes for blood pressure medications; some drugs have the opposite effect on people with low blood pressure. If you take the common pain reliever, Ibuprofen, you may be more prone to kidney problems. This is true of several other medications as well. Before starting any prescription, it’s important that you talk to your doctor about how your medication will affect any other disorders you have.
4. Medication Intolerance
Medications can also cause reactions in people who don’t have a history of being sensitive to them. If you or your loved ones have suffered an allergic reaction, you may be able to avoid the side effects of certain pills. Certain drugs may be dangerous for you if you have trouble with your liver function. Your doctor can help you develop a list of medications that are safe for you to take. If you have a medication allergy, you’ll react to the drug whether or not your doctor prescribes it. Some people can only safely take certain medications, though they’re not allergic to them. If you have a known allergy to a drug, your doctor will tell you what kind of reaction could happen if you took more than the recommended amount.
5. Drug Interactions
It’s important to talk about your prescriptions with your doctor, so you know there aren’t any risky interactions happening. If you take birth control with another drug, it could cause a dangerous response. Several blood thinners can lead to interactions that cause internal bleeding and blood clotting. Combining certain drugs could make them less effective or too strong for your body to handle. Asking about possible interactions can help you avoid a sudden onset of serious side effects. You should let your doctor know if you’re taking several different drugs simultaneously.
The effects of medications are important to consider before taking them. Before taking drugs, it’s important to check the list of side effects and discuss them with your doctor. It’s also important to understand how each prescription will affect your body.
