List of Common Drug Side Effects

List of Common Drug Side Effects

1. Allergic Reactions

• Potentially could occur with any medication.
• Symptoms range from a mild rash to a severe anaphylactic reaction (including facial and throat swelling, difficulty breathing and a widespread rash).

2. Prevention and management strategies:

• Take an antihistamine and see a doctor straight away if you think you are having an allergic reaction to a medicine. Seek emergency help if the reaction is severe
• If the allergic reaction is confirmed as occurring due to that drug, avoid it and other related drugs in the future
• Wear a medical alert tag to alert others to the medicine you are allergic too.

2. Blurred Vision

• May occur with antihistamines, antipsychotics, bupivacaine, bupropion, duloxetine, esomeprazole, etodolac, gabapentin, opioids, and several other drugs.

Prevention and management strategies:

• Talk to your doctor about switching medications
• Lubricant eye drops may help
• Avoid driving with impaired vision.

3. Bruising and Bleeding

Common with medicines that “thin the blood” such as aspirin, clopidogrel, enoxaparin, and warfarin. Also, common with NSAIDs, steroids (such as prednisone) and medicines to treat cancer.

Prevention and management strategies:

• Try to avoid bumping yourself into furniture.
Remove any trip hazards, such as loose rugs

• Cuts may take longer to stop bleeding. Hold a gauze over the affected area and apply pressure

• Seek emergency help if you have a wound that bleeds profusely or doesn’t stop bleeding within 15 minutes.

4. Constipation

Common with opioids, diuretics, calcium antagonists, antidepressants, aluminum-containing antacids, ondansetron, and iron supplements.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Increase water intake and fiber content of your diet (if appropriate)
2. Exercise, if possible
3. If mild, talk to your doctor about taking laxatives such as docusate, sennosides, or psyllium
4. If severe and caused by opioids, talk to your doctor about methylnaltrexone or naloxegol.

5. Cough

Common with ACE inhibitors (these can cause a dry, hacking, chronic cough in up to 20 percent of patients)

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Talk to your doctor about switching medications
2. Usually resolves one-to-two weeks after discontinuation.

6. Dehydration

Common with antihistamines, blood pressure medications, chemotherapy, and laxatives.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Drink fluids. Cooled or iced fluids may go down easier
2. Eat moist foods such as fruits, vegetables, and soups
3. Regularly moisturize skin and apply lip balm
4. Apply balm to the lips to avoid painful cracking.

7.Diarrhea

May occur with some antibiotics, antidepressants, magnesium-containing antacids, proton pump inhibitors (eg, lansoprazole, omeprazole) and chemotherapy agents.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. If due to antibiotic use, talk to your doctor about taking probiotics
2. Talk to your doctor about antidiarrheal medication
3. Ask doctor about reducing the dosage of your drug or other suitable treatments
4. Keep up your fluid and electrolyte intake to avoid dehydration
5. If extremely persistent or severe, always tell your doctor.

8. Drowsiness or Sedation

Medications that cause drowsiness include benzodiazepines (such as lorazepam, diazepam), some antidepressants, antiemetics, older antihistamines (such as diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine), some heart medications, muscle relaxants and narcotics.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. If your medication is making you drowsy during the day, talk to your doctor about reducing the dosage of your drug or other suitable treatments
2. Do not drive, operate machinery, or perform other hazardous tasks if affected
3. Avoid alcohol.

9. Dry mouth (Xerostomia)

May occur with antiarrhythmics, anticholinergics, antihistamines, drugs for high cholesterol, anti-inflammatory agents, diuretics, vasodilators, drugs for Parkinson’s Disease, and antipsychotics.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Ask doctor about reducing drug dosage or other suitable treatments
2. Go for regular dental check-ups and ask dentist about application of sealants to teeth fissures
3. Eat low-sugar, low-acid foods
4. Avoid alcohol-containing mouthwashes
5. Chew xylitol chewing gum
6. Drug-treatments are available for people with Sjogren’s syndrome or a history of radiation therapy.

10. Erectile Dysfunction or Decreased Sexual Desire

More common with antidepressants, antihistamines, benzodiazepines, beta blockers, diuretics, and H2 blockers.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Talk to your doctor about the possibility of switching to a different medication
2. Limit use of alcohol, smoking or recreational drugs such as marijuana which can also affect sexual function
3. Talk to your doctor about medications and other treatments for sexual dysfunction, such as prescription medications (for example PDE5 inhibitors), vacuum pumps, implants, surgery, and natural options.

11. Esophageal Damage

May occur with a wide-range of drugs including aspirin, bisphosphonates (such as alendronate), doxycycline, potassium chloride, quinidine, and vitamin C.

▪️Prevention and management strategies:

1. Take all medicines while upright and swallow with a glass of water
2. Avoid lying down soon after taking a medicine
3. For some medicines, recommended advice includes remaining upright for 30 minutes after taking
4. Avoid irritating foods such as citrus and alcohol
5. Talk to your doctor about the possibility of switching to a different medication.

12. Indigestion or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

May occur with drugs that irritate the stomach lining (such as aspirin, iron, NSAIDs, steroids), those that relax the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) (such as anticholinergics, calcium channel blockers, and nitrates) or reduce LES pressure (such as progesterone, theophylline, and tricyclic antidepressants).

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Talk to your doctor about reducing the dosage of, or switching to another drug
2. Elevate the head of the bed
3. Avoid foods that also irritate the stomach or affect the LES such as alcohol, carbonated beverages, citrus, coffee, fatty foods, or tomatoes
4. Quit smoking if you smoke, lose weight if you are overweight, avoid tight waistbands
5. Talk to your doctor about GERD medications such as antacids, H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors.

13. Falling or Unsteadiness on Feet

Medicines that cause confusion, fatigue or sedation such as antipsychotics, some antidepressants, benzodiazepines, sedating antihistamines, antiepileptics, narcotics, and some heart medications.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. If sedation is the problem, talk with your doctor about changing the dose or trying an alternative medication
2. Remove rugs from the floor and throw rugs from furniture
3. Ask for help when getting up or walking
4. If you fall, tell your doctor and get checked for injuries
5. A home health nurse may be able to suggest ways to make your home safer
6. If you have a walker or wheelchair, use it every time you get up.

14. Gingival Enlargement (Growth of the gums around the teeth)

May occur with cyclosporine, calcium channel blockers (eg, nifedipine), and phenytoin.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Requires dosage reduction or drug discontinuation
2. Surgical removal of gingival tissue is only temporarily effective if the drug can’t be discontinued.

15. Gout

May occur with aspirin (low dose), chemotherapy agents, cyclosporine, frusemide, and thiazide diuretics.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Talk to your doctor about reducing the dosage of, or switching to another drug
2. Your doctor may prescribe NSAIDs or other drugs to relieve the pain from gout
3. Avoid alcohol and purine-rich foods (cheeses, red meats) during the gout flare-up.

16. Headache

1. Common with asthma medications, angina and blood pressure medications, oral contraceptives, erectile dysfunction treatments, and stimulants
2. Rebound headaches can be caused by overuse of acetaminophen, aspirin, NSAIDs, and opioids.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Talk to your doctor about alternative medications or a dosage reduction if the headaches are very debilitating
2. Some may respond to acetaminophen – but check with your doctor first
3. Rest in a quiet, dimly lit room
4. Heat, massage therapy, acupressure, or reflexology may help if the headaches recur
5. Keep well hydrated (drink plenty of water).

17. Infection

Corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, chemotherapy and several other medicines suppress your immune system and increase your risk of developing an infection.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Wash your hands before eating, after contact with other people or animals, and after toileting
2. Stay away from people who are sick if your infection risk is increased (either by the medicines you are taking or the condition you have)
3. Keep up to date with your vaccinations (includes a yearly flu shot)
4. See your doctor as soon as you can if you develop symptoms of an illness and your immune system is compromised.

18. Hair Loss

1. May affect all body hair or just scalp hair
2. Common with chemotherapy or radiation therapy
3. May also occur with certain acne treatments, antibiotics, antidepressants, oral contraceptives, and cholesterol-lowering medicines.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Be gentle when brushing or combing your hair.
2. Avoid over-styling your hair. Wear a hair net to bed
3. Consider purchasing a wig while you still have hair to allow better matching with your original hair color. Wigs may be partly covered by insurance when called a “cranial prosthesis”
4. If due to chemotherapy or radiation therapy, ask your doctor about cooling caps.

19. Muscle Pain or Muscle Weakness

Common with statins (used to reduce cholesterol levels). May be due to an effect on muscle proteins or a decrease in coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10).

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Tell your doctor straight away because sometimes the muscle pain may indicate more severe damage. A lower dosage or a different medication may be needed

2. Avoid exercising too much

3. Do not take over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or NSAIDs

4. Consider CoQ10 supplements; however, study results have been conflicting.

20. Nausea and Vomiting

1. Common with chemotherapy or radiation therapy
2. May also occur with drugs that tend to slow or block the bowel, when electrolytes are imbalanced or with infections.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Antinausea medications (also called antiemetics) such as ondansetron, aprepitant, dexamethasone, and dronabinol can prevent vomiting and help control nausea. You may have to try several before finding one that works for you
2. Self-hypnosis, muscle relaxation, biofeedback, guided imagery and other “mindfulness” techniques may help
3. Acupuncture may help with anticipatory nausea
4. Eat small, frequent meals rather than large meals three times a day
5. Drink clear liquids cold and sip slowly. Try Popsicles or gelatine
6. Eat bland foods, such as dry toast and crackers and avoid fatty, fried, spicy, strong-smelling or very sweet foods
7. Try chewing ginger.

21. Taste Disturbances

Common with many drugs including antibiotics (such as ciprofloxacin, metronidazole), anticonvulsants, antidepressants, aspirin, blood pressure medications, lithium, metformin, and muscle relaxants.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Usually reversible with drug discontinuation (although may take several months)
2. Prepare foods with a variety of colors and textures
3. Use herbs and spices (but avoid adding extra sugar or salt).

22. Tendonitis (tendinitis) or Tendon Rupture

1. Most commonly reported with fluoroquinolone antibiotics (eg, ciprofloxacin norfloxacin, ofloxacin, levofloxacin)
2. More common in people over the age of 60, taking corticosteroids, or with a history of organ transplant.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Tell your doctor BEFORE you start taking the fluoroquinolone if you have had a tendon problem in the past
2. Avoid strenuous activity while taking the fluoroquinolone
3. Discontinue the antibiotic immediately if you experience pain or swelling in a tendon and seek medical advice
4. Avoid all fluoroquinolones in the future if you develop a tendon problem while taking a fluoroquinolone.

23. Weight Gain

Common with antipsychotics, most antidiabetic drugs (except for metformin), antidepressants and antiepileptics.

Prevention and management strategies:

1. Talk to your doctor about the possibility of switching to a different medication
2. Eat a healthy diet and limit your portion sizes
3. Eat more slowly at meals
4. Drink water throughout the day
5. Exercise regularly.