Reasons for side effects fall into one of the following categories:
- adverse reaction to the medication
- dose-related side effects
- chronic side effects – a result of long-term medication.
Side Effects
Medicines are used because we want to produce a specific effect on or within the body. However, they can also produce unwanted effects. These are known as ‘side effects’. What this means is that during the use of the medicine, a potentially harmful or unintended response is created within the body.
Common side effects for medicines taken internally involve the gastrointestinal system. Nearly any medicine can cause nausea or an upset stomach, although it will not happen to everyone.
For medicines used externally, skin irritation is a common complaint.
It is essential that you are aware of the common side effects of the medicines used by the people you support, and any medicine’s potential adverse reactions they are known to have.
- Reactions to medications usually occur within one hour after taking the medicine .
- Reactions can also occur several hours later.
- It is estimated that up to 10% of the population may be at risk from allergic reactions to medication.
- Allergic reactions can be mild to life threatening.
Individuals may also become sensitive (allergic) to a specific medicine and, in some cases, administering a medicine to an individual who has developed such an allergy can result in a severe allergic response known as an anaphylactic response, which can be fatal.