The Wonder Down Under by Nina Brochmann & Ellen Støkken Dahl & Lucy Moffatt

Author:Nina Brochmann & Ellen Støkken Dahl & Lucy Moffatt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SCI036000 Science / Life Sciences / Human Anatomy & Physiology
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2018-03-06T05:00:00+00:00

WHAT IS A SIDE EFFECT?

Before we start to talk about individual side effects, you need to understand what a side effect is. A medication is designed to have a particular effect on the body and that’s why we take it. In the case of hormonal contraception, the reason we take it is that we wish to prevent pregnancy. Side effects are all the other effects the medication has on the body, which can be both positive and negative. For example, many women find that they have a lot fewer breakouts when they use hormonal contraception, which is a side effect that is perceived as positive. Blood clots, on the other hand, are a side effect nobody wants to have.

In the film Sliding Doors (1998) we follow Gwyneth Paltrow’s two parallel destinies: in one scenario she catches her train to work one morning, and in the other she misses it. This little detail has major consequences for the way her life turns out. Our body works the same way. It’s so complicated and complex that it’s impossible to affect a single function without creating ripple effects in other parts of the body at the same time. The mere presence of side effects doesn’t mean that a medication is harmful. It means that it’s working. If anybody ever claims that a medicine or treatment has no side effects, they’re either lying or the substance has no effect whatsoever.

Doctors and health authorities are very concerned about side effects. We know they are a necessary evil, but the aim is to keep them at as low a level as possible. This is why it’s extremely difficult to get medications approved for use. The drug manufacturer must first prove that the positive effects of the medicine will have the greatest possible likelihood of outweighing the negative effects. Years of studies and controlled experiments lie behind any new medication, precisely because we must know for sure what side effects you can expect when you take it.

In Norway, after a medication becomes available for use, it’s carefully monitored by the Norwegian Medicines Agency, which is independent of the pharmaceutical industry, so that any unknown side effects can be detected early on. If patients experience a side effect, they and their doctor can report it to the agency. If there’s any suspicion of a serious side effect having been overlooked—for example that use of the pill over many years causes cancer—new studies are launched. The same thing happens in the United States. The US Food and Drug Administration approves and carefully monitors all prescription medications in America. All serious side effects should be reported to your physician or ER. If appropriate, the medical professional will file a report with the FDA.

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