There are No Side Effects

The next time your favorite television show is interrupted by a drug commercial claiming to make your life better and brighter with their chemical products, do me a favor. Ignore all those ecstatic, smiling faces at the end and actually listen to the “side effects” listed by the calming, authoritative voice. I looked up a few of the more common drugs on drugs.com, and here is what I found.

Statin drugs, which inhibit the production of liver enzymes, are commonly prescribed to reduce cholesterol. This class of drugs has the highest sales in the country. Common side effects of statin drugs, such as Lipitor, or Crestor, include memory loss; muscle pain; diarrhea; joint pain; mild sore throat; nausea; runny or stuffy nose; stomach upset. Severe side effects include:  Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing or swallowing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, throat, or tongue); change in the amount of urine produced; dark urine; muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness (with or without fever or fatigue); painful, difficult, or frequent urination; pale stools; persistent loss of appetite; persistent pain, soreness, redness, or swelling of a tendon or joint; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; severe or persistent nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain; unusual tiredness; yellowing of the eyes or skin.

Now I will break down some of these drug effects. Yellowing of the eyes and skin, along with urine changes, fecal changes like diarrhea and pale stool, all indicate a breakdown of your liver. Great! The drug is working! Statin drugs are designed to stop liver function. I hope you have realized, at this point, that liver function is essential to your life. I didn’t say “to your quality of life.” I said, “to your life.” Other side effects of statin drugs, like muscle soreness, tiredness, and memory loss indicate that your nervous system is breaking down. This country is in the midst of an increasedtrend in Alzheimer’s Disease, multiple sclerosis, early-onset dementia, and other, more nebulous nervous system problems. You can bet that some of this increase relates to statin drugs.

Let us look at a gentler, kinder drug, shall we? Let’s take a look at a drug for the treatment of simple airborne allergies. Nasonex has these “common” side effects:  Burning or irritation inside the nose; coughing; headache; muscle and joint pain; nosebleed or pink color to the mucus; painful menstruation; sinus pain or pressure; sore throat; upper respiratory tract infection; vomiting.I have not listed the side effects classified as “severe.”

There are no side effects. Pharmaceutical companies coined the term to denote “undesirable” effects a drug may have on your body. Just because the effect of a drug is not desired does not mean it is not important. There are no side effects. There are only effects. How are your drugs effecting you?