7 Horrific Side Effects of Prescription Drugs

The presence of various types of prescription drugs has become banal nowadays, but drugs were one of the breakthroughs of medical sciences as various deadly diseases that once killed people ended up getting treated. But, these prescription drugs are not only harmful to infections as they can also affect the health of the users if not taken in recommended amounts as it can lead to an addiction crisis.

Moreover, these drugs also tend to exhibit undocumented side effects, and one typical example would be Zantac, which started to misbehave and resulted in the phenomenon of  Zantac lawsuit. Therefore, prescription drugs are not to trifled with, as it is estimated that around 4 million Americans visit the hospitals due to the side effects of prescription drugs. We have listed here seven most horrific side effects of prescription drugs so that you think twice before popping a pill. 

1.     Mood swings:

Mood changes are one of the most common side effects of abusing prescription drugs as they act on brain chemistry, leaving it unstable. For example, prescription drugs that belong to the class of opioids stimulate the brain cells by pumping neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin in the bloodstream. They may make the user feel better for a while. But, in the long run, they have damaging effects because once their effects start to wear off, the user begins to go into withdrawal, which leads to irritability, mood swings, and depression.

2.     Hallucinations:

Hallucination is a condition when a patient starts to see things that are not there in reality. Typically, it is a symptom of many mental diseases like schizophrenia, but it has also been documented as the side effect of many prescription drugs, including some antibiotics.

3.     Memory Loss:

You may not be able to relate memory loss to anything other than the natural aging process. But, it is recorded as the side effect of a lot of prescription drugs belonging to the classes of sedatives, opioids, and seizure medications.

4.     Confusion and lack of focus:

Most prescription drugs are associated with focus issues or ‘brain fog,’ which means that the users find themselves unable to think with clarity. As a result, they struggle to make quick decisions and fail to focus on academics or work. Moreover, this mental cloudiness leads to a confused state of mind called delirium, which arrives in short bursts and disappears throughout the day.

5.     Sleep Disturbances:

Prescription drugs that lead to conditions of anxiety and depression also tamper with the user’s ability to sleep healthily. Some prescription medications have the waking effect that keeps the user up for all night, while others make the users tired and make them sleep more than the recommended hours. This situation gets worse when users start to take other drugs to counter these side effects.

6.     Suicidality:

In 1990, it came to the fore that some prescription drugs produce suicidal tendencies among the users, and since then, it has become a fact. Predominantly, anti-depressants like Paxil are correlated with suicidal tendencies and, therefore, must be avoided at all costs.

7.     Death:

On the one hand, there are prescription drugs like opioids, which can cause death if the patient takes them in toxic amounts, while on the other hand, there are drugs that can cause immediate cardiac death even when taken in recommended amounts.

Therefore, prescription drugs have their pros and cons and must be taken only when you have exhausted all other options because one thing is for sure that these drugs can cause more damage than repair if not used wisely.