Medication Side Effects

At an older age, the incidence rate of medication side effects is higher than in the general population. The reasons are a decrease in the function of physiological mechanisms which affect the medication action in the body, an increase in adipose tissue (body fat), and a reduction in muscle tissue, etc.

What is a side effect

A side effect is defined as an undesirable or harmful reaction which can possibly occur after drug intake at a regular dosage.

Side effects can be minor or anticipated but may also be severe and even life threatening.

How to cope with side effects

If side effects occur, contact your family doctor.
It is important to document medication administration (including regular medication), and especially changes.

Additionally, you can report to the Ministry of Health about the side effects of medications in the online form.

Do not discontinue medication abruptly, on your own initiative. Side effects may get worse with medication discontinuation. An abrupt discontinuation may have adverse implications in addition to the side effects.

Can side effects happen to anyone taking medications?

The answer is no.
The incidence rate of side effects in the population may vary.
The consumer information leaflet attached to each drug will usually list a very wide range of side effects. The reason is that pharmaceutical companies report any phenomenon occurring to people whilst taking a drug. Nonetheless, not all reported phenomena necessarily emerge due to taking the drug.

• Side effects at a very high incidence rate will occur in more than 10% of the population
• Side effects at a high incidence rate: 1%-10% of the population
• Uncommon side effects: 0.1%-1% of the population
• Rare side effects: 0.01%-0.1%
• Extremely rare side effects: will occur in less than 0.001% of the population (less than one in 10,000 patients)

This means that you may feel one of the side effects listed in the information leaflet, but mostly you will not experience any unusual phenomenon.