Consumers Union | Arthritis Information

 

THe Consumers Union is still trying to get TV drug ads to have an 800 number to report side effects.  They are a good group to follow.

Jan - sweet.  CathyI have noticed that magazine ads now have a message at the bottom that says to report side effects to Medwatch.

I hope people will do that.   The more people on a med, the more that side effects will become apparent.  I think doctors downplay side effects, which I can understand, because they want you on the med for a reason and do not want you to have to stop.  I don't think they report side effects as often as maybe they should, so it is important for patients to do so. 

I don't think more knowledge of potential side effects is bad at all - all of that info should be available, to prevent patients from undergoing unnecessary testing to rule out something else or adding another med to 'treat' what is actually a side effect.  Switching to a different med of the same type might be all it would take, if you knew it was just a side effect.   
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