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"Think It
Through" To Manage the Benefits and Risks of All Medicines
(NAPS)—Although medicines can make you
feel better and help you get well, it’s important to know that all
medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter, have risks as
well as benefits.
The benefits of medicines are the helpful effects you get
when you use them, such as lowering blood pressure, curing
infection or relieving pain. The risks of medicines are the
chances that something unwanted or unexpected could happen to you
when you use them. Risks could be less serious things, such as an
upset stomach, or more serious things, such as liver damage.
When a medicine’s benefits outweigh its known risks, The U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it safe enough to approve.
But before using any medicine—as with many things that you do
every day—you should think through the benefits and the risks in
order to make the best choice for you.
Types of risks from medicine use:
- The possibility of a harmful interaction
between the medicine and a food, beverage, dietary supplement
(including vitamins and herbals), or another medicine.
Combinations of these products can increase the chance of
interactions.
- The chance that the medicine may not
work as expected.
- The possibility that the medicine may
cause additional problems.
Every choice to take a medicine involves
thinking through the helpful effects as well as the possible
unwanted effects.
The best choice depends on your particular situation. You must
decide what risks you can and will accept in
order to get the benefits you want. For example, if facing a
life-threatening illness, you might choose to
accept more risk in the hope of getting the benefits of a cure or
living a longer life. On the other hand, if
you are facing a minor illness, you might decide that you want to
take very little risk.
Think it through and work together with your health care team to
better manage the benefits and risks of your medicines.
Specific ways to manage the benefits and risks of medicines can be
found in the “Think it Through” pamphlet. It can be viewed at
www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/DPAdefault.htm, or ordered via
e-mail at
dpapubs@fda.hhs.gov.
Consumer Education: Ensuring
Safe Use of Medicines
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Date created: August 26, 2004; Updated August 17, 2005 |
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