Medication Information

Common Medications

Introduction to Medication &
Side Effects
By Abbey Strauss, M.D.
Over the years many people suffered from emotional problems that defied treatment. In the last fifty years a series of pharmacologic discoveries have shown that many emotional problems have a biochemical basis and that with the use of proper medications many of these conditions can be controlled. This has produced a revolution in the treatment and understanding of large groups of mental illnesses. Psychotherapeutic medications require that patients take them at adequate doses for sufficient periods of time, otherwise their effectiveness may never be realized. Also, some of these medications may have an addictive potential. However, the incidence of any addictive problems is quite rare when the medications are being properly used.

All medications have side effects, but looking at the list of side effects of these medications should not dissuade someone from using these medicines in their proper doses. The potential benefits of these medications far outweigh the possible side effects. Doctors usually proceed with an adequate trial of a particular medication in each patient to determine if it in fact produces relief from the undesired symptoms. Remember that side effects are not seen in most people who take these medications, and many of the side effects that occur early in the treatment often lessen or disappear as time passes. Also, when the medications work, people report that they gladly put up with minor side effects as the price they must pay for other therapeutic effects. The lists of side effects below does not mention the percentage of people getting every side effect and many times the incidence of a side effect can be the report of just a very few people. Also, some of the side effects are dose related or the result of a mixture of drugs, and sometimes the appearance of some side effect indicates that an adequate amount of the medication is being used. Some side effects require that the drug be stopped, other side effects do not. Great care and clinical experience are needed in order to determine exactly what is causing a side effect. Any questions about side effects must be discussed with the prescribing physician.