I had a minor UTI last week and the medication given to treat the infection turned my urine bright orange and that illuminated unnatural looking pee has inspired me to write today about side effects from medications.
All drugs come with side effects, many minor and some unfortunately can be serious. It is important to know what to expect before starting a new medication and what you need to watch out for. This is a conversation you should have with your doctor when he/she discusses new treatments that they want to prescribe for you. Another resource that people tend to forget about is your pharmacist. This is your pharmacist’s job, to know about your medications and how they interact with other prescribed medications you are taking. You can always ask your pharmacist when you have a question about a prescribed treatment, they have a wealth of knowledge and are there to help you.
Thankfully I knew that the medication I took for my UTI could possibly change the color of my urine, otherwise I would have been a little scared.
Now the most common set of side effects are gastrointestinal, which is frustrating if you are taking a medication to treat an actual GI issue, for instance . . Crohn’s Disease. How do I know if my upset stomach is a side effect of a medication or just stupid Crohn’s Disease? It can be tricky in the beginning, but with time you’ll really know your body and what feels like an IBD symptom, or just an upset stomach from a new medication. It’s hard to put down in words, it’s just something you’ll understand if you’ve been through it.
Last year when I was home from my many hospital stays and only on clear liquids and TPN, the doctors prescribed a three week course of several antibiotics, I believe I was on 4 or 5. It was a lot and it wasn’t easy. The big problem was these medications will upset your stomach if you don’t take them with food. Well, I didn’t have that simple luxury so I had to take them on an empty stomach and I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I threw up every day while on those antibiotics. Since I wasn’t eating, I was pretty much just dry heaving some times and/or throwing up a little bit of water. It was awful.
I can’t forget to mention the one we all hate and all have to be on at some point or another, corticosteroids. When I say “we all” I’m talking about my comrades with chronic illnesses. The steroids we have to take suck, BUT sometimes they are the only thing that can control a flare-up. Steroids can give you chipmunk cheeks, insomnia, mood changes, increased appetite, increased sweating, headaches, and they can also slow down your healing. Another big kicker is that they can weaken your immune system and thus making it easier for you to get an infection. I’m always trying to dodge colds and flues like I’m in the Matrix. In the hospital when I’m given a high dose of steroids via IV, it can upset my stomach, which again is annoying since I came to the hospital with stomach issues.
If you take a medication that improves your overall health but the side effects are rough, are you allowed to complain about it? I ask this because in recent news (I’m writing this amid the COVID-19 Global Pandemic) I saw some tweets critical of Rita Wilson’s interview about her COVID-19 recovery. She talked about the medication that was used to treat her and how rough it was and people thought she had some nerve to complain. She should be grateful that she didn’t die like so many others. I voiced my opinion on Twitter and those with opposing views didn’t respond.
As someone who has been on countless medications to treat a disease (including chemo) I can tell you that many drugs have awful side effects that at times can be worse than the disease/symptoms you’re treating. https://t.co/YB7RdhFHTY
— Julie (@SemiColonGirl) April 15, 2020
Hey caner patients! If you survive you better not complain about chemotheraphy, which is another treatment I’ve endured. Yes, I’m grateful when a medication can successfully do it’s job and make me better, but if it made me throw up every day, you better believe I’m going to be bitching about it. I immediately knew that those who were upset with Rita Wilson for complaining about side effects have clearly never really been sick and have only ever taken Tylenol.
There’s a fine line we walk, managing our symptoms and THEN managing our side effects. It’s not easy and it is just one of those things that comes with the territory. In a perfect world we wouldn’t have to worry about side effects, but also, in a perfect world I wouldn’t have Crohn’s Disease! The double edge sword of side effects is something I can’t avoid and I must get through to improve my health overall.