People take medicines to fight illness, to feel better when they're sick, and to keep from getting sick in the first place. When deciding which medicine to give a patient, a doctor thinks about what is causing the patient's problem. Someone may need to take more than one type of medicine at the same time — one to fight off an infection and one to help the person feel better, for example.
When it comes to fighting illnesses, there are many types of medicines. Antibiotics say: an-ty-by-AH-tiks are one type of medicine that a lot of kids have taken. Antibiotics kill germs called bacteria , and different antibiotics can fight different kinds of bacteria. So if your doctor found out that streptococcal bacteria were causing your sore throat, he or she could prescribe just the right antibiotic.
But while the antibiotic is starting to fight the bacteria, you might still feel achy and hot, so the doctor might tell your parent to also give you a pain reliever. Pain relievers can't make you well, but they do help you feel better while you're getting well. Cream that helps a bug bite stop itching is another example. Your cold had to go away on its own, just like the bug bite needed to heal on its own, but in the meantime, these medicines helped you feel less sick or itchy. Many people also take medicines to control illnesses that don't completely go away, such as diabetes, asthma , or high blood pressure.
With help from these medicines, people can enjoy life and avoid some of the worst symptoms of their illnesses. Finally, there are important medicines that keep people from getting sick in the first place. For example:. Remember that alcohol can stay in your system for several hours after your last drink, so it is important to be aware that interactions can occur long after you stop drinking.
Talk to your doctor or other health professional for advice about your medication and drinking alcohol. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Anthrax is a rare but potentially fatal bacterial disease that occasionally infects humans. The Western obsession with cleanliness may be partly responsible for the increase in allergic asthma and conditions such as rhinitis. Careful prescribing of antibiotics will minimise the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.
Antioxidants scavenge free radicals from the body's cells, and prevent or reduce the damage caused by oxidation. Antipsychotic medications work by altering brain chemistry to help reduce psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, delusions and disordered thinking.
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Skip to main content. Home Medications. Medicines and side effects. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. What is a side effect? Prescription medicines can cause side effects Complementary medicines also cause side effects Complementary medicines can interact with prescription medicines Alcohol used with medicines can cause side effects What to do if you experience side effects How to reduce the risk of side effects Where to get help.
Prescription medicines can cause side effects All medicines can cause unwanted side effects. Some are available only in hospitals. Medicines are chemicals or compounds used to cure, halt, or prevent disease; ease symptoms; or help in the diagnosis of illnesses.
Advances in medicines have enabled doctors to cure many diseases and save lives. These days, medicines come from a variety of sources. Many were developed from substances found in nature, and even today many are extracted from plants. Some medicines are made in labs by mixing together a number of chemicals. Others, like penicillin, are byproducts of organisms such as fungus.
And a few are even biologically engineered by inserting genes into bacteria that make them produce the desired substance. When we think about taking medicines, we often think of pills. But medicines can be delivered in many ways, such as:. No medicine can be sold unless it has first been approved by the U. The makers of the medicine do tests on all new medicines and send the results to the FDA. The FDA allows new medicines to be used only if they work and if they are safe enough.
When a medicine's benefits outweigh its known risks, the FDA usually approves the sale of the drug. The FDA can withdraw a medicine from the market at any time if it later is found to cause harmful side effects.
Medicines act in a variety of ways. Some can cure an illness by killing or halting the spread of invading germs, such as bacteria and viruses. Others are used to treat cancer by killing cells as they divide or preventing them from multiplying. Some drugs replace missing substances or correct low levels of natural body chemicals such as some hormones or vitamins.
Medicines can even affect parts of the nervous system that control a body process. Nearly everyone has taken an antibiotic. This type of medicine fights bacterial infections. Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic for things like strep throat or an ear infection. Antibiotics work either by killing bacteria or halting their multiplication so that the body's immune system can fight off the infection. Sometimes a part of the body can't make enough of a chemical.
Am J Med Sci. Beta-blockers for hypertension. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.
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