Page 85 - Vision Manual

Side Effects
It is important to be informed about both the potential benefits of a medication that has been prescribed to you and the potential side effects of the specific medication that you have been prescribed. Medications for mental illness, like drugs for treating other illnesses, can cause undesired side effects.
Medications affect people in different ways. Some people may have only a few or no side effects from taking medications. Others taking the same medication may have significant side effects. Your reaction to medication depends on many factors, including your age, weight, sex, metabolic rate, and other medicines you might be taking.
In most cases the side effects are temporary, and improve over time as your body adjusts to the medication. Some types of side effects, which are much less common, can be long lasting and even permanent. The newer medications tend to have fewer and less evere side effects. The more serious side effects are associated with the older antipsychotic medications, such as Haldol or Thorazine. If you recognize that you are having side effects, it is important for you to contact your doctor as fast as possible. Your doctor needs to help you evaluate how serious the side effects are and what can be done about them. It is up to you to decide what side effects you can tolerate and what risks you are willing to accept.
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