I take a drug that has one of the scariest side effect notes I've ever seen. It can cause cardiac arrest both as an effect of taking it and as an effect of missing a dosage.

my aunt is refusing to take some meds currently because of possible side-effects she read about online.

Well, here's the thing. Statistically speaking, most people -- and I mean 97-99% of people -- are never going to get the side effects that kill you or cause massive problems.

Some drugs are riskier, but the doctor generally (1) prescribes them as a last resort, and (2) tells the patient about the risks. Thalidomide is an example, as is tretinoin (for acne). With riskier drugs, you just have to weigh the potential benefits of treatment versus the potential side effects.

Your mom and aunt are wise to keep an eye on how they react to new drugs -- so it's good to look stuff up -- but generally, they're going to be fine. Even if they *do* have one of the Holy Crap! Bad! reactions, if you get to the doctor right away -- and get properly diagnosed right away (which was the issue with Kathy's mom) -- you'll be okay.

t /soapbox

One of the side effects of Lamictal is a fatal rash. Which, is serious in the small number of people who have the reaction (which, I believe is caused by sudden cesation of the pills), but to me, who did not, it is funny.

Also, I believe one of the side effects of Effexor (or Depakote, one of those) was spontaneous orgasm.

I remember when they put Hubby on Coumadin and listed all the side effects and what he couldn't do while on it. Then I saw the other name for the stuff: Warfarin. I'm afraid I rather made an unscheduled fuss. "You're putting my husband on rat poison?!" They explained how it would work to the good and all that, but I could tell they were wishing for a slightly less well-informed consumer at that moment.

My mom steers clear of anything remotely in the NSAID category. When I go to a new doctor and they ask if I'm allergic to any meds, I tell them not that I know of, but my mom got sick from Clinoril, so I'd rather not find out I'm allergic the way she did. They usually mark down to steer clear of NSAIDs just in case.

Oh, and the big reason her Joliet doctor didn't think that her illness was a drug reaction was because NSAIDs were, as a whole, a relatively new thing in pharmaceuticals in 1979, and the side effects were being added to the list as they occurred. My mom's case (and the other eleven deaths) was the reason Clinoril added SJS to the list.

This ad is just so simple and straightforward: [link]

I love the super-saturated colors. I have several 1950s cookbooks where the color plates have that same effect-- it practically makes the food look like it's in 3-D. Those are some of my favorite cookbooks.

"You're putting my husband on rat poison?!"

It's more like the rats are being given massive doses of human anticoagulant.

They explained how it would work to the good and all that,

It's a bitch of a drug, but at keeping people from developing fatal blood clots, it's the best thing going.

Drugs ain't perfect, but they keep a lot of people alive.

Coumadin is a hell of a drug, though.

At some point, my mostly-blind grandmother was accidentally doubling up on it for a while (she got some bottles confused, so was skipping something else entirely -- the woman takes more pills than Danny Bonaduce), and ended up with a crazy bruise/blood pooling/I don't even know what situation on/in her arm. They did get all of it straightened out eventually.

Coumadin is a hell of a drug, though.

At some point, my mostly-blind grandmother was accidentally doubling up on it for a while

Don't get me wrong; it can fuck you up in a DEAD way if you take too much (because your blood is excessively thin and you bleed to death). But then if you don't take enough, you get clotty and arteries block and you die.

(I had lunch with my dad today, and we were talking about Coumadin, actually. Weird.)

It's a drug that really requires frequent blood tests to make sure the patient is at the right level of coagulation. It's kind of scary, but also works when nothing else will.

the woman takes more pills than Danny Bonaduce

Does she have one of those massive pill organizers? Like, bigger than a Kindle?