Percentages on Pharmaceutical Catastrophe

[Dignan]

I was wondering as I look at the possibility of switching to another drug, yet again, if anybody knew of people that took a particular drug for a LONG TIME (say 30 years or as long as possible on newer drugs) and actually had good results?

Along that line, I wish there was data that showed what the percentages were on the various drugs (granted everyone deals with them differently) that said XX% of people were able to take this or that drug long term without catastrophic long term effects, whereas XX% experienced the worst case.

I think something like that would be helpful from a big picture standpoint when picking out drugs. I know for myself, when I look at going back on Dilantin, I wish I knew my odds have having the worst case scenario before I went down that road. Not that you can predict it will or won't happen, but what are the percentages?

 

[Nakamova]

I'm not sure the specific data you're looking for is out there, but websites for each drug usually the list side effects divided into "common" and "less common" and rare", with some percentages indicated. For example, here's how those break down for Lamictal:

Most common Lamictal side effects:
Dizziness -- in up to 54 percent of people
Double vision -- up to 49 percent
Headaches -- up to 29 percent
Coordination problems -- up to 28 percent
Blurred vision -- up to 25 percent
Nausea -- up to 25 percent
Vomiting -- up to 20 percent.

Less common side effects, occurring in 5 to 20 percent of people:
Drowsiness
Irritated or runny nose
Sore throat
Cough
Abdominal pain (stomach pain)
Insomnia
Shakiness (tremor)
Weakness
Back pain
Fatigue
Flu-like symptoms
Indigestion or heartburn
Painful menstrual cramps
Bronchitis
Diarrhea
Fever
Dry mouth
Constipation
Painful menstrual cramps
Chest pain
Weight loss

Rare (occurring in less than 5 percent of people taking the drug. Because these side effects are so rare, it can be difficult to tell whether they are actually caused by Lamictal or by other factors unrelated to the medication.):
Vaginal infection or irritation
Speech problems
Bladder infection
Concentration problems
Joint pain
Loss of appetite
Neck pain
Sinus infection
Sensitivity to the sun
Nervousness
A spinning sensation (vertigo)
Memory loss
Increased sex drive
Bloody nose
Dry skin
Sweating
Migraine headaches
Weight gain

You can find individual reports of side effects from long-term use of different meds at askapatient.com The link below shows this info for Lamictal -- you can see the longest term of use is 18 years (about right, given how long Lamictal has been on the market).

http://www.askapatient.com/viewrati...e=LAMICTAL&PerPage=60&sort=timelength&order=0