Do you read the 'side effects' bit on medication?

Used to but then I noticed they were much the same as any other side effect to other medications.

Yes I do, it is quite important and you should know when to consult your GP.

I do too, but then worry that the side effects are going to cause more problems than I already have.

Not unless I get some problem, otherwise I would be looking for problems.

I am like GandT only look if something out of ordinary happens

I do because I was a pharmacy technician in a previous life. Even so, I always wonder at the warnings that 'this drug may cause diarrhoea' followed by 'this drug may cause constipation'.

Yes, I made the mistake of doing this ?, it pretty well said danger of everything from bubonic plague to self-destruction (well, not quite!) so haven't dared do that again!

I read some and glance at the rest.
I always read the bit that says, do not take if you already have this problem and that problem. And consult your doctor if you have breathing difficulties or whatever.

Yes I do and really it's not a good thing to do. Scares the life out of you. But then again I,do think it is a good thing just in case you are 'the 1 in 10.000 people' that may have the very rare affect that it says on one of my drugs!!!!!!

I do, because I think it is important to know that taking one thing might well trigger another, and if you know this, then you can take the necessary action. Pharmacists are pretty good these, days though, at making sure you know what you are taking.

I always do especially when there maybe a reaction with another drug taken. It is merely a precaution.

It can be a very scary thing to do. I had an intensive week-long course of several types of tablets recently and the combined list of around 50 different possible side-effects was terrifying. Contact the doctor....if you think you hear voices in your head, if you feel people are watching you, if you feel suicidal, if you have vivid nightmares, if you feel depressed and anxious. I did actually wake up in a hot sweat in the night after I'd taken the first handful of tablets, simply because I was panicking about the possible side effects

We particularly liked the warning that said contact the doctor in case of sudden death.

My mother does and then claims to suffer each and every side effect and then blames the medication for all her health problems

Nah.

Best not to - I know several people who do- and within a few minutes or hours, get every single symptom listed

People get serious side effects from taking placebos given with a list of the above!

No I'm a bit of a hypercondriac so I'd imagine all sorts.
My husband recently had a very painful trapped nerve and referred nerve pain down the front of his leg the g.p gave him amitriptyline tablets and told him under no circumstances to read the enclosed leaflet.

I always read them and then ignore them. Sods law says the side effects I suffer, if any, are never the ones on the bit of paper, always the ones they leave off.

Personally I think they include the same list of side effects in every packet of pills regardless of what the chemical composition of the pills may be.

I rarely take any medication and haven't taken anything new for donkey years but no I would nt read them as if I did I d imagine I had them all
I once took part in some blind trials for a herbal remedy no one knew if there were getting the real thing or the sugar pill afterwards when the results were sent out for us to read the people on the placebo had more side effects than those on the pill itself LOL it was so funny there were headaches, belly aches, dizziness, even one suicidal ideation, not sleeping properly upset tums etc etc and all on a sugar pill

There is one antibiotic [can't remember what it's called] that is often used for toothache, and I can remember my doctor saying that you do NOT drink alcohol at the same time because, if you do you'll wish you'd never been born. Made me think it must be like the only ever time that I got drunk on barley wine only much much worse.

Studying nursing at Uni we were told these should be re-titled Unwanted Effects. All licensed drugs in the UK have to provide this info. If just one person in 3000000 suffered an outbreak of boils after taking a single dose of Lactulose the company is obliged to make it public. The majority of GPs will point out the unwanted or dangerous effects when prescribing a drug. If we all took the possible unwanted effects literally, none of us would ever consume a Paracetamol, Cough Linctus or indeed Lactulose ever again.

I thinks that's Flagyl, Tegan, or metronidazole. It is definitely a bad idea to drink alcohol with it!

I don't really like to as it seems a tad neurotic, but I think it is sensible really. DH has heart pills and one of the side effects is a cough, which he has developed, so he trooped to the Dr. Who changed the pills and said that the cough would take a while to go. So we do know what to expect.

Same as Charleygirl, I do read the contra-indications in case they have a reaction with my daily medication.

Just as well I did as I was prescribed something that could have had adverse effects if taken for any longer.

I do, but for all the wrong reasons

I am especially intrigued by the ones that state they may cause constipation OR diahorrea (sp)