By Dailey Kerrian – Student of the School of General Studies
Over the years, the pharmaceutical industry has increased its influence on global health. It is true that medications are recognized as important elements in health, it is even claimed that “medications are the most effective treatments for many diseases” (Hilmas, 2018). However, pampering can cause unwanted effects (Cuerpo-mente, 2019). Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that the media address this issue in order to ensure that society is informed of the harmful effects of medicines, and how they could harm their health. Are medicines harmful or necessary to health? Do you think medicines are unhealthy but still use them? This article will tackle that cognitive dissonance answering the next question: how can a medicine damage a patient's health status?
First, memory loss. Many of these drugs impair cognitive responses, mainly because "they affect the levels of acetylcholine, a substance essential for the proper functioning of memory." (Cuerpomente, 2019). For example, the oxybutynin ER has an effect on memory comparable to 10 years of cognitive decline, according to Armon (2013) “we have made these people no longer function as 67-year-olds, but as if they were 77”.
In the second instance, complex emotional disorders. The corticosteroids used to treat patients such as lupus are reducing serotonin levels, and according to doctors "the decrease in serotonin levels can cause depression and other psychiatric disorders" (Armon, 2013). Even in Spain, almost half of those affected by irritable bowel (dis-ease in which many medications are used) suffer from depression or anxiety (Macpherson, 2020). Thus, demonstrating that some of the medications used to cure a bad doctor, result in the worsening of the patient's clinical status from its side effects.
Finally, medicines that make you sick. Suyen Venegas is a patient diagnosed with dermatomyositis. Among the diagnosed medications were amitriptyline and Medrol. According to Venegas these two were quite harmful. Medrol is a pill that can affect your eyesight, as Drugs (2019) mentions blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain, or sees halos around the lights, pointing out certain secondary symptoms of this pill. Suyen was a victim of this side effect: "my vision, it worsened so much that I needed to wear glasses, which I had never done before", she says. On the other hand, Venegas mentions that amitriptyline was a pill that she never used seen that it "causes dependence in such a way that if I stopped ingesting it my depressive state could increase leading even to have suicidal tendencies." Finally, the patient points out that her health improved when she stopped using the medication, claiming that "it is true that my health condition has improved compared to the beginning, however, I still suffer from my illness."
In conclusion, it is understood that memory loss and complex emotional disorders are side effects of medications, and it is also possible to identify drugs that get sick. Therefore, the introductory thesis is resumed, thus reaffirming that the medications have detrimental effects on health. However, it is understood that there is no perfect answer since, to some extent, medications are necessary for the healing process. However, this article presents an effective and easy to understand plan.
