GOQii

Blog

  • HOME
  • HEALTHY LIVING
  • FITNESS
  • HEALTHY RECIPES
  • USER STORIES
  • KARMA
  • BUY GOQii

May 24, 2024 By Azra Faizan 41 Comments

How to Reduce Side effects of most commonly used Drugs

“For every drug that benefits a patient, there is a natural substance that can achieve the same effect.”
– Dr Carl C. Pfeiffer

Then why is it that drugs have become our first choice and not herbs? Well, the answer is obvious, in today’s fast-paced life we all want immediate results and while, some herbs do give immediate results for simple ailments, more serious ailments call for a longer treatment with herbs which most people don’t have the patience for. Also, at times the harm done is so extensive that we do need immediate results.

But, the biggest problem with allopathic medicines is their side effects, they might cure your ailment, but they more often than not, leave you with another one, resulting in the Doctor prescribing you another drug to reduce the side effect. This can sometimes become a vicious cycle.

From my personal experience, I understand that even though medication, long-term or temporary, sometimes is a necessity but, having further prescription drugs to counter the side effects of medications can usually be avoided by adopting simple home remedies instead.

So what are the most commonly occurring side effects of most allopathic medications?

Hyperacidity, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal cramps, water retention, oral ulcers, weight gain, weight loss, bone and joint pains, hair fall, high blood pressure, liver toxicity, kidney toxicity, drowsiness and, even hallucinations.

 So let us learn a few tips to keep in mind whenever on medication.

  1. Know your medicine – Don’t blindly accept whatever the Doctor has prescribed, without counter questions. Inquire about the side effect so that you are aware if it ever occurs, check the dosage too, and always make sure to ask your Doctor for the minimum dose required.
  2. WATER, WATER, WATER – Keep yourself hydrated, side effects occur because all oral medicines affect our whole body and not just the affected part. So drinking adequate water helps in flushing out the toxins present in drugs.
  3. Supplementation – Most drugs along with the ailment deplete our body’s vitamin and mineral stores, in turn leading to the side effects. So, why not replenish our vitamin stores instead of treating the symptom alone. Supplementation also helps in a quicker recovery.

Now; I know what my colleagues would be thinking “How can a nutritionist say take supplementation, instead of trying to get essential micronutrients through food?? “

Yes, like most nutritionists I do agree that healthy eating can keep giving us all the essential micronutrients that we need and that supplementation gives us synthetic vitamins and minerals which are not equally effective. But, the rules are changed when on medication, and to make up for the fast depletion and to prevent simple side effects, supplementation is key.

Now let’s take up those common Side effects individually and know what can be done about them.

Hyperacidity – If you have ever been prescribed an antibiotic, you would have noticed that your Doctor always prescribes an antacid along with it. And, it’s not only antibiotics that cause acidity, most drugs do.

DID YOU KNOW – antacids themselves can cause drug dependence, constipation or diarrhoea, the vicious cycle that I was talking about.

Instead, ditch the antacid and go for a glass of warm water with half a lemon squeezed in it – first thing in the morning. In fact, don’t wait till you get the acidity, start beforehand to prevent it, Plus lemon water also helps to remove those toxins I was talking about.

For severe acidity, you can have lemon water after every meal too. And for immediate relief, you can try chewing on a basil leaf – works same as 2 tbsp of prescribed antacid syrup.

Constipation – Another simple side effect, with a simple cure, though in the case of any complaint from the patient for constipation along with medicines, the Doctor will never fail to prescribe yet another syrup for relieving the symptom. The problem – drug dependence again. The Solution – adequate hydration, good soluble fibre in the diet, simple fruits like papaya, and bananas can work wonders.

In the case of severe constipation, a tablespoon of Psyllium husk (Isabgol), that is a naturally occurring fibre can work as good as any prescribed syrup.

Diarrhea – If it’s not constipation, it’s diarrhoea – more often than not diarrhoea is caused due to hyperacidity. So the above-mentioned lemon water works as the best prevention. Another quick age-old cure is black tea with lemon -tea contains astringent tannins that help reduce intestinal inflammation.

And to replenish the electrolytes lost during severe diarrhoea, just have simple ORS solution, lime juice (with sugar and salt), juices and coconut water at short intervals.

Nausea – Nausea or vomiting again usually subsides with lime juice and ORS solution.

Oral ulcers – Another common occurrence whenever someone is prescribed antibiotics. These are caused due to hyperacidity and depletion of B-complex vitamin stores in the body – So a supplementation of B-complex and the first prevention that is lemon water usually works best.

For severe and painful ulcers – applying honey on the affected area, and gargling with lightly salted water usually, helps alleviate the pain.

Water retention and weight gain – Almost 70% of weight gain due to medication is because of water retention. So by simply reducing our salt intake, upping our potassium intake and water intake, we can say goodbye to our water intake.

Fruits like sweet lime, oranges, tomatoes, and bananas are all high in potassium, and not to forget my favourite – coconut water.

Increasing our water intake also helps in reducing water retention.

Replacing some of our salt with black salt also helps in increasing your potassium intake and reduce sodium intake. Another big culprit of high sodium in processed food which can be easily avoided.

Water retention aside, the long-term use of some drugs – like oral steroids, antidepressants, Antihistamines, and even insulin can cause weight gain.

In such a case, eating healthy, and having a good exercise regime helps a lot. If a healthy lifestyle is adopted, these drugs are less likely to affect our waistlines. Knowing that the drug can cause weight gain also helps in making sure we try and avoid long-term use of the same.

Weight loss – With most medications, weight loss results due to severe loss of appetite, and the toll the ailment and its treatment is taking on the body. Good Proteins and good fats to supplement our diet along with medication helps a lot in preventing severe weight loss.

It is also important to understand that this weight loss is temporary and due to the condition, which can be reversed once the medication stops.

Bone and Joint Pain – Many drugs leach calcium from our body and some medicines can also cause depletion of Vitamin D. So, timely Calcium and Vitamin D supplementation along with prescribed drugs can usually reduce these symptoms.

Hair loss – Again, nothing but protein depletion, and your body’s proteins are getting used up elsewhere to fight inflammation.

Liver toxicity – Our liver should be cleansed timely, ailment or no ailment, side effects or no side effects. It may sound complex but, it’s really easy. A daily morning glass of lemon water on an empty stomach can detox your liver. For added toxicity or side effects, garlic is another excellent food to cleanse the liver. Just chew on a clove of raw garlic every morning, and the allicin (an organosulfur compound obtained from garlic) works wonders.

Kidney toxicity – Simple kidney toxicity or high uric acid levels can be easily corrected with just increasing our water intake, for cleansing the liver further, you can just add a cup of coriander or parsley tea to your routine daily.

Drowsiness – Drowsiness is usually just temporary, and again, knowing in advance that a drug can cause you to be sleepy, can prevent any serious damage.

Hallucination – Yes, some drugs do cause hallucination, again temporarily, And the best way to manage these is to be aware that the said drug can cause hallucinations. If we stay aware, it is less likely that the hallucination will scare or disturb us.

Follow the above and avoid complications due to medications.

We hope this article equips you with valuable insights on reducing the side effects of common medications. By incorporating these natural remedies and nutritional tips, you can manage your health more effectively while minimising adverse effects. If you found this information helpful, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Search

Recent Posts

  • 11 Easy Habits To Help You Lose Weight
  • How to Burn Fat With Exercise
  • Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight!
  • Why Longevity Must Be India’s Next Health Mission
  • Unable to Lose Weight? 7 Secrets for Sustainable Weight Loss

Stay Updated

Archives

  • June 2025 (13)
  • May 2025 (13)
  • April 2025 (21)
  • March 2025 (26)
  • February 2025 (23)
  • January 2025 (26)
  • December 2024 (27)
  • November 2024 (26)
  • October 2024 (27)
  • September 2024 (25)
  • August 2024 (31)
  • July 2024 (22)
  • June 2024 (27)
  • May 2024 (31)
  • April 2024 (27)
  • March 2024 (29)
  • February 2024 (26)
  • January 2024 (27)
  • December 2023 (18)
  • November 2023 (19)
  • October 2023 (24)
  • September 2023 (25)
  • August 2023 (23)
  • July 2023 (24)
  • June 2023 (25)
  • May 2023 (27)
  • April 2023 (25)
  • March 2023 (25)
  • February 2023 (20)
  • January 2023 (16)
  • December 2022 (12)
  • November 2022 (16)
  • October 2022 (15)
  • September 2022 (14)
  • August 2022 (13)
  • July 2022 (19)
  • June 2022 (11)
  • May 2022 (10)
  • April 2022 (6)
  • March 2022 (6)
  • February 2022 (13)
  • January 2022 (13)
  • December 2021 (7)
  • November 2021 (3)
  • October 2021 (6)
  • September 2021 (3)
  • August 2021 (8)
  • July 2021 (7)
  • June 2021 (15)
  • May 2021 (16)
  • April 2021 (10)
  • March 2021 (7)
  • February 2021 (4)
  • January 2021 (4)
  • December 2020 (3)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (10)
  • September 2020 (3)
  • August 2020 (3)
  • July 2020 (2)
  • June 2020 (4)
  • May 2020 (10)
  • April 2020 (12)
  • March 2020 (10)
  • February 2020 (4)
  • January 2020 (4)
  • December 2019 (3)
  • November 2019 (7)
  • October 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (4)
  • August 2019 (9)
  • July 2019 (9)
  • June 2019 (11)
  • May 2019 (4)
  • April 2019 (9)
  • March 2019 (8)
  • February 2019 (9)
  • January 2019 (8)
  • December 2018 (9)
  • November 2018 (3)
  • October 2018 (3)
  • September 2018 (5)
  • August 2018 (10)
  • July 2018 (6)
  • June 2018 (13)
  • May 2018 (8)
  • April 2018 (18)
  • March 2018 (9)
  • February 2018 (8)
  • January 2018 (15)
  • December 2017 (12)
  • November 2017 (19)
  • October 2017 (13)
  • September 2017 (15)
  • August 2017 (4)
  • July 2017 (8)
  • June 2017 (7)
  • May 2017 (6)
  • April 2017 (8)
  • March 2017 (6)
  • February 2017 (7)
  • January 2017 (10)
  • December 2016 (10)
  • November 2016 (7)
  • October 2016 (7)
  • September 2016 (7)
  • August 2016 (11)
  • July 2016 (9)
  • June 2016 (9)
  • May 2016 (12)
  • April 2016 (17)
  • March 2016 (17)
  • February 2016 (8)
  • January 2016 (6)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • November 2015 (9)
  • October 2015 (7)
  • September 2015 (9)
  • August 2015 (11)
  • July 2015 (9)
  • June 2015 (12)
  • May 2015 (9)
  • April 2015 (13)
  • March 2015 (8)
  • February 2015 (5)
  • January 2015 (12)
  • December 2014 (14)
  • November 2014 (11)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (13)
  • August 2014 (12)
  • July 2014 (6)
  • June 2014 (2)
  • May 2014 (7)
  • April 2014 (5)
Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme … [Read More...]

Mayur Sutar Health Transformation

Mayur Sutar’s Journey to a Healthier Life

At 26, Mayur Sutar was deeply entrenched in the corporate whirlwind. His days were a blur of quick, unsatisfying meals, fitful sleep, and relentless deadlines. This vicious cycle was draining him, fueling a constant state of fatigue and frustration. Health had become a forgotten chapter in the book of his life. In every story, however, […]

Dhiren Matani - Healthy lifestyle

Transforming Health and Life: Dhiren Matani’s Inspirational Journey to Wellness

In the face of persistent health challenges, Dhiren Matani, (43), an entrepreneur from Mumbai, embarked on a journey of resilience and transformation. Battling weight issues and a heart condition for some years, he refused to succumb to the daunting odds. Through sheer determination, he took control of his health at the right time by adopting […]

What’s Your Excuse?

In a world filled with excuses, Shubham’s story stands as a testament to the power of perseverance, passion, and an unwavering commitment to one’s dreams. His journey is a reminder that circumstances may create hurdles, but they can never define the limits of one’s potential. In the bustling suburbs of Mumbai, amidst the challenges of […]

  • HOME
  • HEALTHY LIVING
  • FITNESS
  • HEALTHY RECIPES
  • USER STORIES
  • KARMA
  • BUY GOQii

Copyright ©2016 GOQii