top 200 prescription drugs

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Top 10 Weirdest Prescription Drug Side Effects
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by Shanna Freeman

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Cite This!Close  Please copy/paste the following text to
properly cite this HowStuffWorks article:

Freeman, Shanna.  "Top 10 Weirdest Prescription Drug Side Effects." 
19 August 2008.  HowStuffWorks.com.
<http://health.howstuffworks.com/health-illness/treatment/medicine/medications/10-weird-prescription-drug-side-effect.htm>;
 21 March 2010. Drug Image Gallery

pills
Ron Chapple/Taxi/Getty Images
All of these pills could cause side effects. But which one holds the
possibility of rainbow urination? See more drug pictures.

Most of us take prescription drugs -- drugs that, by law, must be
prescribed by a doctor -- at some point in our lives. If all goes
well, the drug works for you as it's supposed to. But there's no
"magic bullet," or drug that works the same for everyone without any
risks or side effects. A side effect is basically an unintended
occurrence that results from taking a drug. Side effects can be good
or bad, depending on how you use the drug. For example,
antihistamines, used to help with allergy symptoms like itchy eyes and
sneezing, have the side effect of making you feel very sleepy. If
you're having trouble sleeping, this side effect is great. If you need
to deal with your allergies as well as drive your car or function at
your job, however, it's bad.

When you pick up a prescription at a pharmacy, you get a list of
common side effects. Regardless of the drug, the most common side
effects are nausea and vomiting, allergic reactions, drowsiness,
insomnia, heart problems (such as heart palpitations) and dependence.
Often, there's something that you can do to help lessen the
possibility of unwanted side effects. Some medications can make you
feel nauseated if you take them on an empty stomach, for example, so
it's a pretty simple fix to eat something.

There are some prescription drugs, though, that can cause side effects
that are wildly different from those listed above. In some cases, the
side effects were discovered during FDA trials and were deemed
acceptable risks. In others, the side effects turned out to be
catastrophic but weren't well-known until after the drug was widely
used. Let's start off with a weird side effect that falls under the
former category -- you may (or may not) remember it.

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