Adverse Drug Reactions

An adverse drug response (ADR) is a negative or damaging reaction that occurs after taking a medication or medication combination under everyday circumstances and is thought to be caused by the medication. Usually, an ADR calls for stopping the medication or lowering the dose. An adverse reaction is any injury that happens to a patient while they are taking medication, regardless of whether the medication is thought to be the cause or not. Any impact medicine has that is not the intended therapeutic effect—whether positive, negative, or neutral—is considered a side-effect. Although the terms "side-effect" and "ADR" are sometimes used interchangeably, the former generally denotes a less negative, predictable impact that may not even necessitate stopping therapy (e.g., ankle edema with vasodilators.) When a medicine's dosage or plasma concentration exceeds the therapeutic range, whether purposefully or inadvertently, it can lead to undesirable consequences. These unfavourable effects are referred to as drug toxicity (drug overdose). Addiction or dependency, major physiological harm (such as damage to the kidneys, liver, or heart), psychological impairment (abnormal behaviour patterns, hallucinations, memory loss), or even death can result from the misuse of recreational or therapeutic substances.