[Adverse Drug Effects - how to detect, how to avoid?]

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Clinical Medicine
• Patient Safety

Background:

• All medications carry inherent risks of toxicity and adverse events.
• Patients may experience various side effects, ranging from mild to severe.
• Proactive management strategies are essential for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the unavoidable risks associated with drug therapy.
• To emphasize the importance of patient tolerance and management of adverse events.
• To advocate for informed patient communication and medication review processes.

Main Methods:

• Review of common drug toxicities and idiosyncratic adverse events.
• Discussion of screening protocols for severe adverse effects like hyperkalemia.
• Emphasis on patient education regarding sick-day rules, including medication adjustments.
• Principles of regular prescription review and deprescribing.

Main Results:

• Patients must be prepared to tolerate certain adverse events, such as hand-foot syndrome.
• Screening for conditions like hyperkalemia is necessary after life-threatening adverse effects.
• Informed patients can adhere to sick-day rules, e.g., temporarily stopping SGLT2-inhibitors during illness.
• Regularly reviewing and criticizing prescription lists can identify and remove dangerous or unnecessary medications.

Conclusions:

• Managing drug-related toxicity requires a multi-faceted approach.
• Patient education and active participation are key to mitigating risks.
• Regular medication review and deprescribing are vital components of safe pharmacotherapy.