Medication Side Effects

Every medication is a trade-off between the beneficial effects and the unwanted side effects. Some medications have very minor side effects, while others have more serious ones. I remember taking amiodarone after heart surgery to control my heart rhythm. After reading up on the side effects, I called my cardiologist trying to get off the medication as soon as possible. The list of side effects include pulmonary toxicity, hepatic injury, visual impairment and loss of vision, peripheral neuropathy, and others.

As mention previously, post-transplant surgery, I was given three anti-rejection medications: mycophenolate, prednisone, and tacrolimus. I started with 4 pills of mycophenolate and tacrolimus twice a day plus 4 pills of prednisone in the morning. The latest dosage is now 2 pills of mycophenolate and prednisone plus 4/3 pills (morning/evening) of tacrolimus. With all the side effects from these medications, I was prescribed several more to counted these side effects. Here is a short list:

I have not experienced any side effects yet, except maybe for high blood pressure and high blood sugar. I believe this is the primary reason I was prescribed an insulin pen, and why I am jabbing myself before every meal. As mentioned above, my prescription for mycophenolate and prednisone has been halved already, but the amount of tacrolimus are back to near initial dosage. I really hope they can further reduce the medication dosage so I can go back to pills to control my diabetes instead of relying on insulin shots.