Drug side-effects
I've been on Doxycycline intermittently since entering Thailand. It's an anti-malerial that is basically a kick-ass antibiotic.
It's the anti-malerial of choice for two main reasons. One, it's slightly cheaper. Two, it's side-effects are all physical, not mental, and the severe reaction (photosensitivity) is apparently either you get it or you don't, not something everyone gets when taking it to some minor degree.
Intermittently, because Thailand's central tourist areas, like Bangkok, the islands etc, are pretty much maleria free, and I only took the stuff to check for side-effects before I actually needed to be using it every day. And to my surprise, I'm fairly certain that I'm getting a side-effect not listed on the card - depression.
The Anecdotal Evidence
First, I got depressed as soon as I started taking the drug. I didn't think about it being connected to the Doxycycline, however, and put it down to a reaction to the heat & pressure of Bangkok. No other side effects in evidence, so I stopped taking the drug. Coincidentally or not, a day or so later the depression went away.
Then, I started taking it again a couple of days before we were about to head down south, to an area that we thought might be a maleria risk. Instant depression kicks in once more. Also, due to a failure to take the drug with food, stomach upsets. This time, I put the connection together, but wondered if the stomach upset part might be the key - depression due to feeling unwell due to taking the drug. Anyway, it turned out that there wasn't any maleria risk there either, so I came off it once more, and the depression went away.
The third time, when in Chiang-mai, I was on the lookout for the depression. It hit once more, despite obsessively ensuring my stomach was full of food before dropping the drug into it. Also, we met up with another couple of Brits there who mentioned without prompting in conversation that they had been taking Doxycycline, but had stopped, despite the maleria risk, because they felt too depressed to get out of bed when they took the stuff. They said they'd rather risk maleria than basically spend their entire holiday feeling like shite.
It's a small sample size, but I'm fairly sure now in my own mind, because I know my own mind, and this sort of depression is not at all in keeping with what I've had before. I'm still taking the drug, and I still get the effect. Somehow, though, it's easier to deal with if you know it's coming and know it's a side-effect. I think maybe I'm adjusting to it as well.
So, what's the likelihood that well-known prescription drugs like this have side-effects that aren't well known, or listed on the blurb?
It's the anti-malerial of choice for two main reasons. One, it's slightly cheaper. Two, it's side-effects are all physical, not mental, and the severe reaction (photosensitivity) is apparently either you get it or you don't, not something everyone gets when taking it to some minor degree.
Intermittently, because Thailand's central tourist areas, like Bangkok, the islands etc, are pretty much maleria free, and I only took the stuff to check for side-effects before I actually needed to be using it every day. And to my surprise, I'm fairly certain that I'm getting a side-effect not listed on the card - depression.
The Anecdotal Evidence
First, I got depressed as soon as I started taking the drug. I didn't think about it being connected to the Doxycycline, however, and put it down to a reaction to the heat & pressure of Bangkok. No other side effects in evidence, so I stopped taking the drug. Coincidentally or not, a day or so later the depression went away.
Then, I started taking it again a couple of days before we were about to head down south, to an area that we thought might be a maleria risk. Instant depression kicks in once more. Also, due to a failure to take the drug with food, stomach upsets. This time, I put the connection together, but wondered if the stomach upset part might be the key - depression due to feeling unwell due to taking the drug. Anyway, it turned out that there wasn't any maleria risk there either, so I came off it once more, and the depression went away.
The third time, when in Chiang-mai, I was on the lookout for the depression. It hit once more, despite obsessively ensuring my stomach was full of food before dropping the drug into it. Also, we met up with another couple of Brits there who mentioned without prompting in conversation that they had been taking Doxycycline, but had stopped, despite the maleria risk, because they felt too depressed to get out of bed when they took the stuff. They said they'd rather risk maleria than basically spend their entire holiday feeling like shite.
It's a small sample size, but I'm fairly sure now in my own mind, because I know my own mind, and this sort of depression is not at all in keeping with what I've had before. I'm still taking the drug, and I still get the effect. Somehow, though, it's easier to deal with if you know it's coming and know it's a side-effect. I think maybe I'm adjusting to it as well.
So, what's the likelihood that well-known prescription drugs like this have side-effects that aren't well known, or listed on the blurb?