(I'm talking about side effects like there's one drug which happens to make you more at risk of problems relating to a specific type of fungal infection that does lovely things like gets into your lungs. For the vast majority of people, this isn't an issue. Unfortunately, where I live happens to be one of the only places on the planet where this particular fungus is, like, EVERYWHERE in the soil. There are doctors who study the infection who've estimated that something like 80% of people who've lived here for a significant amount of time probably already are infected, it's just that if you're healthy your body keeps it beaten down and there's no issue. But then I've had doctors in this area who are prescribing the drug who DIDN'T KNOW that the fungus was endemic in the area. That's one example, but to me that's a MAJOR thing that's being overlooked. I mean, if the fungal infection really gets going, quite often you die because it's hard to treat. So anyone in this area on that drug should at least know about the risk and be warned to take any possible symptoms of the fungal infection VERY SERIOUSLY.) (Erm. Sorry. That one is a pet peeve. How can patients make educated decisions about treatment when the doctors are not staying educated and are not helping the patients educate themselves? Not everyone has the time, energy, or inclination to spend ridiculous amounts of time online looking stuff up.) (But anyway. Not stuff where it's like 'oh, some people get an annoying cough.' Stuff where it's something that most people would want to be aware of before deciding on a course of treatment, so that they can sensibly decide if that treatment will work for them.)
(I'm talking about side effects like there's one drug which happens to make you more at risk of problems relating to a specific type of fungal infection that does lovely things like gets into your lungs. For the vast majority of people, this isn't an issue. Unfortunately, where I live happens to be one of the only places on the planet where this particular fungus is, like, EVERYWHERE in the soil. There are doctors who study the infection who've estimated that something like 80% of people who've lived here for a significant amount of time probably already are infected, it's just that if you're healthy your body keeps it beaten down and there's no issue. But then I've had doctors in this area who are prescribing the drug who DIDN'T KNOW that the fungus was endemic in the area. That's one example, but to me that's a MAJOR thing that's being overlooked. I mean, if the fungal infection really gets going, quite often you die because it's hard to treat. So anyone in this area on that drug should at least know about the risk and be warned to take any possible symptoms of the fungal infection VERY SERIOUSLY.) (Erm. Sorry. That one is a pet peeve. How can patients make educated decisions about treatment when the doctors are not staying educated and are not helping the patients educate themselves? Not everyone has the time, energy, or inclination to spend ridiculous amounts of time online looking stuff up.) (But anyway. Not stuff where it's like 'oh, some people get an annoying cough.' Stuff where it's something that most people would want to be aware of before deciding on a course of treatment, so that they can sensibly decide if that treatment will work for them.)
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