Medication Side Effects: What You Need to Know About These 7 Common Drugs

Key Insights About These Medications

Every medication comes with potential side effects, ranging from mild discomfort to serious health concerns requiring medical attention.
Risk profiles vary significantly between the medications you've listed, with some like paracetamol being generally well-tolerated and others like nebivolol having more complex side effect profiles.
Drug interactions are a critical concern, particularly when taking multiple medications simultaneously, such as the seven you've mentioned.

Overview of Side Effects by Medication

Aspirin

Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is widely used as a pain reliever, anti-inflammatory, and blood thinner. Despite its common use, it carries several potential side effects:

Common Side Effects

Gastrointestinal issues: indigestion, stomach pain, heartburn, nausea
Increased risk of bleeding (easy bruising, nosebleeds)
Mild headache

Serious Side Effects

Gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeding
Allergic reactions (hives, rash, difficulty breathing)
Reye's syndrome (in children and teenagers, especially during viral infections)
Kidney damage with long-term or high-dose use

Levothyroxine

Levothyroxine is a synthetic thyroid hormone used to treat hypothyroidism. Most side effects occur when dosing is too high, essentially creating symptoms of hyperthyroidism:

Common Side Effects

Heat intolerance
Increased heart rate
Headache
Nervousness or anxiety
Weight loss
Hair changes

Serious Side Effects

Cardiac issues (chest pain, arrhythmias)
Severe allergic reactions
Bone mineral density loss with long-term excessive dosing

Lercanidipine

Lercanidipine is a calcium channel blocker used to treat hypertension. It works by relaxing blood vessels to improve blood flow:

Common Side Effects

Headache
Dizziness
Flushing
Ankle swelling
Palpitations

Serious Side Effects

Significant hypotension (low blood pressure)
Angina
Allergic reactions

Omeprazole

Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor that reduces stomach acid production. While generally well-tolerated, it can cause:

Common Side Effects

Headache
Nausea
Diarrhea
Stomach pain
Flatulence

Serious Side Effects

Kidney problems with long-term use
Increased risk of bone fractures with prolonged use
Vitamin B12 deficiency
Magnesium deficiency
Increased risk of infections including Clostridium difficile

Nebivolol

Nebivolol is a beta-blocker used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. It has 520 known drug interactions, requiring careful monitoring:

Common Side Effects

Fatigue and tiredness
Headache
Dizziness
Sleep disturbances
Digestive issues
Low blood pressure

Serious Side Effects

Severe allergic reactions
Heart failure exacerbation
Bronchospasm (especially in those with asthma)
Liver problems
Heart block

Solpadeine

Solpadeine is a combination medication containing codeine and paracetamol, sometimes with caffeine. Its side effect profile reflects this combination:

Common Side Effects

Constipation (from codeine)
Nausea and vomiting
Dizziness
Drowsiness

Serious Side Effects

Dependency or addiction with prolonged use
Respiratory depression (especially in overdose)
Liver toxicity (from paracetamol component)
Allergic reactions

Paracetamol

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is among the most commonly used pain relievers and fever reducers. When used appropriately, it has a favorable safety profile:

Common Side Effects

Rare but may include mild nausea
Rash (uncommon)

Serious Side Effects

Liver damage (with overdose or combining with alcohol)
Rare blood cell abnormalities
Allergic reactions

Comparing Side Effect Profiles

The following radar chart provides a visual comparison of the relative risk profiles for each medication across different categories of side effects. This represents a generalized comparison based on typical use cases and should not replace professional medical advice.

This radar chart illustrates the relative risk profile of each medication across six key side effect categories. Higher values indicate greater relative risk in that category. Note that Solpadeine shows the highest dependency risk due to its codeine content, while Nebivolol presents more significant cardiovascular effects, which is expected for a beta-blocker medication.

Potential Drug Interactions

When taking multiple medications, it's crucial to be aware of potential interactions. The following table highlights key interactions between these medications:

Medication	Potential Interactions	Risk Level	Recommendations
Aspirin	Interacts with blood thinners, NSAIDs, levothyroxine, nebivolol	Moderate to High	Monitor for increased bleeding risk; spacing doses may help with levothyroxine
Levothyroxine	Interactions with aspirin, calcium supplements, antacids, iron	Low to Moderate	Take 4 hours apart from other medications; consistent timing important
Lercanidipine	Interacts with grapefruit, CYP3A4 inhibitors, other BP medications	Moderate	Avoid grapefruit; monitor BP when combined with other BP medications
Omeprazole	Affects absorption of many drugs; interacts with clopidogrel	Moderate	May need to space timing with other medications
Nebivolol	520 known drug interactions; caution with NSAIDs, amiodarone	High	Requires careful monitoring; consult healthcare provider
Solpadeine	Interacts with other CNS depressants, MAO inhibitors	High	Avoid alcohol and other CNS depressants; monitor for respiratory effects
Paracetamol	Generally low interaction risk but caution with alcohol	Low	Avoid excessive alcohol consumption

Understanding Medication Side Effects: A Conceptual Map

This mindmap illustrates how side effects manifest across different body systems for each medication. Understanding these relationships can help you identify potential issues more effectively.

mindmap root["Medication Side Effects"] Aspirin GI["Gastrointestinal"] stomach["Stomach pain"] ulcers["Ulcers"] bleeding["GI bleeding"] Hematologic bruising["Easy bruising"] bleeding["Increased bleeding risk"] Allergic rash["Skin rash"] breathing["Breathing difficulties"] Levothyroxine Cardiovascular heartrate["Increased heart rate"] palpitations["Palpitations"] Neurological anxiety["Anxiety"] insomnia["Insomnia"] headache["Headache"] Metabolic weightloss["Weight loss"] heatintolerance["Heat intolerance"] Lercanidipine Cardiovascular headache["Headache"] dizziness["Dizziness"] edema["Ankle swelling"] Dermatological flushing["Skin flushing"] Omeprazole GI["Gastrointestinal"] nausea["Nausea"] diarrhea["Diarrhea"] Long-term b12deficiency["Vitamin B12 deficiency"] boneloss["Increased fracture risk"] magnesium["Magnesium deficiency"] Nebivolol Cardiovascular bradycardia["Slow heart rate"] hypotension["Low blood pressure"] General fatigue["Fatigue"] dizziness["Dizziness"] Respiratory breathing["Breathing difficulties in asthmatics"] Solpadeine GI["Gastrointestinal"] constipation["Constipation"] nausea["Nausea"] Neurological drowsiness["Drowsiness"] dizziness["Dizziness"] Dependency addiction["Risk of addiction"] Paracetamol Hepatic liverinjury["Liver injury with overdose"] Allergic rare["Rare allergic reactions"]

Important Visual Information About Your Medications

Understanding what your medications look like can help prevent mistakes when taking them. Below are visual references for some of the medications you've mentioned:

Typical aspirin tablets often come in small white round pills, sometimes coated for easier digestion

Solpadeine typically comes in tablet or capsule form and contains codeine with paracetamol, requiring careful use due to potential dependency

Expert Insights on Thyroid Medication Side Effects

Understanding levothyroxine's side effects is particularly important as they often mimic hyperthyroidism when dosed incorrectly. The following video from UCLA Health endocrinologist Dr. Yaroslav Gofnung explains what to watch for:

This expert explanation helps understand how thyroid hormones affect the body and what side effects might indicate your dosage needs adjustment. Being aware of symptoms like increased heart rate, anxiety, and weight changes can help you discuss concerns with your healthcare provider promptly.