Drugs may be given by mouth as tablets or capsules depending on their
chemical nature, the speed of action required, and convenience. Some drugs
need to be taken once a day while others may need to be taken three or four
times daily. Sometimes a more prolonged and steady level of the drug can be
achieved by special “slow release” formulations.
Side-effects
Modern drugs are fortunately very safe, and dangerous side-effects
extremely rare. Minor side-effects are more common, and many of these are
predictable from the nature of the drug. Often these unwanted effects can be
corrected by changing the dosage or the type of preparation. Rarely,
side-effects can occur unpredictably as an unusual individual response to a
particular drug.
You should, therefore, report any new symptoms to your doctor so that
he can assess whether they might be due to a side-effect of the drug and
adjust the treatment if necessary. Occasionally, a patient will be asked to put
up with side-effects for the sake of long-term benefit, but you should still
report these to your doctor so that he can check that all is well.
Dosage
The correct dose of any drug varies from person to person, so that your
doctor may not be able to choose the right dose for you in advance. He will
need to know how the treatment is working in order to adjust the dose. You
must play your part in helping the doctor by telling him exactly how you are
feeling and about any unusual symptoms. The best treatment results from an
informed partnership between you and your doctor.