Drugs, together with surgery form the bastions of medicine. Drugs are sometimes called medications, implying they always have a beneficial effect. Drugs is much more neutral and objective term.

Reading an orthodox drug manual, I came across a very interesting story by a doctor. He related that on his first day at medical school, his professor wrote on the blackboard "All drugs are poisons". He was puzzled at first, but then came to accept that the alleged benefits of drugs are caused by toxic interference on different parts of the body.

The term "side-effects" is misleading as it implies these effects are lesser than the so-called therapeutic action. In practice they tend to be stronger. Adverse reactions or simply drug effects are less misleading terms. In some cases, the adverse reactions are how the drug works. In drug reference manuals it is not unusual for the statement that why the drug works is unknown. Even better is the statement, it is not known whether this drug works or not. In some cases the above applies even to well selling drugs.

Even a relatively benign drug like aspirin, is not without danger. Taking a lot at a time can cause death. In normal doses it can cause stomach bleeding etc. and deformities in unborn children. Even some doctors now say, don't give ANY aspirin to children. Most drugs have more dangers than aspirin.

Documented adverse reactions vary from a few minor ones, to reactions that effect every organ of the body. Often the potential adverse reactions are more harmful than the condition they are supposed to treat. Potential fatal adverse reactions are sometimes possible in drugs used to treat minor ailments.

Of course, all the adverse reactions for a drug are not yet discovered. Drugs have different effects on different people, drugs interact with other drugs, alcohol etc. The range, extent and diversity of drug adverse reactions are quite staggering. Some prescribed drugs are addictive. Some drugs have dozens and dozens of documented adverse reactions.

Hundreds of drugs are withdrawn every year because of the damage they have caused. Many of these may have already been on the market for up to 10 years or so, the time it takes to discover many adverse effects.

Alcohol as a factor in car mishaps is well known. What is not so well known that many serious collisions are caused by people on prescribed drugs.

People often make jokes about the illegibility of prescriptions, but this can easily lead to misdosage etc. Perhaps typed or at least capitalized drug names should be encouraged. Sometimes the choice of drug and the dosage are so arbitrary that it makes no difference anyway whether the person takes the wrong drug or dosage.

Doctors tend to be a bit thin when it comes to informing patients of drug adverse reactions. When they do tell, they tend to start with the more trivial first. People often presume that doctors are very familiar with documentation concerning a drug they prescribe. Often they are not, but they all have access to the documented information if they wish it, but don't always find out.

Doctors are bombarded with slick drug advertising, drug perks etc. Ads include their share of bikini girls and other manipulative techniques. Most of the medico's education about drugs is from the drug companies. Incentives in the form of gifts etc, in return for prescribing drugs are not unheard of. Anything taught at schools can be long out of date.

Doctors know full well that the more people know about the drugs, the less likely they will take them. Sharing knowledge is sharing power. Hence little information on drugs is given.

Reluctance to share information about drugs is a big problem. Legislation to encourage doctors to inform patients would be impossible to enforce and doctors would rationalize reasons to censor information.

One solution would be legislation for the documentation on the drug to be printed on the packaging in plain English. In some cases, the list of possible adverse reactions is so long a booklet may have to printed with the packaging. Cigarette packaging bears warnings, so why not prescribed drugs? They are often potentially more harmful than cigarettes.

Many people are often apathetic about finding out about drug effects, after decades of "doctor knows best" conditioning.

Another possibility would be for all secondary students to study medicine in the role of consumer, which would include learning how to use the drug manual(MIMS),(PDR in the US) and a medical dictionary.

The idea of a controlled test in which one group of people recieves the 'real thing' and another group recieves a placebo is not bad, but not without its shortcomings.

The power of suggestion or the placebo effect is well known. Although this has been shown to be strong in some cases, I believe the placebo effect is even stronger than generally believed. There is the possibility that people taking sugar placebos, unconsciously realize it. Drugs with real adverse reactions may have a stronger placebo effect.

There can be no question that drugs are overprescribed. Alternatives are rarely considered. Drugs have the aura of being 'real'. Isn't there a pill for every ill? People expect drugs and this attitude puts considerable pressure on the medical industry to create them.

The whole mentality that drugs help a persons wellbeing, and are are a solution to problems in living, must support the subculture of illegal drugs such as heroin. The suggestion has been made that doctors have done more to indirectly support the use of illegal drugs than any drugpusher. Today's legal dugs may become tomorrows illegal ones. A number of psychiatric drugs of the 60s are now illegal street drugs.

Find out as much as you can before taking a prescibed drug. It may be making you sick. Over 40,000 Australians a year have emergency hospitalisation from taking prescibed drugs in a prescribed dose.