Not surprisingly, the more drugs you are taking, the more side effects you may have. Finding out which drug is causing a particular side effect can be hard if you are on several medications. To help your doctor track down the cause of side effects, there are three very important things you can do. First, pay attention to what is happening in your body. The more aware you are of when you first experienced a symptom, the easier it will be to learn what is causing it.
Many people also write down the date they first began taking a new drug.
This makes it easier to link the beginning of a particular side effect with the addition of a new drug to your treatment. It's amazing how often people don't tell their doctor that they are having problems. But your doctor can't help you with a problem if you never mention it. Third, educate yourself about the possible side effects that can occur with the drugs you are taking. Although doctors are usually careful to tell you about the most common and most serious side effects associated with a drug, they may not mention some of the less frequent side effects.