When I saw my dermatologist recently, I added another medication to my regular routine to help get my autoimmune condition into remission or a lower stage. Just like any medication, if you are taking something for the first time, there can be side effects. And sometimes these aren’t a big deal and sometimes they are a reason to stop taking the medication. I’ve been pretty lucky, I don’t usually get bad side effects from medications. I have had a few reactions that made me stop taking something, but those are rare cases.
And usually for me, if I have any side effects, I notice them quickly. Sometimes they start immediately and sometimes they take a few days. But they usually happen quickly so I know what will happen. And I assumed if I had any side effects to this new medication, it would be the same.
But I guess this one had delayed side effects or my body had to get used to this medication to start reacting because I only started to feel side effects this past week. Fortunately, they aren’t that bad and I was told to prepare for them. I also have a friend taking the same medication who warned me. I thought I would be one of the lucky ones that didn’t react, but it’s not horrible that I did have a reaction.
The side effect that I started to feel this week is dehydration. And considering this medication is sometimes prescribed to people who are retaining water, it makes sense. It can also cause dry skin and hair, but I haven’t had that happen yet. All I’m noticing is that I’m thirsty a lot throughout the day.
I tend to be someone who overhydrates, so to feel thirsty isn’t something I usually experience. But because I typically overhydrates, at least this is easy for me to deal with. I do have to be careful and not drink too much water because that can make me sick. But increasing my water intake is very easy for me to do and not a huge change to my routine. I have to make sure that I am tracking my water because being thirsty can make me forget how much I’ve already had. And I know that some of the thirst that I’m feeling is just the medication and not really thirst.
I am grateful that staying hydrated is something I’m used to doing. I don’t drink a lot of things other than water, so I don’t have to worry about drinking things that actually dehydrate me. I also am not someone who struggles to drink water, so I don’t feel like I’m forcing myself to drink. It’s been a part of my regular routine for as long as I can remember, so increasing things a bit isn’t a huge change for me.
I’m hoping this is the only side effect I get from this medication. There are a few others that are common that I do worry about getting. And even though I’m experiencing dehydration now, that doesn’t mean that more side effects can’t come later. I’m a bit more paranoid now about side effects happening later since it took some time for the dehydration to hit me. But I also know that I will either be able to get through whatever side effects happen or I will let my doctor know and we can stop the medication.
I know this isn’t that big of a deal, but it is an annoyance to add to my life. But at least a lot of other things are going better in my life so one annoyance isn’t too bad.
You Might Also Like
Guess Stopping The Medication Was The Right Choice (or Maybe I Should Have Read More Into The Side Effects)
Some More Virtual Therapy (or Trying Another Medication)
Pushing Through Feeling Off (or Hopefully This Doesn’t Last For 3 Months)
My Medication Routines (or Feeling Like An Old Lady)
Almost Giving It A Full Try (or Ending Things Early)
No More Late Nights? (or Is My New Medication Making Me A Party Pooper?)
