Today I experienced nausea and a slight headache while working. The ache and queasiness isn't of the worse kind, it's just bothersome. Wanting to pop a pain reliever, I suddenly remembered that I just took something for my joint swelling. A quick search in the net confirmed that I am indeed experiencing a side effect of the drug.

Reading on, people taking the drug I was prescribed warned that ibuprofen or another salicylate or any anti-coagulant medicine SHOULD NOT be taken with medicine for my joint swelling. These are the times I am thankful for the Internet, who knows I could've ended up a 911 statistic?!

Prescription drugs have side effects since they are man-made chemicals that provides relief for a specific pain or part of the body's system. Just imagine combining several medicines into a cocktail for every pain or ache not knowing it could be deadly.

I can't help but think of several famous people who mysteriously died because of it: Marilyn Monroe, Heath Ledger, Anna Nicole Smith and Son, even the British kid show presenter. Excluding the Brit, the names mentioned had died at the peak of their lives because of mistakenly taking prescription drugs which counter-effect each other.

Like the medicine I am taking, aspirin/orphenadrine/ caffeine (genetic name) is a safe combination of: anti-swelling/ muscle relaxant / pain relief enhancer. These were combined proportionate to be effective enough, for me to take another pain reliever would destroy the balance and have a deadly outcome if done always.

For what it's worth, I wrote this as a warning to you about the medicines you and your family are asked to take.

Best to keep these in mind:

Ask the doctor what its for and what it does for the body.

Research about the medicine, your can read the paper insert it comes with.   

Buy a small bottle or just a days worth of the medicine if you are allergy-prone to medicines.

Take note of the counter-effects of some drugs with other drugs.

Take medication as advised: after eating, on an empty stomach, every 4,6 or 8 hours, for seven days, with a full glass of water etc.- these directions are so certain medicines get properly absorbed by the body.

Inform your physician of other ailments you have: renal, kidney or liver problems, diabetes, migraines, high-blood pressure, anemia etc.- some sickness prevents you from taking some drugs.

Before you pop it in your mouth (self-prescribed relief), think of the phrase “Better to be SAFE than sorry”.