The Health Effects Of Prescription Medicine

Prescription medicine is an essential part of health care. Prescription medicines reduce symptoms, fight and prevent infections and reduce risks for diseases, disorders and other medical conditions. According to Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, prescription medicines increase the survival rates for people with HIV/AIDS, heart disease and cancer, and can prevent surgeries and admissions to hospitals and nursing homes.

Reduce Symptoms

Physicians prescribe medicine to reduce or alleviate symptoms associated with a disease, disorder or other medical condition. For example, inflammation of the intestines and joints often accompany Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis, respectively. Humira is a prescription medicine that contains adalimumab and reduces the signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases and conditions associated with inflammation.

Some gastrointestinal diseases are associated with upset stomach symptoms that can be effectively treated with prescription medicine. For example, gastroesophageal reflux disease is a condition in which food and liquid content within the stomach gets pushed back into the throat or mouth. Research by M. Miyamoto published in the "Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology" in 2007, found that long-term medication for gastroesophageal reflux disease improves reflux symptoms and patient quality of life.

Fight and Prevent Infections

Prescription medicines can fight and prevent infections from microorganisms. Infections from bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi can stimulate a myriad of symptoms that depend on the organism, place of entry into the body, multiplication and severity of infection in the body. A healthy immune system can fight many types of infections, but some infections can survive, release toxins and cause symptoms. For example, the MayoClinic.com says infections from staph bacteria can cause fever, headaches, skin rash, boils, joint swelling, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blood poisoning and other symptoms, but are effectively treated with antibiotics.

The Merck Manual says that people may get viral infections from swallowing or inhaling a virus, getting bitten by insects or parasites, or from sexual contact, and that most viral infections affect the nose, throat, and upper respiratory system.

Physicians prescribe antiviral medication to strengthen the immune response to the viral infection and to disrupt viral reproduction. These medications include acyclovir for genital herpes and chickenpox, amantadine for influenza A, interferon Alpha for hepatitis B and C and ribavirin for respiratory syncytial virus. Vaccines, such as meningococcal conjugate vaccine and measles virus vaccine, are prescription medicines that treat bacteria and viral infections, respectively, and improve the health of people worldwide.

Reduce Risks of Disease

Prescription medicines can reduce the risks of disease. For example, a class of prescription medicines called statins lower blood levels of cholesterol and fat and reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease. Research conducted by J.J. Brugts and published in the "British Medical Journal" in 2009, confirmed that statins used in patients without established cardiovascular disease but with cardiovascular risk factors significantly improves survival and large reductions in risk of major cardiovascular events.