‘You feel like you haven’t got any control’: A qualitative study of side effects from medicines

Objectives: An aging UK population and multi-morbidity means patients are receiving an increasing number of

Design: A qualitative interview study with patients who had experienced side effects, recruited from community

Methods: This study examined patients’ experiences of side effects and the impact of these effects on their daily life. Fifteen participants were interviewed – 10 females and 5 males, with ages that ranged between 25 and 80 years, using different types and numbers of medicines.

Conclusions: Psychological factors, such as medication beliefs, symptom interpretation and body awareness, contribute to cognitive and behavioural processes used to identify and manage side effects. These processes can have significant impacts on an individual’s decisions about adherence.