What are side effects of a medication?

The correct answer highlights that side effects of a medication are understood as unintended secondary effects that occur in addition to the primary therapeutic effects. Medications are designed to achieve specific outcomes, such as alleviating symptoms or treating illnesses, and side effects are the other reactions that may occur as the body responds to the drug. These can vary in nature and severity, and while they are typically not the main purpose of the medication, they can still inform a clinician's decisions regarding treatment.

The distinction between side effects and the primary effects is crucial; primary effects are what the medication is intended to accomplish, while side effects can range from benign to serious, impacting a patient's overall experience and adherence to treatment. Recognizing that not all reactions to a medication are considered side effects is also important. For instance, adverse reactions that are anticipated or occur within the expected therapeutic range are not categorized as side effects in the same sense.

While adverse reactions encompass all unwanted effects, regardless of intent, the focus in this context is specifically on those unintended secondary effects, reinforcing the definition of side effects as a category of outcomes that are not the primary goal of medication therapy.