Women Experience Way More Side Effects From Medication Than Men Do

The US Food and Drug Administration released new data last week, and the findings on how side effects are felt by both women and men are troubling. According to an analysis of the information, women have a higher incidence of experiencing side effects whenever they take approved medication.

In every slated side effect category, ranging from nausea to depression to anxiety, except two (death, as luck would have it, and heart attacks), women reported feeling symptoms at a much higher rate than men who were administered the same drug.

In many of these categories, the number of women who experienced the side effects was over twice as many as the number of men who reported feeling them.

The explanation for this disparity is still largely unknown, but many theories have since emerged in an attempt to account for these striking differences in how men and women react to their medication.

Many scientists claim that it's likely not attributable to men and women experiencing drugs differently, although with the majority of medicine tested on all-male lab rats before being approved by the FDA, that might be difficult to say.

Others speculate that it's the way men are taught to "tough it out." While it might be more socially acceptable for women to report feeling things like headaches and fatigue after taking pills, men might have omitted some information from the voluntary FDA survey for fear of sounding weak.

As one writer points out, this is yet another example of how patriarchy doesn't just hurt women: It sounds like guys are suffering, too... whether or not they're willing to admit it.

H/T: Kitchenette, Top Photo Courtesy: Tumblr