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Why it matters

Side effects are the hidden cost of every medication and treatment. Patients want to know what to expect, doctors need to weigh trade-offs, and researchers study adverse reactions to improve therapies. But side effect data is buried in drug package inserts, FDA labels, and clinical trial reports. Structuring side effects as entities in Geo and linking them to the drugs and treatments that cause them creates a navigable map of adverse reactions — making it possible to ask "what are all the drugs that cause this side effect" or "what are all the side effects of this drug."

What to publish

  • Create Side Effect entities for the most common and clinically significant adverse reactions

  • For each side effect, publish:

    • Name and common aliases (e.g. "Tardive dyskinesia" / "involuntary facial movements")

    • Description — what it feels like or looks like in plain language

    • Body system affected

    • Severity range (mild, moderate, severe, life-threatening)

    • Whether it's typically reversible or permanent

    • How common it is across drugs that cause it (very common, common, uncommon, rare)

    • Management or mitigation strategies

    • When to seek medical attention

  • Create relations to:

    • Drugs and drug classes that commonly cause it

    • Symptoms it overlaps with — link to Symptom entities

    • Body system Topics

    • Related side effects that often co-occur

    • Diseases or conditions it can mimic or be confused with

Scope

200–300 side effects across all major categories:

  • Gastrointestinal (nausea, diarrhea, constipation, liver toxicity, GI bleeding, pancreatitis)

  • Neurological (drowsiness, dizziness, headache, seizures, neuropathy, tardive dyskinesia)

  • Cardiovascular (QT prolongation, hypertension, tachycardia, edema, bleeding)

  • Metabolic (weight gain, hyperglycemia, electrolyte imbalance, lipid changes)

  • Dermatological (rash, photosensitivity, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, alopecia)

  • Musculoskeletal (myalgia, rhabdomyolysis, osteoporosis, tendon rupture)

  • Hematological (neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, bleeding disorders)

  • Psychiatric (insomnia, depression, anxiety, psychosis, suicidal ideation)

  • Immune (immunosuppression, allergic reactions, anaphylaxis, cytokine release syndrome)

  • Reproductive (teratogenicity, infertility, sexual dysfunction, hormonal changes)

  • Renal and hepatic (nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, kidney stones)

Potential sources

FDA drug labels (DailyMed), WHO adverse reaction database (VigiBase), MedlinePlus drug information, Drugs.com side effect listings, PubMed pharmacovigilance studies, Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs, British National Formulary.