Geoffrey Di Bella, MD    Psychiatrist DBA: OPTILIFE, Inc.

As a rule, about 25% of people experience some side effects from any given medication. 1-10% of patients have such intense side effects that they have to stop medication. The presence of side effects does not mean a medication will not work properly for you.

If you want to test the effect of a medication, you can initially take a part of a pill to test and wait 2 hours to see which side effects, if any, develop. However, some side effects may gradually develop over a few weeks.

If minimal side effects did occur, try stopping the medication for 24 hours - afterward, you may wish to resume at a lower dosage and call for an appointment with me.

Stop the medication if you have a true allergic response, involving a rash or other serious discomfort!

If you are experiencing much discomfort from the side effects of a new medication, stop the medication. Do not stress yourself by enduring more than minimal side effects.
Any time you have a severe reaction, we will schedule you an appointment the same day if the office is open.

If we are not available, please seek help through emergency services.