Editing Side effect (section)

== Frequency of side effects ==

[[File:Side effects of nicotine.png|thumb|330px|Possible side effects of [[nicotine]]<ref name=Drugs.com>{{cite web|title=Nicotine Side Effects|url=https://www.drugs.com/sfx/nicotine-side-effects.html|publisher=Drugs.com }}</ref><ref name=Schraufnage2014>{{cite journal | vauthors = Schraufnagel DE, Blasi F, Drummond MB, Lam DC, Latif E, Rosen MJ, Sansores R, Van Zyl-Smit R | display-authors = 6 | title = Electronic cigarettes. A position statement of the forum of international respiratory societies | journal = American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine | volume = 190 | issue = 6 | pages = 611–8 | date = September 2014 | pmid = 25006874 | doi = 10.1164/rccm.201407-1198PP | s2cid = 43763340 | url = https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/10758143 }}</ref>]]

The [[World Health Organization]] and other health organisations characterise the probability of experiencing side effects as:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-6111/misoprostol-oral/details/list-sideeffects |title=Common and Rare Side Effects for misoprostol oral}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/medicines/areas/quality_safety/safety_efficacy/trainingcourses/definitions.pdf |title=Definitions |date=8 May 2007<!--from PDF source-->|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304222413/http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/quality_safety/safety_efficacy/trainingcourses/definitions.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04}}</ref>

* Very common, ≥ <sup>1</sup>'''⁄'''<sub>10</sub>
* Common (frequent), <sup>1</sup>'''⁄'''<sub>10</sub> to <sup>1</sup>'''⁄'''<sub>100</sub>
* Uncommon (infrequent), <sup>1</sup>'''⁄'''<sub>100</sub> to <sup>1</sup>'''⁄'''<sub>1000</sub>
* Rare, <sup>1</sup>'''⁄'''<sub>1000</sub> to <sup>1</sup>'''⁄'''<sub>10000</sub>
* Very rare, < <sup>1</sup>'''⁄'''<sub>10000</sub>
The [[European Commission]] recommends that the list should contain only effects where there is "at least a reasonable possibility" that they are caused by the drug and the frequency "should represent crude incidence rates (and not differences or relative risks calculated against placebo or other comparator)".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-09-01|title=A Guideline on Summary of Product Characteristics|url=https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/default/files/files/eudralex/vol-2/c/smpc_guideline_rev2_en.pdf|website=[[European Commission]]}}</ref> The frequency describes how often symptoms appear ''after'' taking the drug, without assuming that they were necessarily ''caused by'' the drug. Both healthcare providers<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Mühlbauer V, Mühlhauser I | title = Understanding adverse drug reactions in package leaflets - an exploratory survey among health care professionals | journal = BMC Health Services Research | volume = 15 | issue = 1 | pages = 505 | date = November 2015 | pmid = 26554666 | pmc = 4641349 | doi = 10.1186/s12913-015-1160-1 | doi-access = free }}</ref> and lay people<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Mühlbauer V, Prinz R, Mühlhauser I, Wegwarth O | title = Alternative package leaflets improve people's understanding of drug side effects-A randomized controlled exploratory survey | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 13 | issue = 9 | pages = e0203800 | date = 2018-09-13 | pmid = 30212555 | pmc = 6136776 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0203800 | bibcode = 2018PLoSO..1303800M | doi-access = free }}</ref> misinterpret the frequency of side effects as describing the increase in frequency caused by the drug.