Side effects and adverse effects are two different things that explain the outcome of the reaction take place when someone uses a particular medication. The two terms are mostly used in medicine, and they differ from each other. Side effects are unintended consequences of a drug or therapy. Those consequences are just the effects of the reaction of the medication in the body, and at times, the side effects of a particular medication vary from one person to another. And that is why you would always see a lot of possible side effects listed for a drug.
To a doctor, those side effects are expected. Adverse effects, on the other hand, are also unintended consequences of a drug. This time around, those consequences are not expected by both the doctor and the patient. Adverse effects most times lead to complications, and it must be attended to with total seriousness. Adverse effects are usually as a result of the overdose.