What is the term used when a medication is prescribed for its side effects without having an FDA indication?

The term that describes when a medication is prescribed for its side effects rather than for the purpose it was originally approved for by the FDA is known as "off-label." This practice occurs when a physician uses a medication in a manner that is not specified in the FDA's approved labeling, which may include using the drug for a different condition, in a different population, or at a different dosage than what was clinically tested and approved.

For instance, if a medication was originally approved to treat condition A but is then prescribed for condition B due to its side effects that benefit the latter condition, this would be considered off-label use. It is important to note that off-label prescribing is common in clinical practice and can be based on emerging evidence or the physician's judgment of the patient's individual needs.

In contrast, on-label refers to the approved use of the drug according to its FDA indication, which does not apply here. Prescription denotes the act of writing a medication order, while adverse effect describes an unwanted or negative effect caused by the medication itself, which is not relevant to the scenario of prescribing a drug for its side effects.