Take or not to take my pills? : Moral dilemma with animal products in pharmaceuticals

As vegans (or people who are against animal exploitation, animal testing, etc.) we may find ourselves in the moral dilemma: 

We know animals are tested, tortured, confined and killed for medicine... :(

Shall we support the industry by taking the outcome of these experiments: the medication, the vaccinations, the drugs, the supplements? 

How to oppose this industry practices?

Consumption of trace amounts of animal products in pharmaceuticals – whether in painkillers, contraceptive pills, vitamins or prescription drugs for various medical or psychological conditions – is practically unavoidable. There is often no alternative to these drugs. 

As I am not medical professional, I can't take any risks by recommending which medicine one should or shouldn't take. However, we must always remember and remind others that as vegans (or people who are against animal exploitation, animal testing, etc.), our contribution to the reduction of animal exploitation is huge, especially if we are also animal rights advocates or activists. 

Consumption of animal products through medication has a negligible impact compared to our major impact as consumers. We must take care of ourselves and our own health by taking the medication we need in order to continue to be active vegans (or people who stand up against animal exploitation and animal experimentation), so we can influence others and prevent as much animal suffering in the various food/and other industries as possible. We should be proud that we aim to maintain our health and wellbeing, as this also allows us to represent veganism in the best possible light.

So unfortunately, it is true... many pharmaceuticals do contain trace amounts of animal products (gelatine, lecitine) , so they are not vegan... at all... 

In addition, all pharmaceuticals are tested on animals :( (although the effectiveness of animal testing is questionable, and there are many other more effective and reliable - however might be more expensive- methods). 
In this world we live in, where animal exploitation is common practice, there are no perfect solutions. What we can do in any given situation is try to find the lesser of evils, while striving to make the world a better place for all living creatures.
In cases where there is a plant-based substitute available (for instance, omega-3 supplements, vitamins, etc.), I encourage everyone to always choose (and maybe even ask for) the vegan option. 

In cases where we need to take a certain medication or vaccination and there is no vegan substitute available, we'll take it. Taking care of our own wellbeing is very important, both for ourselves and for the animals. 

We need to be in our best health so we can keep on fighting for change.

From CNN blog:

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/27/the-animal-products-in-your-medicine-cabinet/

According to a study:

According to a new study released in the BMJ Postgraduate Medical Journal, 43.2% of the study population “would prefer not to take animal product-containing medication, even if no alternative were available.” 

Of the study participants with dietary restrictions, 88% said they would prefer to take oral medication containing only vegetable products. Of the patients who preferred vegetarian-only treatment, 85.2% said they would not take any oral medication which contained animal products, though more than half said they would do so if no alternatives were available.

Perhaps most surprising, less than a quarter of those patients with dietary restrictions specifically asked the doctor who prescribed the drug or the pharmacist who dispensed it about its composition.

Previous studies have shown that doctors do not regularly discuss a medication's inactive ingredients with their patients, and very few patients think to ask.