How many drugs are you taking daily?

I read a report recently that said most people with a serious health condition like diabetes or heart disease can be taking up to a dozen different prescription drugs at once. That is a lot of chemicals!

Given the high percentage of side effects per drug and the potential for interactions between drugs, it seems a vital part of health care to be your own investigator.

If you rely on your doctor or pharmacist to always be up on all possible prescription drug interactions, you are taking a risk that could put your health in jeopardy. Be aware. Do your research on sites such as Drug Digest. The life you save may be your own.

....Prescription drug safety tips

Alternative Healing Care Articles from Ask A Healer:
Important facts about the prescription drugs you may be taking right now.

Are prescription drugs safe?
© 2006, Neva J Howell, All Rights Reserved

There are no prescription drugs that I've ever read about (and I have a PDR) which lack serious side effect warnings. The list of possible side effects is almost always present, as is the list of potential drug interactions and contraindications. Does this mean prescription drugs are not safe? You decide.

While I cannot tell you how to work with your doctor, I can share some pointers that will allow you to be more pro-active in your own health care, if that is your wish. Learning more about prescription drug safety is actually in everyone's best interest so I hope the health alert information here will assist you in becoming more actively involved with the medications you take.

Be Vigilant about Drug interactions:
Be certain to ask your doctor about drug interactions whenever a new medication is added. Don't be afraid to make your doctor accountable for having researched that potential for you before adding a new medicine.

In addition, don't just take their word for it. Do your own research. Cross-reference every drug you are taking and if you see a potential interaction that concerns you, talk to a pharamacist about it. If the pharmacist concurs with your concern, talk to your doctor once more.

Double-Check all Prescriptions, at your doctor's office
as well as the pharmacy:
Doctors are not known for their perfect hand-writing. It is not uncommon for a prescription to be misread by a pharmacist.

For example, recent mistakes in filling prescriptions resulted in Topamax and Toprol-XL being confused as well as Rozerem and Razadyne, according to rxsafety.com.

Ask your doctor for the exact name and dosage of drug they are prescribing and, when you get the prescrption filled, confirm with the pharmacist that the drug was labeled and filled correctly.

Avoid the first of the month rush, if possible:
I realize that a lot of elderly people have to get their prescriptions filled when they get their money, at the first of the month. However, if you have enough medication to last for a week and can avoid that first of the month pharmaceutical rush, your chances of getting a prescription mis-filled may be lower.

I read on more than one website, including Science Daily, that there is an increase in mistakes during that time, due to the sheer number of prescriptions being filled. Of course, you should NEVER go without your medication to avoid having it filled during the high-risk time of the month.

If all your prescriptions fall on the first of the month, ask your doctor about giving you a few samples, so that you can extend your prescription into the next month a few days. That would only need to happen once to get you out of the first of the month cycle of refilling your prescriptions.

If you must get your prescriptions filled during the busy time, examine the medicine in each prescription before leaving the pharmacy area. Make sure the right pill is in each bottle and that the dosage is correct. This is actually a good practice to always do.

Also, if you get more than one month filled at a time (some people get 3 months at a time; my brother does, and he takes Crestor.) be sure you got three months worth of your drug. My brother had his Crestor filled once and only got a month.

The drugstore said there was nothing they could do (which I simply do not believe) and his insurance wouldn't cover another prescription so he had to go without for two months.

Count your meds before you leave the pharmacy counter, or at least count over 30. If they look at you funny, let them look. It's your health.



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Generic Drug Programs

So, are prescription drugs safe?

They are as safe as:

the research that went into them,

the care with which they are prescribed,

the level of monitoring and follow up care that is scheduled,

the absence of dangerous interactions with other medications,

the ability of the prescribing physician to clearly explain dosage and interactions with their patient,

the compliance of the patient in following dosage instructions,

the correctness of diagnosis.

Obviously, there may be exceptions but I'm not qualified to assess what might be a life-threatening reaction to a prescription drug, and neither is the typical patient, so checking with your doctor is always a good idea, even if experiencing side effects that are disturbing.

What is important is speed. Don't wait to see if things get better. If you are experiencing side effects that may be drug-related, call your doctor right away. Always check with your doctor before ceasing medication at any time.

Ask a Healer Home ~*~ Search for More on Natural Remedies vs Prescription Drugs
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Health Care Disclaimer: The health care information presented here, about prescription drug safety, is not intended to override the instructions of your health care professional. Any action taken based on the contents found in this or any educational health care information we provide is at the sole discretion of the reader. Please consult with your doctor regarding questions you may have about prescription drugs you are taking now.