Prescription Drug Safety
Taking Responsibility: Safeguarding Your Medical Care
Did You Know?
The largest American drug manufacturer, Merck, had profits of $6.8 billion in 2000, which was more than the profits of all the Fortune 500 companies in the airline, food production, entertainment, metals and hotel/casino/resorts industries combined? According to Public Citizen, a non-profit, public-interest organization, Pharmaceutical Industry Remains Most Profitable in the Country. www.citizen.org
The number of people who die from medical errors in U.S. hospitals each year has been estimated to be up to 98,000 (National Academy of Sciences), compared with 43,501 (Center for Disease Control, 1998) deaths from motor vehicle accidents.
We Can Improve the Quality of Our Medical Care, and that of Our Families, By Following These Simple Rules:
1. Be Careful Of What Drug Combinations You Are Taking
Most drugs taken with the proper dosage are safe. However, if the drug is not tested sufficiently or for a long enough time in order to determine their side effects and consequently warn of these side effects, they can injure or kill. If a certain drug is taken in combination with another drug, it can cause a dangerous condition.
2. Keep A List Of Your Medications and Their Effect On You
Always take a list of your medications to doctor’s appointments for cross-referencing. Avoid bad drug interactions by keeping your doctor fully informed about your medications.
3. Keep A Diary Of Your Medical History
Keep track of your medical treatment and history for your information and for your providers, which you can take with you to appointments and edit as your health changes.
4. Always Inform All Of Your Doctors Of The Drugs You Are Currently Taking
If you have more than one prescribing doctor, it is critical to report to each doctor what the other doctors have prescribed for you so they are ALL aware of any dangerous combinations and so they can better protect you. This will greatly reduce the chances of a negative interaction. Also, if possible, get all of your prescription and over-the-counter drugs from the same pharmacy.
5. Ask For The Information Sheet On Your Drug
Always talk to your doctor about the drugs you are taking and ask for the information sheet given with the drug from your pharmacist at the time the prescription is filled. Do read the sheet for possible warnings and drugs, alcohol or certain food combinations that should not be taken with the prescribed drug and be sure to follow the precautions.
6. Investigate Your Drug For Yourself
Double check for yourself by going to http://www.pdrhealth.com/drugs/rx/rx-a-z.aspx
This link takes you to the PDR or Physician’s Desk Reference. Once on the web page, just go to "Drug Information" and hit enter. You will end up on the page that will allow you to click on Prescription Drugs A-Z and find your drug with a point and click. Read the information to determine if the drugs that you are taking would suggest any contraindication or warning not to take the drug with another specific drug.
7. Read The Label On Your Prescription Bottle Very Carefully
You will often find warnings on your prescription bottle informing you of how often to take the drug, when to take the drug and whether you should take it before or after eating. In addition, the warning may inform you of certain foods to avoid in taking your drug. For example, if certain drugs are taken with grapefruit juice, the juice can increase the potency by many times making it a possible dangerous condition for the patient. Take the warnings seriously.
8. Take Someone With You When You Are Being Tested Or Having Surgery
If you are anticipating any medical treatment or procedure, never go alone if you can avoid it. Have a friend or loved one accompany you as an advocate, in order to protect your interests and to ensure that your questions and concerns are addressed. Have that person take notes about your care.
9. Avoid Infections While In The Hospital
Don’t be shy – ask nurses and doctors to wash their hands. The spread of bacteria through poor hygiene is still a chief cause of hospital infections and there is still only about 50% compliance with hand-washing guidelines. (CDC, Vol. 7, No. 2, Mar-Apr 2001). Hand-washing is the single best way to prevent infections or the spread of diseases such as the flu.
10. You Have the Right - To Have Your Own Medical Records
You have a right to view your own medical records under Minnesota Statute 144.335. This statute allows you access to your own health records. Under this statute, you are entitled to obtain a copy of your records from the provider. And, when a patient requests a copy of the record for purposes of reviewing current medical care, the provider must not charge a fee.
If You Think That You Or A Loved One Has Been Injured By A Pharmaceutical Drug, Call Lord & Faris And We Can Help. 1-866-250-1786
Disclaimer:
Always seek the advice of a qualified legal professional regarding any legal issues you may have. You should not disregard professional advice or refrain from seeking professional advice because of anything contained in this Web site.
The information contained herein is general and educational in nature and may not be current or updated. Because each case is different and each legal analysis is customized for individual clients, the information contained in this Web site should never be used to determine your legal rights.
1. Save Your Evidence.
Were you injured by a defective pharmaceutical drug or supplement? If so, please save the product and instructions for the product. Also, if you have the box the product came in that would be helpful. All of this information may be vital to proving your case. Contact us at 1-866-250-1786 or 612-333-LORD
2. Be Careful Of The Pharmaceutical Drug Side Effects.
Each day we use hundreds of pharmaceutical products with relative ease and safety. Unfortunately, if the pill or supplement you take is defective, you can be severely injured. In the event of injury, manufacturers of drugs and supplements may be held responsible for the sale of defective products, devices and drugs. This responsibility is broad and includes the duty to exercise reasonable care in the design and manufacture of a product. The obligation of the manufacturer to make a safe product includes the duty to design, manufacture, inspect, test and label a product appropriately.
3. Prescriptions Have Increased by 500%.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 66% of physician office visits result in the prescription of one or more therapeutic drugs. The number of medications has increased by over 500% to over 17,000 trade and generic drug names. With direct advertising to the public, the pharmaceutical industry is trying to sell its drugs directly to the public. They make suggestions in their ads that we, the public, would benefit from certain drugs and encourage us to suggest their use to our doctors. This puts a great deal of stress on the doctors who want to do the right thing and yet please their patients.
4. Prescription Injuries Have Increased
As a consequence of this growth is a jump in the number of injuries from prescription and over‑the‑counter (OTC) drugs. Harm occurs from toxic over‑dosages, dangerous interactions with other drugs, and inadequately‑tested chemicals which do serious, permanent damage. Approximately 7,000 people a year die from medication errors. Many more are injured seriously. Public education regarding this problem is still inadequate, but this is changing.
