Most people assume any medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are safe, but they would be wrong. Many drugs deemed safe by the FDA pose serious risks to those who take them, according to an analysis by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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The analysis found that at least 25 times since 2000, the FDA or drug manufacturers have issued warnings, safety updates or found potential signals of serious risk after a majority of the drugs were already on the market.
Sure, sometimes prescription drugs are necessary, but in many cases, they are not. Consumption of drugs continues to grow. In fact, if you are not taking any prescriptions drugs, you are in the minority.
More than half of U.S. adults regularly take prescription drugs and more than 2 million serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occur every year in the U.S, leading to 100,000 deaths. ADRs are the fourth leading cause of death in the country, outpacing pulmonary disease, diabetes, AIDS, pneumonia and accidents, including car accidents.
The percentage of adults and children prescribed medications also continues to grow. Prescriptions for Americans (including children) increased by 85% from 1997 to 2016, far outweighing the population, which increased by only 21% during the same time.
In 2017, an astounding 30 million mistakes were made by medical personnel and pharmacies when writing and dispensing prescriptions. The medical care required due to the improper or unnecessary use of prescription drugs is about $200 billion a year.
It’s easy to see how mistakes could happen by anyone who has ever visited a crowded pharmacy and waited hours for a prescription to be filled. More and more, pharmacy personnel are expected to deliver fast service, with management tracking pharmacists’ speed in filling prescriptions, so it may be causing some pharmacists to cut corners on patient safety reviews.
A Chicago Tribune investigation of 255 U.S. pharmacies showed that more than half of dispensed drug combinations could result in stroke, kidney failure, oxygen deprivation, unintended pregnancy, birth defects and other health risks.
It becomes easier to imagine this happening when considering that 1 in 5 American adults takes three or more drugs and 1 in 10 has five or more.
The next time you refill or fill a prescription, don’t be afraid to question your medical team or pharmacist. Always ask the pharmacist to confirm that you are taking home the right medication. Ask questions if the pills look unfamiliar and double-check to make sure you are receiving the right dosage.