Prescription Drug Dangers
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There are around 3,200 prescription drugs on the market, and new ones are being introduced each month.
But more drugs on the market means greater potential for patient and doctor mistakes, as well as harmful
drug interactions. Bottom Line/Personal spoke with Thomas J. Moore, one of the country’s top experts on
prescription drug dangers.
POTENTIAL FOR TROUBLE
An estimated 100,000 people die each year from prescription drugs. Some adverse reactions can be
avoided, but others are due to side effects, allergic reactions, drug interactions, physician prescription errors
or patient mistakes. Drugs have benefits, but it is important to minimize risk. Reasons:
Prescription drugs kill more people each year than automobile and airplane accidents combined.
One million people annually, one in four over a lifetime, will be hospitalized due to an adverse effect of a
prescription drug.
A Food and Drug Administration survey of consumers shows 70% of physicians don’t tell patients about the
adverse effects of drugs they prescribe.
About 20% of all antibiotic prescriptions are given out for viruses, including the common cold. Yet antibiotics
kill only bacteria, not viruses.
In one study, one out of three pharmacists filled two prescriptions that could result in a potentially dangerous
drug reaction when taken together.
Example: The antihistamine Hismanal dangerously interacts with a number of other drugs, including a drug
used to treat fungus infections (Nizoral). Yet surveys show that pharmacists will often fill both prescriptions
presented together.
HOW TO REDUCE YOUR RISKS
Taking prescription medication must be considered serious business. You must realize that every drug has
risks and benefits. And you must learn about these risks and benefits so you can use drugs wisely and protect
yourself from unnecessary adverse effects.
Build productive partnerships with your primary care physician and your pharmacist. Make yourself an
active partner in your medical care. Take questions and issues of concern to your doctor and insist on
answers.
Also, take advantage of the enormous knowledge pharmacists have about the adverse effects of drugs.
Keep a medication register. This list should include the brand and chemical names of the drugs you’re
taking, why you’re taking them, the doses and times of day you’re taking them and any special instructions you
received about them.
Show the list to your doctors (particularly specialists and new physicians) and pharmacist every time you get
a new prescription, so they can look for dangerous drug combinations.
Ask your physician to review your medical records periodically to determine if the drugs you’re taking are
still necessary, if the medical problem still exists or if the drugs are still appropriate for you.
Example: An older woman with arthritis was taking a powerful combination of a narcotic and acetaminophen.
This drug had been prescribed a year earlier for a sudden flare-up of knee pain that had since gone away. She
consulted her doctor, and he took her off the narcotic without incident. But the fact remains that for months she
had been taking a potentially addictive medication that she didn’t need.
Request the package insert for your prescription drugs. Most druggists do not give the inserts routinely to
consumers. Or you can look for the package insert information in the Physicians’ Desk Reference, which is
available at libraries, hospitals and bookstores.
Strategy: Try to understand the key sections of the package insert. What to look for:
Check to see if there is a black box warning for the drug. This information is typically printed in bold type and
contained in a box at the top of the label or in the “warnings” section. It lists serious problems or side effects of
the drug.
Example: A commonly used estrogen replacement drug (Premarin) has a black box warning because it can
cause cancer of the uterus. Taking Premarin with a progestin significantly reduces this risk.
Review the contraindications section to see if you are one of the people who shouldn’t be using this drug,
perhaps because you have liver problems, heart disease or high blood pressure. Look for:
Precautions to be taken. This describes what lab tests or other actions are needed to make sure you don’t
get hurt.
Example: Use of a popular statin cholesterol drug (Mevacor, Pravachol, Zocor) requires that you undergo
regular laboratory tests to check your liver function.
Drug interactions section, which lists other medications that might increase or decrease the effects of the
prescribed medicine. Also look for food interactions.
List of adverse reactions. This section details all the potential side effects that may occur with the drug.
Be suspicious if you feel depressed, listless, fatigued, jittery or anxious when you’re on a medication. The
drug may be to blame. If you suspect a drug-side effect link, often your doctor can switch you to another drug or
stop the medication altogether.
Example: Birth control pills cause depression in some women. Switching to a different formulation may relieve
the problem.
Check the dosage and administration information. See if you’ve been prescribed a dosage that is within the
recommended range and that you’re taking your medicine on an appropriate schedule.
Remember that drugs often provide important benefits, but it is up to you to pay attention to their risks.
