Health & Fitness
Is Your Pharmacy Making You Sick?
Are Pharmacies Adding to the Increasing Medication Error Problem?
Every year nearly 1.5 million Americans are the victims of PREVENTABLE drug errors! In this day and age, those numbers are astounding. The Consumer's Union (a division of Consumer Reports) did a study and they put their findings in a very clear, and easy to read conclusion. You can find it online.
In this study they sent people out to 5 major chain pharmacies and asked them to get Warafin. Warafin is the generic of Coumadin, a blood thinner. This drug is the second most common drug linked to ER visits. Inconsistencies with this drug can lead to severe bleeding or death.
What they discovered was that the direction for taking this drug were inconsistent, incomplete or difficult to decipher. One said take the drug twice a day and one said every 12 hours. Those are two very different instructions and could lead to improper drug administration. This was just one of the differences in getting the medication and the information that was relayed to the patient.
Surpisingly, the FDA does not have any guidelines as to what a prescription bottle is supposed to say. Expert panels and groups are suggesting to the FDA that a list of guidelines should be adopted for drug labels, including things like larger type so everyone can read them, a descrption of what the medication should look like so you can tell if you are getting the correct one, and other information that would help prevent unnecessary medication errors.
Until such time that the FDA agrees to this plan, we, the patients, need to be more dilligent in taking charge and understanding what we are taking, why, how often, how it should be adminsitered, side effects, foods/drinks that could interact and anything else that would be important to know as the person consuming the medication! Be SURE you discuss all of this with your doctor BEFORE you leave the office. Once you have it written down and/or understand, then go over all of it again with the pharmacist when you pick it up. Make sure you are all on the same page and if you have any questions or concerns, call your doctor to clarify before you take the medication.
Sometimes one mistake can be deadly. Be proactive and aware and your own best advocate.
