A study linking drug side effects and emergency room admissions found that a large number of Americans -- as many as 700,000 annually -- land in the hospital from taking medications. But the good news is that there are precautions you can take to avoid some of the worst adverse drug events detailed in the study.
Most severe adverse drug events are caused by unintentional overdoses. These overdoses generally involve a small number of medications, all of which must be monitored closely to prevent users from having too much -- or too little -- in their blood.
A common culprit is the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin); two others are insulin (for diabetes) and digoxin (a heart drug). These three medications caused nearly one third of the adverse drug events reported among older adults in the study. Another medication that ranks high in causing adverse drug events is the antibiotic amoxicillin.
Steps for Safety -- Should you avoid these medications? Not at all. Taken properly, these medications seldom cause serious side effects, but you must be informed about your medications -- know how to take them and what sorts of adverse reactions can occur.
So here's some general advice on how to avoid adverse drug events.
- Ask your doctor about side effects. What are the most common adverse effects of your medications? How can you recognize them? What can you do to prevent them? What should you do if a side effect occurs?
- Take your medications as directed. Even if you are only slightly unsure about the right way to take your medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain the instructions again. If you have problems understanding your doctor's instructions, ask the doctor to write them down or bring along a family member or friend to take notes.
- Always keep follow-up appointments. If you are supposed to return to the doctor regularly for physical examinations or blood tests to check your response to the drug, make sure you go.
- Inform others about your risk. Make sure family, friends, and coworkers know that you're at risk for a serious adverse drug event, and make sure they know what to do if one happens. Also consider wearing a medical alert bracelet or carrying a medication card in your wallet, so that people know you are taking a medication that is associated with serious side effects.
- Make sure you really need to take the drug. At least once a year, bring all your medication bottles to your doctor's office -- it's known as a brown-bag visit. Your doctor will evaluate whether any of your medications are unnecessary, redundant, or interact with each other.
