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Drugs, Side Effects, And Pharmaceutical Error

June 1, 2008 |

Modern medicine can do many things. Today, doctors can transplant organs, attack cancers, and even fight diseases on a genetic level. Millions - even billions - of people around the world benefit every day from the treatments, therapies, and drugs created by medical professionals and scientists.

Side Effects and Regulations

But there is a darker side to prescription meds. As new drugs are invented and new chemicals synthesized, people become increasingly dependent on substances which are, quite literally, foreign. Though chemicals in a given medicine may boost resistance to asthma attacks, they may also have other, unintended effects. Sometimes these side effects are revealed during laboratory trials to be nothing more than minor inconveniences; other times, severe side effects are not detected - or even covered up - until thousands of unsuspecting people have been hurt. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the safety of pharmaceuticals, it is far from perfect; the recent Baxter heparin contamination scandal demonstrates this fact.

Pharmaceutical Error

Another concern with prescription meds is how targeted and specific they are. Because these drugs are often very potent, only patients with certain conditions can safely take them - and then only in carefully measured doses. Unfortunately, given the complexity of modern medicine and science, few laypeople know very much about their own prescriptions. We rely on doctors and pharmacists to provide us with the correct medicine, in the correct amounts, for the correct diagnosis. If errors happen at any time in the process, the effects could be disastrous.

Safety concerns do not stop there - recent criticism of the FDA’s drug labeling system has spurred the agency to propose a series of changes intended to make labels easier to read and understand, particularly for pregnant women. Of course, pregnant women are not the only ones at risk. Elderly patients, many of whom have trouble with their vision, are also at a high risk of making a deadly mistake. The similar appearance of many pills also contributes to the confusion; only an especially careful person would notice the difference.

Prescription medicine mix-ups are not confined to the home. In many cases, doctors and nurses in busy hospitals have been known to administer the wrong drugs to a patient. In others, a drug may be prescribed without taking into account a patient’s health conditions or drug allergies.

Protecting Yourself

Ultimately the best defense against taking the wrong drug is a healthy dose of caution. Never assume that each refill of your prescription has been filled correctly - check carefully to make sure the new batch of pills looks identical to the last batch. A number of online resources can help you make this comparison. Read labels thoroughly - especially if you are taking a prescription for the first time. While it may be tedious, you may be glad you did.

For more information on safety concerns with prescription medicines, visit http://www.habush.com for resources provided by the Milwaukee medical malpractice lawyers of Habush, Habush, & Rottier, S.C.

Joseph Devine

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