Drugstore Haste Leads to Harm

Americans are trusting. When their doctors prescribe medicine, patients rarely take time to ask what it’s for, how to take it or what the side effects might be.
At the pharmacy, most people grab and go. They don’t stop to ask the pharmacist any questions either.
As a result, people often fail to take their medicine correctly. Many are unaware of side effects until they experience a terrible reaction.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has reported that in 2008 nearly two million people had to be hospitalized or treated in an emergency department for illnesses resulting from their medications. That’s up 50 percent from four years earlier.
Because everyone (the doctor, the pharmacist and the patient) is in such a hurry these days, very little time is devoted to verifying that people know how to take their medicine correctly or what the possible complications could be.
The result of such poor communication can be disastrous. Visitors to our website (PeoplesPharmacy.com) have shared sad stories. One woman wrote:
“My son was given Levaquin for acne by a dermatologist. He started to experience extreme pain halfway through his two-month treatment.
“After two years he is still in debilitating pain. A rheumatologist told him she suspects he has microtears in his tendons and there is nothing that can be done for him.
“This drug was given a ‘black box warning’ by the FDA in July 2008, but good luck finding it on the pill bottle. It was not on my son’s.
“There was a warning indicating that he might be more sensitive to sunburn and not to take it with Tums. I couldn’t find the black box warning on the information given with this drug and our pharmacist said nothing about it either.
“I had to look it up myself to learn that Levaquin can cause tendinitis and tendon rupture. We consumers must always research the drugs that the doctors give us.”
Patients are discovering that even when they take time to read the label on their pill bottle they may not get all the information they need. Even the leaflets that pharmacies hand out with prescriptions don’t provide uniform details on adverse reactions, interactions and how the drug should be taken.
Taking time to learn more about medications can save lives. Physicians, pharmacists and patients need to slow down and communicate clearly about what the medicine is for, how it should be taken and what symptoms to be alert for.
The following drugs deserve special care:
* Blood thinners such as warfarin or clopidogrel
* Corticosteroids like prednisone
* Antibiotics such as clindamycin, ciprofloxacin or Levaquin
* Cancer drugs including methotrexate
* Narcotic pain relievers including hydrocodone or oxycodone
* Blood pressure drugs like lisinopril
* Insulin
Such medicines can save lives. They can also cause harm. That is why it is so important for patients to learn how to use them wisely.
To assist in this process, we have prepared a free Patient Safety Questionnaire that will help your physician and pharmacist write down answers to key questions about your drugs.