Medications save lives and make life more bearable for millions of people. No doubt about it. But medications can also cause harm. Logically, the more medications a patient takes, the higher the risk of side effects and dangerous interactions between medications. Did you know many patients take inappropriate or unnecessary medications? Unfortunately, over-prescribing is a […]
Archive | Medications
Are Antibiotics Helpful or Harmful? What You Need to Know.
Antibiotics are the go-to treatment for many types of infections. Doctors prescribe them, and/or patients demand them, for a wide variety of ailments. However, antibiotics are a mixed blessing. Are antibiotics helpful or harmful? Sometimes they don’t help you recover, sometimes they can make you sicker, and collectively they are causing great harm. Doctors are […]
Are Medications Safe?
Americans are taking billions of pills and other medications every year. Almost 50% of US adults take at least one prescription medication. And many millions take over the counter medications. We rely on medications to keep us healthy and to cure both serious and minor ailments. In many cases, people would not survive without their […]
How to Save Money on Prescription Medications
Prescription medications can be frighteningly expensive, even with insurance coverage. Have you ever suffered sticker shock? It’s happened to me on several occasions, including a co-pay of $450 for a medication we didn’t even end up using! These high prescription medication prices are hurting our collective health and our wallets. How widespread and serious is […]
How Can Hospitals Reduce Medication Errors?
For hospitalized patients, medication is often an important part of treatment and/or recovery. It would be easy to assume that your nurse is giving you the right medication at the right time, but unfortunately that is not always the case. Medication errors in hospitals are common and can be dangerous. How can hospitals reduce medication […]
Reduce the Risk of Medication Errors in Long-Term Care Facilities
In last week’s post, we heard about Rose, an elderly woman who experienced dangerous medication errors while at several rehab facilities. Unfortunately, medication errors in long-term care and/or rehab facilities are common and dangerous. Fortunately, you can reduce the risk of medication errors in long-term care facilities, whether you’re the patient or family member. Choosing […]
Medication Errors in Long-Term Care Facilities – One Patient’s Cautionary Tale.
If you’re a regular reader of my blog posts (and I hope you are! If not, sign up here to receive my weekly post by email) you know I often cite research regarding the frequency and severity of medication errors. The Institute of Medicine estimates the average patient in hospitals and long-term care facilities experiences at least […]
Tips to Save Money on Prescriptions
Everyone has experienced the sticker shock of picking up an unexpectedly expensive medication from the pharmacy. Even with insurance coverage your co-pay can be expensive. Or perhaps you haven’t reached your deductible yet and have to pay the full price. How can you save money on prescriptions? Read on! What can you do? There are […]
How Should You Dispose of Medications?
It happens to all of us. Years pass by as you accumulate partially used bottles of medicine – prescription and over-the-counter (OTC). The bottles accumulate yet we do nothing. Probably because we don’t know what to do with these medications. How should you dispose of medications? Why can’t you flush ’em? According to Dispose My […]
Can Your Medication Make You Sicker?
Medications are a common treatment. So common in fact, many patients take multiple medications. Although medication is supposed to make you better, that is not always the case. Can your medication make you sicker? Unfortunately, yes. Americans take a lot of medication! We are taking a lot of pills! Research estimates that in any given […]