I think it’s safe to say that most of us assume the medications we get at the pharmacy or hospital are actually the drugs they are supposed to be. Most people would not even think of checking authenticity. But what if you took a medication, at home or in the hospital, that didn’t contain the […]
Medications
Are Medications Safe?
Are medications safe? Americans take 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 […]
What’s an Adverse Drug Reaction?
We take a lot of pills! Researchers estimate that in any given week, 4 out of 5 adults will use prescription medicines, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, or dietary supplements of some sort. And nearly 1/3 of adults take 5 or more different medications. Although medications are supposed to make us better, that is not always the […]
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. But are antibiotics helpful or harmful? That’s not an easy question to answer because antibiotics are helpful, but they also cause harm. Certainly, they help many patients overcome infections. But sometimes antibiotics […]
Medication Errors in Hospitals – How Can You Protect Yourself?
Clearly, no one wants to get sicker while they are in the hospital. And certainly, no one wants to take a medication that could harm them. 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 […]