Medication Dangers

Before you take your next pill, make sure what you’re swallowing is safe. Here are some medication mistakes that can cause you serious harm or even kill you.

Confusing two medications with similar names. This happens more frequently than you would think. One way to avoid it is to ask your health care provider to write down what the medication is for as well as the name and dosage. When you pick up the prescription at your pharmacy, check to make sure the name of the drug, dosage and directions are the same as on the prescription.

Taking two or more drugs may intensify the other's side effects. Any drug has potential side effects. However, when you take two or more medications together it can cause problems because of the way they interact with each other. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about potential side effects when you get the new prescription. You know those papers the pharmacy staples on your bag? Keep them. You can compare the new information with the information from your old prescription. If you see the same side effects listed for more than one medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you should be concerned about it.

Combining more than one medication with similar properties can cause an overdose. Over the counter drugs fall into this category too. This type of drug mixing is responsible for a lot of medication induced deaths, especially among younger adults. Read the warnings on the package of OTC drugs and the risks listed in the prescription drugs. Some key words are: sleepy, drowsy, dizzy, and sedation. If more than one of your prescription drugs or OTC drugs warns about driving or that it can make you drowsy, be careful. The drug has a sedative effect on the central nervous system and shouldn’t be combined with other drugs with the same effect.

Getting the dosage wrong. If you can’t read the dosage indicated on the prescription, your pharmacist may have a problem too. If you have doubts, have the pharmacist check to make sure the dosage is what it’s supposed to be.

Mixing alcohol with medication. When getting a new prescription, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are permitted alcohol while taking it. Read the OTC medications to see if alcohol is a risk. If the cold or cough medications contain alcohol, you can end up with alcohol poisoning.

Taking prescription drugs, OTC drugs or alternative medications without knowing how they interact. Remind your doctor what OTC meds you are taking or any herbal supplement. Ask if it should be taken with or without food and if it interacts with anything.

Taking medications that’s not safe for your age. Aging brings risk of many problems, such as high blood pressure, dementia, dizziness and falling. Drugs that have these side effects are more risky for people over the age of 65.

Believe it or not, something as simple as grapefruit juice can interact badly with certain medications. Grapefruit juice inhibits an enzyme that functions to break down and metabolize many drugs. What happens when it interacts with a medication? The liver is overloaded and can’t metabolize the medication. This can result in an overdose with potentially fatal results.

So you see, with a little common sense and being careful, you can take your medications safely. Read the instructions, don’t be afraid to ask questions, be careful what you mix together. It‘s your body and it’s your right to know.

By Linda Lee Ruzicka

Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Beyond andHealthcarejobsite. You can read more of her blogs on Healthcarejobsite blog.