Empower Yourself: Understanding Prescription Medications Safety

September 29, 2024

by Cathe Friedrich

Would it surprise you to learn that prescription medications are the third leading cause of death in the United States? It ranks third after heart disease and cancer. The deaths encompass errors related to taking too much of a medication and, also, deaths due to unexpected side effects with correct usage.

Although your doctor and pharmacist may have warned you of the potential side effects of the medications you’re taking, it’s almost impossible to predict exactly how a medication will react in an individual’s body.

Beyond the Label: The Hidden Dangers of Prescription Meds

We’re all a little different and metabolize medications at different rates. If you’re taking more than one medication, there’s a risk of drug interactions. Prescription medications can even interact with certain supplements. That’s why it’s important to give your healthcare provider a complete list of the medications and supplements you’re taking and review them at each appointment.

Even your gut microbiome and the foods and beverages you consume can impact how long a medication stays in your system. In some cases, these variations can turn a common medication into one that causes serious side effects.

Grapefruit and Statins: The Unexpected Sidekick Threatening Your Health

For example, did you know that drinking grapefruit juice can cause some medications, including statins, used to treat elevated cholesterol, to stay in your system longer? Grapefruit affects enzymes that break statins down, thereby increasing your risk of side effects.

There’s also evidence that pomegranate juice affects the metabolism of some medications too. Talk to your doctor about this if you take medications and eat or consume grapefruit or pomegranate.

Leafy greens are a healthy addition to your plate, but they’re also high in vitamin K, a vitamin that plays a role in blood clotting. You may need to avoid eating them if you’re taking certain blood thinners, like warfarin, to avoid interfering with the medication. However, new blood thinners are less risky in this respect, so you may still be able to enjoy foods that contain vitamin K if your doctor gives the okay.

Online Resources: Empowering Yourself with Prescription Knowledge

How can you find out whether the prescriptions you’re taking are potentially dangerous medications with serious side effects? If you want to learn the major side effects of a medication you’re taking, you can consult an online PDR (Physician’s Desk Reference). This a large book used by physicians that discusses the dosing and side effects of current prescription medications.

There’s also a special edition for patients online at pdrhealth.com. Here you can look up your current list of medications and determine their risks and side effects. Plus, you can use their free treatment option tool. This useful tool will give you treatment options for conditions along with a list of articles and questions to ask your doctor about each option. You also get a list of research articles on the condition in question.

Another resource where you can access the side effects of medications is a database by the Food and Drug Administration called FDALabel database. You can enter the name of a prescription drug or an over-the-counter medication to find out its side effects.

Beyond PDR: Unveiling Drug Interactions and Side Effects

Another way to track potentially dangerous medications is at drugs.com. This site has a drug interactions detector where you can enter the name of the medication you’re taking and get a complete listing of drugs with which it may interact. This tool is useful if you’re taking multiple prescriptions and want to see if one can affect the other. Another useful tool on this site is the pill identifier.

If you should find a pill lying around your house or if someone you know has taken potentially dangerous medications you can’t identify, this tool will allow you to search by color, shape, or the imprint on the pill. This tool is one you may want to bookmark for future reference.

At drugs.com you can also read about firsthand experiences with medications in their community forum. In many cases, serious side effects of prescription medications aren’t widely publicized because doctors aren’t required to report them. By searching the forum, you can often discover side effects experienced by individuals that aren’t reported in the medical literature. You can also post your own firsthand experiences with prescription medications.

AI Chatbots: Friend or Foe? Navigating the Risks of Online Advice

You can also use an AI chat box to ask about the side effects of different medications. But be aware that chatbots “hallucinate” a lot and can give you incorrect or misleading information. Plus, some chatbots can’t access the web and may not have information on newer medications.

And don’t forget that you should always talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions. They can give you personalized advice based on your health history. Pharmacists are particularly helpful for identifying drug interactions.

Empower Yourself: Take Charge of Your Health with Online Tools

As you can see, the internet has opened a variety of options for insuring that you’re not taking prescriptions that could turn out to be risky for your health. Always make your doctor aware of any side effects you’re experiencing right away. They can adjust your treatment plan to ensure you get the most benefits from your medications with a minimum of side effects.

Here are points to keep in mind when taking medications:

Know the Dose: Take medications exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Read the label to verify.
Avoid Mixing: Do not mix medications with alcohol or other drugs without consulting your healthcare provider.
Check Interactions: Use online tools or consult your pharmacist to check for drug interactions.
Report Side Effects: Let your doctor know right away about adverse reactions or side effects.
Keep a List: Maintain an updated list of all medications and supplements you are taking.
Store Properly: Store medications as directed, away from children and pets.
Regular Reviews: Schedule regular medication reviews with your healthcare provider to assess ongoing needs.

References:

Lazarou, J., Pomeranz, B. H., & Corey, P. N. (1998). Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. JAMA, 279(15), 1200-1205.
Bailey, D. G., Dresser, G., & Arnold, J. M. O. (2013). Grapefruit–medication interactions: Forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences? Canadian Medical Association Journal, 185(4), 309-316.
Hidaka, M., Okumura, M., Fujita, K. I., Ogikubo, T., Yamasaki, K., Iwakiri, T., … & Arimori, K. (2005). Effects of pomegranate juice on human cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) and carbamazepine pharmacokinetics in rats. Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 33(5), 644-648.
Zimmermann, M., Zimmermann-Kogadeeva, M., Wegmann, R., & Goodman, A. L. (2019). Mapping human microbiome drug metabolism by gut bacteria and their genes. Nature, 570(7762), 462-467.
Gøtzsche, Peter C. “Our Prescription Drugs Kill Us in Large Numbers.” Polskie Archiwum Medycyny Wewnętrznej 124, no. 11 (October 30, 2014): 628–34. https://doi.org/10.20452/pamw.2503.