Be Careful About Taking Certain Drugs!
Monday, July 30th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Sometimes you hurt so bad you could just die — so you opt to take prescriptions that act fast. What you put into your body is totally up to you, but, please be aware of the problems taking certain prescription drugs can cause. If you’ve never considered alternative health cures as a viable option for treating your pain or illness perhaps you will reconsider after reading the statistics below.
According a few well-conducted studies drug related illnesses are getting to be more and more common – probably much worse than most of us think. Each year, almost 10 million older Americans suffer from adverse drug reactions although at least 37% of these are not even reported to the doctor. Why? Presumably because patients were not aware the reactions were due to the drug. Not at all surprising since most doctors admitted they did not explain possible adverse effects to their patients. This study based on a six month period of time so the actual incidents of drug related illnesses are even higher than those in the study. (This information was excerpted from an article on Drug Induced Diseases at worstpills.org.)
The following national estimates are based studies done mainly in the United States:
–>In hospitals alone each year there are more than 28,000 cases of life-threatening heart toxicity from adverse reactions to digoxin, the most commonly used form of digitalis in older adults.
–>41,000 older adults are hospitalized each year — and 3,300 of these die from ulcers caused by NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, usually for treatment of arthritis).
–>Of the 1000’s of injuries from auto crashes that occur each year involving older drivers, at least 16,000 are attributable to the use of psychoactive drugs, specifically benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants.
–>32,000 older adults suffer from hip fractures each year — contributing to more than 1,500 deaths—attributable to drug-induced falls.
–>As many as 163,000 older Americans are known to suffer from serious mental impairment (memory loss, dementia) either caused or worsened by drugs.
–>An astonishing two million older Americans are addicted or at risk of addiction to minor tranquilizers or sleeping pills because they have used them daily for at least one year, even though there is no acceptable evidence that the tranquilizers are effective for more than four months, and the sleeping pills for more than 30 days.
–>At least 73,000 older adults have developed drug-induced tardive dyskinesia; this condition is the most serious and common adverse reaction to antipsychotic drugs, and it is often irreversible. Tardive dyskinesia is characterized by involuntary movements of the lips, tongue, and sometimes the fingers, toes, and trunk.
–>Drug-induced parkinsonism has developed in 61,000 older adults due to the use of antipsychotic drugs such as Haldol, Thorazine, Mellaril, Stelazine, and Prolixin. There are also other parkinsonism-inducing drugs, such as Reglan, Compazine, and Phenergan, prescribed for gastrointestinal problems.
This is a very serious problem because both doctors and patients do not realize that practically any symptom in older adults and in many younger adults can be caused or worsened by drugs. Some doctors and patients assume that what are actually adverse drug reactions are simply signs of aging. As a result, many serious adverse reactions are entirely overlooked or not recognized until they have caused significant harm.
The drugs responsible for the most serious adverse reactions in older adults are tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and other mind-affecting drugs; cardiovascular drugs such as high blood pressure drugs, digoxin, and drugs for abnormal heart rhythms; and drugs for treating intestinal problems.
So what can you do? If you are taking prescription medication and think you are suffering from a drug induced illness, talk to your doctor about alternative treatments. Know the side affects of the meds you are taking (sometimes your druggist is the best source of information for this). Listen to your body and don’t ignore its subtle warning signs. Start researching alternative health solutions and to see if there is another solution for you. And above all, talk to your doctor.
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to administer medical advice. Always consult your physician before undertaking any change in your prescription medication or before taking herbal supplements and vitamins.
