The
Potentially Adverse Effects of Prescription Drugs
Discovering
dangers of prescription drugs after they have been marketed to the medical
community and public is common. Generally, 51% of FDA-approved drugs have
serious adverse effects not detected prior to approval.1 Each year
prescription drugs injure 1.5 million people so severely they require
hospitalization. In addition, prescription drugs cause 100,000 deaths annually.2
With these numbers, how can the public be protected from dangerous drugs?
A
recent study in JAMA examined the incidence of serious and fatal adverse
drug reactions (ADR) in hospital patients. An ADR is any harmful, unintended,
or undesired effect of a drug. This definition does not include drug abuse nor
intentional or accidental drug overdose.2 The results of this study
were conclusive: the rate of severe and deadly adverse drug reactions in U.S.
hospitals was found to be extremely high—high enough that ADRs ranked fourth,
after heart disease, cancer, and stroke, as a leading cause of death in the
U.S.2
Despite
FDA attempts to incorporate various drug safety measures prior to approving
prescription drugs, they often overlook potentially dangerous effects. The use
of prescription drugs is often crucial; however, in order to avoid potentially
harmful side effects and drug-interactions, natural remedies should be
incorporated whenever possible. Herbal therapies and nutritional supplements
may support the relief of many health problems without the harmful effects of
prescription drugs.
References
- US General Accounting
Office. FDA Drug Review: Postapproval Risks, 1976-85. Washington,
DC: US General Accounting Office; April 26, 1990. GAO/PEMD-90-15.
- Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH,
Corey PN. Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients: a
meta-analysis of prospective studies. JAMA 1998;279(15);1200-04.
