We are thrilled to introduce today's guest blogger, Dr. Michael Rushnak. Dr. Rushnak has over 30 years experience in the medical field, first as a physician and then working in the pharmaceutical industry and consulting for managed care physicians. Dr. Rushnak is also a writer; his medical thriller novel Terminal Neglect debuted just this month! Today he provides us with his thoughts on using medications in a safer manner. Keep in mind: patients should always check with their own physician before acting on any information they read.
The best way for chronically ill patients to ensure that their prescriptions are as safe as possible is to be well informed on the latest scientific information.
1. First and foremost, chronically ill patients must keep their primary physician appraised of all the medications that may be prescribed by various specialists. Their primary doctor knows the unique clinical facts related to the patient such as drug-drug interactions as well as abnormal liver function or renal function that must be taken into account to minimize the potential for an unsafe clinical scenario.
2. Patients should always read all the prescribing information that comes with all prescriptions. Go directly to the pharmaceutical company's webpage to find patient and physician language information on the drug (you can usually find the pharmaceutical company by typing the name of the drug plus "dot com" into the address bar). Use only reliable online sources of information such as FDA.org. Patients should talk to their physician about previously reported side effects.
3. Patients should keep a diary of any new symptom that might develop during the taking of the medication(s) and report them promptly to a physician.
4. It is a generally good practice for a patient to ask their physician if their medication is a relatively new product and whether time-tested, safer alternative prescription drugs could be considered for their chronic condition.
5. Lastly, it is critical for patients to remember that FDA approval of medications means that they are effective for their condition and that the benefits outweigh the risks. However, an FDA approval based on relatively small numbers of patients taking the drug in clinical trials does not mean that the drug is completely harmless for all patients.
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