Medications Should Not Lead To The Hospital ER

Taking drugs often leads to the Emergency Room. That is the conclusion reached by the Centers For Disease Control and the FDA.

We need to be far more careful in our use of prescription medications. When adverse drug events almost equal automobile accidents as the reason for ER visits among our senior citizens alarm bells should be sounding. With our large retiree population in Florida it is particularly important to focus on the improper use of medication. This should include extra attention to the dosage and combinations of drugs.

Bad Events From Drugs Are Common

More Than 700,000 People per Year Visit ERs Due to Adverse Drug Events

Experts from the CDC and FDA estimate that every year, more than 700,000 people visit U.S. emergency departments because of side effects, accidental overdoses, and other adverse drug events.

Those patients are particularly likely to be 65 years old or older, note the researchers, who included the CDC’s Daniel Budnitz, MD, MPH.

In fact, nearly as many people aged 65 and older visit emergency departments for drug events as for automobile accidents, Budnitz’s team notes.