Medicine blamed for more deaths and injuries.

[caty]

"The number of deaths and injuries from medicine doubled from 1998 to 2005, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers looked at Food and Drug Administration reports of adverse drug events, which include deaths, birth defects, disabilities and whenever medical intervention was needed to prevent harm

During the eight years of the study, there were nearly 500,000 serious events. About 35,000 took place in 1998; the number was nearly 90,000 in 2005."
http://www.clickondetroit.com/health/14084010/detail.html

We need to pay more attention to the warnings of side effects before we pop those pills in our mouths. I know I've noticed that the side effects can be a lot worse than what we are taking these medications for.

[TZ]

1. The problem is when people don't take their meds as directed

but the BIGGEST problem is people taking unregulated herbs and supplements which *can* have very deadly reactions with prescript. meds. and since most people don't tell their docs about this stuff its very dangerous..especially if people are having surgery and NOT telling their docs. Most medical professionals will tell you that is the big reason for medical deaths is unreported substances thier patients are taking

[AllegroRondo]

2. Hmm. what year did they loosen the restrictions on advertizing?

Now you get drug advertizing 24/7 on TV - "take this pill now!" with lots of pictures of smiling happy people. Just listen very carefully while the announcer reads the long long list of possible side effects very quickly, and check our ad in some unkonwn magazine for more information.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. And they often include "Marketing" in their R&D budgets,

so they can justify obscene drug prices (sans regulation, of course)...While most R&D is and has been done by the NIH and other Public Health entities, such as the National Cancer Institute.

:mad:

[bicentennial_baby]

3. And we could also pay attention to the pharmaceutical industry....

I'm reading "The Truth About Drug Companies" for my Philosophy class, written by the former Editor of the N.E. Journal of Medicine. It's obscene how they operate, seriously. :puke:

[redqueen]

5. You should post this in GD, too...

I think I'm going to ask my doc for a prescription for that drug that lets me make my own tears. So I can have my eyes moisturized with tears. My own tears.

:crazy: