Dangerous drug reactions can lead to significant injury, disability and death. When prescription as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medications are not prescribed properly or are taken improperly, serious injuries can occur. When drugs that are prescribed to treat a medical condition cause further harm, the outcome may be due to negligence on the part of the physician, the pharmacist and/or the drug manufacturer. As healthcare attorneys, we recognize the importance of understanding why a drug has been prescribed as well as the potential adverse consequences that may occur due to the medication. It is extremely important that your doctor understands your medical history as well as all prescription and OTC medications that you are taking. Frequently, if you have a medical condition such as diabetes, a drug that otherwise would be beneficial to you may cause undesirable consequences to your blood glucose
Patients with glaucoma may be prescribed a drug by their family doctor that would be appropriate for most patients but not for patients with glaucoma. Interactions between two different drugs may cause potential side effects which would not otherwise occur if the drugs were taken individually. There are a number of resources that a patient can look to for reliable information on drugs and drug interactions.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) is a great resource to look to for information on the medications that you are taking and the medications that your doctor wants you to take. At Mishkind Kulwicki Law, we frequently encounter claims that involve medication errors and we have multiple resources that you can look to on our web site to understand the consequences of dangerous drugs and medication errors.
If you navigate around this website you will find information on reporting medication errors and other easy to understand information on the medications that you are currently taking. We are patient safety advocates and want you to be informed so that you can be safe and confident when you take a medication. We all need to be active participants in our preventative health care so as to avoid preventable medical errors and adverse reactions from dangerous drugs or dangerous combinations of safe drugs.
