From the time you are a young child, you're taught that going to the doctor will make you feel better. Have a stomachache? Call your doctor. Fall and hit your head? Call your doctor. Think you have the flu? Call your doctor. While obviously a medical professional is the best place to start when you are having questions about your health, we have also been taught to blindly accept whatever prescriptions and medications our doctors prescribe to us. After all, they know best right?
In a world where more information is available at our fingertips than ever before, we've been able to learn more and more about the implications of the medications that we are prescribed on a daily basis. With more research and studies being done about this topic every year, it raises the question: are prescription drugs really safe?
Recalls
Did you know that over 15,000 prescription drugs have been recalled by the FDA since 2012 (1)? That means prescription drugs that were on the market and actively being prescribed to patients were found to do so much damage that they were pulled from the market after already being approved. This presents the scary reality that the FDA's approval and research process may not be as effective as we are led to believe.
Medication Management
While your doctor is aware of what they prescribe you, they may not always be aware of all of the interactions that are possible between different medications that you may be taking. For instance, did you know that the supplement St. John's Wart may lower the impact of birth control? There are quite literally millions of medications out there, and we do not have all the data on the interactions between them. While your medication may be safe on its own, it is a dangerous game when mixed with other medications, even ones that are prescribed.
Habit Formation
If there is one thing we learned during the opioid crisis, it is that even medications that are thought to be safe can ruin your life. The opioid crisis is a public health epidemic that has taken the lives of many, many people. Synthetic opioids were often prescribed for pain management, and were generally thought to be safe and helpful in the pharmaceutical industry. What we werent told is that they are highly addictive and have severe side effects with long term use. Fast forward just a few years, and we saw millions of Americans heavily addicted to opioids after an initial prescription for pain, leading to chronic illness, overdoses, and withdrawal.
This should serve as a cautionary lens through which we look at trends in the pharmaceutical industry. In the last 10 years alone, big pharmaceutical companies have accumulated $82 billion in fines from lawsuit settlements regarding issues under the Federal False Claims Act with the sale of prescription drugs. Most of these cases, as outlined by ConsumerShield’s recent report, had to do with the false off-label marketing practices for synthetic opioids, a class of drugs well known for their highly addictive nature and severe side effects.
Side Effects
While obviously some medications are necessary for people with different conditions, something that is not often talked about enough is the side effects that are possible with virtually almost every prescription medication. Ranging from minor inconveniences all the way up to possibly death, there is a very wide array of side effects deemed acceptable by the FDA. In many instances, the side effects of a drug can far outweigh the health benefits that come with taking it.
Healthy Alternatives
Up until recently in the U.S., many states has laws against marijuana use. This is still illegal for military members and in some other common careerfields. There are many weed benefits that do not come along with the many risks associated with perscription medications. However, Big Pharma cannot benefit financially when people take their health into their own hands and seek out healthier, natural alternatives such as marijuana. More and more studies are finding that weed is a great way to manage pain as well as anxiety and depression. The more states that legalize weed and weed-related products, the more people will have access to this healthier means of treatment.
Prescription Drug Safety
Overall, there are a lot of issues within the world of prescription drugs that make it hard to say how safe they are. With new drugs being recalled every day, new reactions between drugs being discovered, and the horrific side effects that they can present, there are a lot of things to consider before you take a prescription. Remember, nobody cares about your health more than you do, which is why it is important to do your own research, ask questions, and take your health care into your own hands.
