Prescription Drug Safety – It’s Not what Consumers think it is.

This morning a published article from “Drug Discovery & Development” shared troubling and interesting statistics regarding prescription medication toxicity.  A unique sensitive toxicity test was developed at the University of Utah that makes it possible to uncover more of these dangerous side effects early in pharmaceutical prescription development.  This could help to reduce the risk of consumers being exposed to unsafe prescriptions.  Shocking is the fact that about one third of all prescription drugs approved by the FDA in the United States are withdrawn from the market or require added warning labels limiting their use.  That new drug that is being pushed has almost a 33 percent chance of exposing you the consumer to a dangerous side effect.  These numbers are not comforting by any means.  Consumers are better off with medications that have been on the market for awhile or better yet no prescription at all if possible.  The fewer prescription medications that you have to take the better off you will be.  Scary is the fact that it is admitted that often the harmful effects of prescriptions are not discovered until 10 to 20 years after the public has been used a guinea pigs.  This is a very disturbing admission.  It is important to consider all risks associated with beginning any treatment regimen. A simple internet search using “prescription name” and the word “lawsuit” or “complaints” can be very revealing.