More than 131 million Americans -- or 66% of adults -- take prescription drugs. But not all of them use their medicines correctly.
Each year between 7,000 and 9,000 people die due to medication errors.
If you’re like most Americans, pills are a part of life.
“I’m up to four different medications now for my blood pressure,” Ann Gwin said.
“Medications can be tough to take. They can be complicated to take. Particularly the more medications somebody is prescribed,” said Dr. Daniel Munoz, a cardiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
But if you’re using your meds incorrectly, you could be putting yourself in danger. In a recent report, more than nine million American adults said they’ve tried to cut costs by skipping doses, taking less medication, or delaying getting a prescription filled.
“The more medications someone is prescribed and picks up at the pharmacy the higher their out-of-pocket costs will be,” Munoz said.
But, not taking certain medications on schedule can be unsafe. For instance, skipping beta-blockers can cause a spike in blood pressure, which can put you at risk for a heart attack.
Another mistake: doubling up on doses if you miss one. Many times, you should skip the missed dose if it’s almost time for your next dose.
Another misstep is stopping your meds. You should always take the drug for the amount of time your doctor prescribes.
“I lay out my little boxes and then I line up the pills, morning pills and afternoon pills,” Gwin said.
Some drugs like antidepressants can cause harmful withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking them cold turkey.
Sharing medicines with another person is also a mistake. Your drugs are prescribed with your particular height, weight, age, and medical condition in mind.
According to UC Davis, every 8 minutes, a child experiences a medication error at home. The most common mistakes are giving the wrong medication, administering medicines that the child is allergic to, or taking the wrong dose.