|
Personal health records might help prevent dangerous drug interactions |
|
|
|
|
Written by Bryan Scribner
|
|
Thursday, 07 February 2008 |
The death of actor Heath Ledger, now blamed on a deadly combination of prescription medications, brings to light the dangers of mixing pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter remedies and other substances such as alcohol.
And now, according to reports, investigators are looking into why doctors prescribed Ledger all of the medications, which when mixed were described in a Sydney Morning Herald story as a “deadly cocktail.” Most reports say Ledger didn’t take any of the medication in excess; however, the combination of six drugs was enough to shut his body down.
Now, if just one doctor prescribed all of these medications, and further didn’t properly warn Ledger as to the dangers of combining the drugs, then investigators might be able to point some fingers. However, it’s likely Ledger could have obtained the prescriptions and drugs from several sources, as an early February story in the Los Angeles Times points out that patients today can consult with several doctors and pharmacists, as well as order drugs through the mail.
The Times concludes that only the patient knows his complete health and medication history. Potentially harmful drug interactions, then, cannot be evaluated if one doctor or one pharmacist isn’t aware of the patient’s use of other prescriptions, over-the-counter medications or alcohol.
It would be ideal if patients went to the same pharmacy for all of their prescriptions, according to the Times. People would also be well advised to write out for doctors a list of all of the medications they take or might take.
However, many people might find one pharmacy to be more convenient than another – for example, the grocery store pharmacy might be open later or located closer than the big-box store pharmacy, and therefore a switch might be in order. Or, as health insurance plans continue to change, some people might find it difficult to stay with the same doctors year after year.
And although there are efforts promoting the use of electronic medical
records, some private practices are slow to adopt the technology,
according to a story on MSNBC.com. Prescription monitoring programs,
which track prescribed drugs that could be addictive, are in place in
several states; however, there are 15 states that haven’t implemented
such programs, according to The Wichita Eagle, a Kansas newspaper.
Another solution might be to place health care records in the patient’s
own hands with new software that allows people to keep personal health
records on their computers, according to the MSNBC.com story. This type
of software, now being studied, would allow people to type in their
personal medical histories, which would provide beneficial information
for doctors or pharmacists.
Probably most important, the personal health record programs would
offer warnings for potential interactions between prescription and
over-the-counter drugs, according to the story.
Another solution, of course, would be to avoid taking potentially
dangerous medications whenever possible. To support a variety of
conditions, people could turn to safe, natural alternative supplements.
There are several enzyme-based digestive and systemic products that
could help reduce inflammation, improve healing, strengthen immunity
and provide essential nutrients for overall health. |
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 08 February 2008 )
|
News 
