[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/blog\/medications-health\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/blog\/medications-health\/","headline":"Your Medications and What They Mean to Your Health","name":"Your Medications and What They Mean to Your Health","description":"Millions of people are prescribed medications, and many are prescribed multiple. Despite the stringent oversight of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), many negative side effects or bad interactions with other medications can still occur, even when taking medications as instructed. These\u00a0adverse drug events\/reactions\u00a0are defined as \u201cany undesirable experience associated with the use of a medical product...","datePublished":"2011-08-10","dateModified":"2026-05-07","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/blog\/author\/kelley-johnson\/#Person","name":"Kelley Johnson","url":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/blog\/author\/kelley-johnson\/","identifier":35,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/62ea8bbf737d997a737de0b59d28a202a2f010bc1081f2ca6f356f6d9949be07?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/62ea8bbf737d997a737de0b59d28a202a2f010bc1081f2ca6f356f6d9949be07?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Law Office of Kelley J. Johnson","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Medmalpractice-Logo-1.svg","url":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Medmalpractice-Logo-1.svg","width":0,"height":0}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Kelley-J-Johnson.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Kelley-J-Johnson.jpg","width":238,"height":270},"url":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/blog\/medications-health\/","about":["Medical Malpractice Law"],"wordCount":348,"articleBody":"Millions of people are prescribed medications, and many are prescribed multiple. Despite the stringent oversight of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), many negative side effects or bad interactions with other medications can still occur, even when taking medications as instructed. These\u00a0adverse drug events\/reactions\u00a0are defined as \u201cany undesirable experience associated with the use of a medical product in a patient,\u201d according to the FDA.The main sources of these adverse events include:An individual\u2019s body simply reacts badly to a drug in an unexpected way.Incorrect dosing or incorrect administration of a drug.Combination of medications resulting in an adverse event.Dr. Cindy Haines draws attention to these unfortunate events in her article, \u201cWhat Patients Can Do to Prevent Medication Errors.\u201d A study conducted by\u00a0Health Services Research\u00a0found that half a percent of all ambulatory healthcare visits in adults are related to adverse drug events.\u00a0These undesirable effects account for 4.5 million doctor visits each year. The\u00a0American Medical News\u00a0found that nearly 1.9 million hospital stays had a drug-related adverse outcome in 2008.Of these events, high risk factors can increase the likelihood of an adverse event occurring. People who take six to eight medications were found to be four times more likely to visit their doctor due to an adverse reaction to medication. Typically, the elderly take more medication so as a result, they have a higher risk as well compared to young adults. None of these results include information based on children.It is estimated that more than 100,000 patients\u00a0die from adverse drug events\u00a0in the U.S. each year. Dr. Haines suggests the best way to avoid such an event is to reduce the number of medications you take and to make lifestyle changes in order to prevent the need for medication. Things such as exercise, eating more plant-based foods, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking are great ways to prevent disease. Also, be aware what medications you are taking (prescribed or over-the-counter) and talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any potential drug interactions or known side effects."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Your Medications and What They Mean to Your Health","item":"https:\/\/www.medmalpractice.law\/blog\/medications-health\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]