WHICH? MEDICINE: SAFETY

Taking a medicine to effect a cure seems a simple part of everyday life, but swallowing a tablet is just the beginning of a complex biochemical process which may affect your body in many ways. The intention of this guide is to put the use of medicines into perspective. Many medicines are unlikely to cause serious unwanted effects and not everyone is at risk from those which do, but medicine-taking is not without hazard. Given information you can address this issue and ask your doctor or pharmacist questions about treatment.

Major scares about medicines and the adverse effects of drugs continue to hit the headlines, one being triazolam (brand name Halcion), the benzodiazepine sleeping tablet. Injury from medicines does happen, but many accidents are preventable. If your doctor follows this list of basic duties problems with drug treatment will be kept to a minimum. The checklist has been adapted from an article published in Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.

1. Restricting the use of drugs. Has your doctor taken a proper decision that drug therapy is warranted? Is there another possible way of treating you? Would the best thing (for mild symptoms) be just to wait and see?
2. Making a careful choice of an appropriate drug and dosage. Has your doctor taken into account your own needs and how susceptible you may be to unwanted effects? And the balance of likely risks and benefits of any drug? And the alternative drugs available?
3. Consultation and consent Has your doctor consulted you about the treatment that is proposed? Do you understand it? Have you given your informed consent to treatment?
4. Explanation. A doctor should explain to you how a course of treatment will be given, and what your role in that course of treatment is going to be. Do you know?
5. Prescription and recording. Your doctor should prescribe with care, and should make sure a record of the prescription is kept.
6. Supervision. While you are on a course of drugs, the doctor who prescribed them should be looking out for any developments or changes, and altering or adapting the treatment if need be.
7. Ending drug therapy when it is no longer needed.
8. Keeping within the law as it relates to prescribing and using medicines.

*5\112\4*