Without the correct medications, many people would suffer greatly due to illnesses and conditions. Medications can help ease pain, battle symptoms and get us back on our feet so we can get on with our daily lives. But the same medications that are supposed to help can also do harm if they are incorrectly prescribed or are not taken as directed.
Because medicines often contain very potent chemicals, a person runs the risk of being poisoned if he or she does not use them properly. The following are suggestions on how to avoid being poisoned by your medications:
- Never exceed a medication’s recommended dosage.
- Carefully read a medication’s instructions. Be careful to note if it is unsafe to take a medication with alcohol or other medicines.
- Do not take any prescription drug that was not prescribed specifically for you by a medical professional.
- Keep all drugs in their original containers.
- When taking medicine at night, be sure you have enough light so you can see that you are taking the correct dosage of the correct medication.
These are just a few of the things you can do to help prevent being poisoned by your medicines. But some things are not totally under your control. You could be seriously injured if a medical professional prescribes a drug to which you have an allergy or gives you prescriptions for multiple drugs that are not safe when taken together. You could also suffer adverse effects if a pharmacist mistakenly gives you the wrong drug or prints incorrect instructions on a drug’s label.
If you or a family member ever suffers an injury due to a medication error by a doctor or pharmacist, an Arizona attorney may be able to help you get compensation.