- Taking Too Much
Overdose is very common case of medication fatalities. Also, the most common medication error. Prescription drugs that carries abuse potential are the most common culprits. For stance, prescription painkillers like: Percocet, stimulants such as Adderall and anti-anxiety medications like Xanax, a person should never take more medicine than the prescribed amount.
- Confusing Medications with One Another
Few medicines have similar names that are easy to mix with one another. Few examples of such medicines are:
- Lamictal for epilepsy and Lamisil for fungal infection
- Zantac for heartburn and Zyrtec for allergies
- Celebrex for arthritis and Celexa for depression
Patients, majorly seniors with dementia, can even get confuse with pills when they look superficially similar. This is a common case where a pill-minder can be a great help.
- Medicines Interacting with One Another
Few medicines are never meant to be mixed with other medications. This case is general with 30% of old persons taking five or more prescriptions at a time and receiving prescriptions from multiple specialists. For example, a patient could be prescribed an opiate painkiller from a general doctor but on the other hand, a sedating sleeping medicine from a sleep specialist. These both medicines would be safe only if taken individually at prescribed doses.
- Food and Drug Interactions
While it is very normal to know that certain medications ought not be taken at the same time. They may need gap after meals and should not interact with food. For instance, many old aged people are on medications such as the anticoagulant Coumadin or blood thinning statins. These medicines can be ineffective if a patient eats food high in vitamin K, such as leafy green vegetables, Brussels sprouts and broccoli. One should always be mindful of directions and warnings on the labels of your prescription and from your pharmacist.
- Wrong Route of Administration
The FDA report cited above indicated that 16% of medication errors involve using the wrong route of administration. This could involve swallowing a tablet that was intended to be taken without water and someone take it with liquid. Swallowing a liquid intended for injection or use as a nasal spray is another example.
