HIMPower Magazine HimPower August 2017 | Page 19

“I had a strong faith before, but it has gotten stronger since this happened.” I t could happen to you. It could happen to a loved one. It could happen even though you did everything the doctor told you to do. You followed orders to the letter. You took the prescribed dosage and trusted the medication would take care of the problem, help you get better and feel like you again. Only, you were wrong. Instead of feeling a sense of euphoria and well-being like the actors in prescription drug adver- tisements would have you believe, you have suddenly found your life turned upside down and inside out because of an Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR). An ADR, according to the FDA, is “A serious adverse event (experience) or reaction is any untoward medical occur- rence that at any dose: Results in death, Is life-threatening, NOTE: The term “life-threatening” in the definition of “serious” refers to an event in which the patient was at risk of death at the time of the event; it does not refer to an event which hypothetically might have caused death if it were more severe. Requires inpatient hospi- talization or prolongation of existing hospi- talization, Results in persistent or signifi- cant disability/incapacity, or Is a congenital anomaly/birth defect.” 1 The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states, “Adverse drug events cause over 700,000 emergency department visits each year. Nearly 120,000 patients each year need to be hospitalized for further treatment after emergency visits for adverse drug events. As more and more people take more medicines, the risk of adverse events may increase. As people age, they typically take more medi- cines. Older adults (65 years or older) are twice as likely as others to come to emer- gency departments for adverse drug events (over 177,000 emergency visits each year) and nearly seven times more likely to be hospitalized after an emergency visit.” 2 And the FDA goes on to say, “…ADRs are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in health care. The Institute of Medicine reported in January of 2000 that from 44,000 to 98,000 deaths occur annually from medical errors. Of this total, an esti- mated 7,000 deaths occur due to ADRs. To put this in perspective, consider t