The Independent on Sunday today carried a special report on adverse drug reactions to prescribed medication in England.
Between 1996 and 2006 in England the number of prescriptions issued by doctors has risen 51%, from 498 million to 752 million. Over the same period the number of reported deaths from adverse reactions to these drugs has shot up 155%, from 382 to 973 (actually they estimate the number of deaths reported is only 10% of the real number – this would give 10,000 deaths a year!) Also over this period the number of serious reactions to drugs has increased 214%, from 5,022 to 15,760, resulting in the occupation of 5,600 beds by patients with these serious problems. This has an estimated cost to the NHS in England of £466 million a year. This is an astonishing sum of money. I can’t help but think about the arguments used against Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital claiming the cancellation of a contract with them would save about a quarter of a million pounds a year. They could save a lot more than that if drugs were prescribed less frequently and more carefully.
A British Medical Association spokesperson said –
The British Medical Association said last night that the figures amounted to a “wake-up call” and is calling for better training in the medical profession. Dr Peter Maguire, deputy chairman of the BMA Board of Science, said: “This big rise in fatal and serious adverse drug reactions should be a wake-up call to all doctors. We have a large number of new medications, but there are also fake drugs coming into the market, and more and more people are using herbal and over-the-counter drugs, as well as all the existing prescription drugs. On top of that, people are living longer and we have the situation of polypharmacy, where we treat people with several medications.
These figures are quite shocking aren’t they? The contemporary paradigm of medicine is to focus on the disease and try to treat either the pathology or the symptoms with drugs in the first instance. Despite the rise of Evidence Based Medicine, drug trials do not typically identify the adverse reactions to drugs. We have to wait until people in the real world start to experience them before we see the problems. We should be cautious about prescribing, and we need to put more effort into understanding and developing non-drug solutions to health problems (after all, four out of ten of the top reported drugs are prescribed for mental health problems). However, drugs can make a huge difference to peoples’ lives. They are often necessary. So we have to train doctors to be better prescribers. One of the main problems identified in this report is that patients often complained that a drug was causing them problems but the doctors didn’t pay heed to what the patient said. This is fundamental. Doctors should listen to their patients. Carefully. And should trust what they tell them.
A problem with a number of drugs is that you then have to treat their side effects with other drugs if no other options are available.
Some GPs are all too willing to prescribe medicines without much thought (i.e antibiotics) and that is dangerous in itself, never mind prescribing to the truly needy.
A few medications also only exist for money. While I don’t doubt Viagra has brightened some mens lives, I learnt this drug was primarily meant to be a heart drug, but it failed…So they then went and marketed the positive side effect. No research into negatives, just to make quick bucks.
I also believe drug co.’s shouldn’t be allowed to investigate illnesses that lead to advocating their own drugs. It should be independent. Unfortunately, it’s not, so the only evidence that health authorities can rely on is drug companies saying “yeah, this works – sell it.”
I have actually fired a psychiatrist for prescribing a medication that not only was more than what was needed (An anti-psychotic for a bi-polar having trouble sleeping, due to a stressful time in her life?!) but had the exact side effects I told him were unacceptable. The place I lived in required that I often go up and down several flights of stairs, and I also needed to be able to excercise to lose weight, I was at least 40 pounds overweight at the time. The medication caused dizzyness, grogginess, weight gain, and lethargy. Not to mention stomach/digestive tract upset, and I have IBS.
To top it off, he knew my mother suffered from glaucoma, and my first cousin has the kind of diabetes that can put her in a coma. (I even reminded him of these fact as he was mentioning he wanted me to start a new medicine.) The patient information handout said serious eye problems could occur, and to have your eyes checked every six months. My health insurance did not allow for this at all. Not to mention the handout said don’t take it if you have glaucoma in the family. I seem to recall it cautioned against taking it if you have a family history of diabetes as well, but maybe not. (It has been some years since the incident, but my ire has not faded much.)
I really believe he prescribed the anti-psychotic because I told him I was no longer practicing the Christian religion, (Due to seeing corruption, bigotry, and ignorance firsthand in more than one demonination. I see the religion as man-made and won’t participate. I know Christians are likely good people with good hearts doing good works though. I also don’t deny God or Christ.) and told him I am Pagan. Further, he asked me to trust him, and not to read the patient information. It was over a month before I could afford the medicine because my insurance didn’t pay for it. By that time I had forgotten the promise and followed my habit. I was FURIOUS when I read the side effects and cautions. I told my counselor why I was firing him, and I hope he paid some stiff penalties.
Ah, didn’t mention that the psychiatrist also knew that I have severe astigmatism and am very near sighted. Without eyeglasses I am pretty well legally blind in one eye. (20/200 and 20/400) I take being able to see at all very seriously, I won’t go have laser surgery or the like because of the risk I might go clear blind.
I think its incredible the way both doctors and patients abuse prescription drugs, sometimes without realizing it. When doctors prescribe medications, we often have no choice but to follow their instructions; after all, they went to medical school and most of us haven’t. What do we know? It’s very frightening to know that when we visit the doctor, there is no sure way of knowing just how sound the M.D.’s advice is. It is so important for all of us to be aware of our bodies so we can have a better understanding of what we should put in our systems, and what we absolutely should not.
Great story.
[…] out the story as a good follow-up to my blog on herbal healing from last […]
Wow! Great responses guys. Thankyou.
mo79uk, it’s amazing how often drugs are prescribed to treat the unwanted side effects of other drugs. You’re right about the funding for research. The vast majority of research into drugs is funded by the companies that make the drugs. Not only that, as we’ve seen in some high profile cases, some companies have also been guilty of not publishing research which is unfavourable.
Kat you did the right thing. Everyone should surely be fully informed about any treatment they are taking. And taking matters into your own hands to demand the care you deserve is a very, very good move.
Ashley I think times are changing for the better, but it will take an increasingly assertive population to make it happen. It’s difficult not to be baffled by “experts” but the internet is connecting us and setting all kinds of information free. I’m hopeful that doctors will increasingly empower people rather than just treat them as passive patients.
[…] Deaths from prescribed medication up 155% in 10 yearsBetween 1996 and 2006 in England the number of prescriptions issued by doctors has risen 51%, from 498 million to 752 million. Over the same period the number of reported deaths from adverse reactions to these drugs has shot up 155, … […]
[…] Drugs are not safe. An estimated 10,000 people died from serious Adverse Drug Reactions in England in one year. £466 million was spent on hospital treatment of patients suffering serious reactions to drugs. […]
[…] medicines in the whole of the UK in 2006? Nil. Deaths from prescribed drugs? 1013 reported (over 10,000 estimated). Cost of Adverse Drug Reactions to homeopathic medicines? Nil. And to prescribed drugs? About […]
[…] and some are pretty minor, but some can end a person up in hospital, or even cause death (10,000 deaths a year in England was one estimate ). Most people are pretty aware of the potential that drugs can cause side effects. I think most […]
[…] rushed to hospitals because of adverse drug reactions. And, the problem continues to get worse. A British study found that the number of ADRs shot up 155% in the 10 years from 1996 to […]