Show 1098: Are You Taking Too Many Prescriptions?
The People's Pharmacy
Joe and Terry Graedon
4.6 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 20 October 2017
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Consumer Reports recently had a cover story on “Too Many Meds? America’s Love Affair with Prescription Medication.” It turns out that half of American adults take at least one prescription drug. Actually, the average number of prescriptions is four. That’s a lot more pills than people in other countries, and it is more than we Americans used to take. Are we taking too many prescriptions?
How Can You Tell If You Are Taking Too Many Prescriptions?
Very often, prescriptions start to pile up almost before you notice it. If your sleeping medicine gives you heartburn, you may end up with a prescription to treat that symptom. Sometimes the second medication will then cause symptoms for which the doctor prescribes a different drug. This is one way people end up taking three, four or five different pills.
The problem is that using too many prescriptions increases your risk of side effects. And taking all those different pills means that they may interact with one another. There were more than 1 million emergency department visits due to adverse drug effects in 2014. More than 100,000 people died from those reactions. And, of course, paying for all those pills is also hard on the budget.
National Check Your Meds Day:
That is why Consumer Reports declared October 21st National Check Your Meds Day. They recommend a “brown bag” review of everything you are taking. That means you ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice on whether you are taking anything you might not need. Be sure to ask exactly how to discontinue it, if that is the advice. Some drugs should not be stopped abruptly.
Your Calls Are Welcome:
We’ll do our best to answer your questions about too many prescriptions. Tune in Saturday, October 21, 2017, from 7 to 8 AM EDT or call 1-888-472-3366. You can also reach us through email (radio@peoplespharmacy.com) or Twitter @peoplespharmacy.
This Week’s Guest:
Lisa Gill is the deputy content editor of Best Buy Drugs for Consumer Reports. The website is: https://www.consumerreports.org/health/drugs-a-z/best-buy-drugs/index.htm
Listen to the Podcast:
The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date. The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free. CDs may be purchased at any time after broadcast for $9.99.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Joe Graydon. |
| 0:02.3 | I'm Terry Graydon. |
| 0:03.8 | Welcome to this podcast of the People's Pharmacy, where we bring you the stories behind the health headlines. |
| 0:10.2 | This podcast is brought to you by Redux Industries, makers of utterly smooth body cream. |
| 0:16.0 | 800-345-7339 on the web at utter cream.com. |
| 0:31.2 | Americans swallow a lot of pills. |
| 0:34.4 | At last count, four billion prescriptions are filled each year. Are we taking way |
| 0:39.4 | too many drugs? This is the People's Pharmacy with Terry and Joe Graydon. |
| 0:50.6 | Consumer Reports has declared October 21st National Check Your Meds Day. We'll talk with Lisa Gill, |
| 0:57.8 | deputy content editor of Best Buy drugs for Consumer Reports, about the recent cover story, |
| 1:03.6 | Too Many Mets, America's Love Affair with Prescription Medication. When do our drugs do more harm than good? |
| 1:12.8 | More than a million emergency department visits each year are due to adverse reactions to one or more medicines. Are you at risk? |
| 1:19.2 | Coming up on the People's Pharmacy, we welcome your questions and stories about the health |
| 1:23.6 | news that matters to you. First, the news. |
| 1:31.0 | In the people's pharmacy health headlines, can indoor tanning be addicting? |
| 1:36.3 | Most people think of tanning beds as a cosmetic indulgence. |
| 1:39.5 | But new research suggests that some young women with depression find indoor tanning especially appealing. |
| 1:46.7 | The author surveyed nearly 400 young women between 18 and 30 years of age. |
| 1:52.0 | Many reported regular tanning despite the known risk for skin cancer. |
| 1:56.8 | Some cited the cosmetic benefits of tanning, but the researchers found that women who were depressed were most dependent on exposure to high-intensity UV light. |
| 2:06.6 | This study reinforces findings from earlier research that showed ultraviolet rays stimulate the production of dopamine, a brain chemical associated with pleasure. Opioid receptors also appear to respond |
| 2:20.1 | to UV light. Dermatologists have found that tanning beds may reduce pain in patients with fibromyalgia. |
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