If it seems that you’re hearing more and more about the negative effects of taking pharmaceutical drugs, your perception is correct. A recent study published by the Drug Abuse Warning Network, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, makes it very clear that the dangers of drugs are mounting.

The study tracked information from hospital emergency departments from 2004 to 2009, the latest year for which full information is available.

The researchers separated the negative reactions to drugs into two different categories: ‘Adverse reactions’ and ‘misuse or abuse’. The information on ‘adverse reactions’ was tracked from 2005, since tracking began at that time.

First, let’s clarify the difference between adverse reactions and misuse or abuse:

Adverse reactions are defined as ‘harm associated with the use of given medications at a normal dosage.’ This ‘harm’ can happen after a single dose or after a person has been taking the drug for a while. It can also be caused by the combination of two or more drugs.

Misuse or abuse is excessive or improper use of drugs. Misuse could include things like taking an extra pill because the first one ‘didn’t work’ – e.g. the first painkiller or sleeping pill didn’t relieve the pain or enable the person to sleep, so they took another. Misuse could also include giving a friend one of your pills, taking more than prescribed by mistake, and so on. Abuse, on the other hand, indicates that there was an actual intention to take the drug incorrectly – like taking more of a drug just to get ‘high,’ or crushing an OxyContin painkiller to inject or inhale the drug, which gives an immediate ‘high’, instead of taking it as directed.

The statistics for adverse reactions – where the person followed the exact directions – were almost as bad as those for misuse or abuse. In 2005 there were 1,250,377 emergency department visits due to adverse reactions; in 2009 the number had climbed to 2,287,273 – an increase of 83 percent.

It’s shocking to think that more than 2 million people are visiting emergency departments every year for doing what their doctors told them to do.

For misuse and abuse, the 2004 emergency department visits were 627,291; 2009 visits were 1,244,679 – nearly double.

How do these statistics compare to alcohol and illegal drugs? Visits to emergency departments for alcohol increased by 2.5 percent during that same time period and visits for illegal drugs went down by 1.8 percent! Total number of visits for illegal drugs, 973,000. Total for pharmaceuticals: 3.5 million.

Another interesting statistic in the study was for ‘accidental ingestion’ of pharmaceuticals. This is things like toddlers eating a pill that got stuck under the couch cushion or dropped on the floor by their parents. This category of emergency room visits increased by 36 percent.

How can you prevent adverse reactions to pharmaceuticals? Check with your alternative healthcare practitioner to see if there’s a natural, effective, and less dangerous solution to your health problems.

Source: Drug Abuse Warning Network: http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/DAWN034/EDHighlights.htm