Before You Swallow - Research What Could be a Dangerous Drug

Whenever a doctor prescribes a drug to you, you need to do some research into it.

There are some very handy resources you can use to find out more about what you're taking. It's important to remember that the most deadly side effects are not always enough of a reason to prevent a doctor from prescribing a drug. Be sure to check on your own to see if there is anything to concern yourself about. Here are just a few resources to check.

Black box labels.

These are included with drugs that are known to have very serious side effects. They're required by the FDA. There is plenty of research that shows that physicians don't bother to go over these side effects or the severity of them with patients, so be prepared to find out about these problems on your own. You can always ask the pharmacist for the complete list of potential side effects.

Current or past lawsuits.

Go ahead and search for any drug you're taking along with the term "lawsuit" in any search engine. You may find that people are already suing over side effects that have not been acknowledged as of yet. Whether or not you feel it's worth it to go through with the treatment is up to you. You will certainly not suffer for having more information on which to base your decision.

Media reports.

The cases where a drug turns out to have very deadly side effects tend to make it into the media very quickly. Take a look at what the media has to say about any given drug that you've been prescribed. There are some cases where side effects make it into the media very quickly and where it takes longer for the FDA to catch up in terms of regulation. If a story concerns you, talk to your doctor.
It's important to remember that you cannot just quit some drugs. If you find out something about a drug that you take that frightens you and makes you want to quit, you must speak with your physician first about what's involved in getting off of the drug. Some drugs, such as Xanax, are notorious for being hard to get off of.
Contact a product liability lawyer if you were harmed by side effects that were not disclosed to you before you began treatment with a drug. They may be able to put together a successful product liability lawsuit over the matter.