
Ever been prescribed a drug by your doctor and wondered how safe or unsafe it is?
The FDA has recently begun posting a list of prescription drugs under investigation for safety problems on its
site. Currently there are only about
20 meds on the list, but the FDA will continue to update it each quarter.

If you pass the occasional pill to your friends, you are not alone. According to a recent study published in
The Journal of Women’s Health, sharing prescription drugs is common among young adults, especially 18- to 44-year-old women. The recent survey of 25,000 people found that more than one-third of the women polled shared prescription drugs with friends or took pills from their pals.

Doctors aren't the only ones who can write prescriptions in the US. Yesterday, a federal judge
ordered a research group to provide experimental drugs to a terminally ill teen suffering from a fatal type of muscular dystrophy.
The family of Jacob Gunvalson sued PTC Therapeutics alleging that the company led them to believe that Jacob could participate in a trial of the drug necessary for his survival.

I'm always surprised when I read the labels on my prescription medications that they can often interact with seemingly innocent over-the-counter drugs. So I'm very careful to read the texts that come with my prescriptions, to make sure that they don't create a harmful combination with something else. Do you pay attention to the interactions spelled out on your drug labels?

Where you live affects many elements of your daily life, like how often you
walk to your destination as opposed to drive. Based on a new
study by Kaiser Family Foundation, which side of the Mason-Dixon line you live on could affect how medicated you are.
According to numbers compiled by the
Kaiser Family Foundation the top ten medicated states, based on the number of retail prescriptions filled per capita annually, were in the South.

Last week we heard that the GOP's new slogan — The change you deserve — is
the same as the antidepressant Effexor. Hey! The homeless guy on my corner says the same thing, except he substitutes “I” for “you.”
Well it got me thinking.