Study Shows Fatalities Resulting From Drug Injury or Poisoning Are Up

Accidents can happen at any time, but there seems to be a disturbing trend in one of the most common causes of accidental injury deaths. Reports indicate there’s been an increase in recent years of drug injury deaths caused by accidental poisoning.
Researchers considered a drug poisoning death to be any fatality resulting from taking the wrong type of medication or taking the wrong dosage of a particular drug. With that in mind, it was determined the rate of drug injury and poisoning was four times higher than it was almost four decades earlier.
According to an article from Monthly Prescribing Reference, the rate of drug injury caused by poisoning was roughly 3 per 100,000 patients; however, by 2012, that rate had skyrocketed to 41,502 drug-related fatalities. This means the rate had become four times higher than it was previously.
These numbers may leave you wondering what you can do to avoid such a drug injury. Most experts will concede that asking your doctor plenty of questions about a new medication prior to taking the first dose is one of the best options. Also, carefully read all labels and warnings, then take the medication only as directed.
If you’ve been harmed as a result of taking a medication that was prescribed to you by a doctor, the St. Louis personal injury lawyers with Cofman Townsley Injury Lawyers are here to help. Call us today at (314) 499-1190 to discuss your case with our legal team.