Use one pharmacy for all your drugs. And tell your pharmacist when you buy an over-the-counter drug, says Carmen Catizone, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. The pharmacy can track your medications and prevent interactions, plus alert you to any recall, especially of an OTC drug.
Inspect medication. If pills have an unusual odor, are stuck together or are shaped oddly, return them to the pharmacy.
Be vigilant. If you hear about a recall, see whether you're taking the drug in question. Go to www.fda.gov and www.consumerreportshealth.org for recall announcements, or ask your pharmacist.
Get notified automatically. Go to www.recalls.gov to sign up for e-mail alerts from all government safety agencies.
Support stronger rules. In mid-July, Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill that would give the FDA mandatory recall authority for drugs and require manufacturers to notify the agency when they believe drugs in interstate commerce are misbranded or adulterated and could cause serious harm or death.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Consumer Reports Insights: Get the facts about recalled medicines
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