Over 700,000 Americans Go to the Emergency Room Yearly Due to Bad Drug Reactions

Beth Janicek

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In a nation surveillance project on outpatient drug study, the results from 2004-2005, show the over 700,000 Americans go to the emergency room each year because of accidental overdoses and allergic reactions to medicines.

The medicines most commonly implicated in the reactions included insulin for diabetes; warfarin, an anticoagulant, and amoxicillin, an antibiotic used for many infections. The study was based on what emergency room doctors said were complications from using prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, or herbal treatments.

People 65 and older are at the greatest risk with more than double the risk of requiring emergency room treatment and are nearly seven times more likely to be admitted to the hospital.