Got Side-Effects?

If you or someone in your family are experiencing serious adverse reactions from drugs or medical devices, you can now report it directly to the FDA’s Medwatch program by going to this website. (This is where medical product safety alerts, recalls and important labeling changes are disseminated to medical professionals and the public.)  You’ll be given the option of taking the reporting form to your doctor (who is NOT required to report it to the FDA) or you can complete the online reporting form yourself.

On a related note, Consumers Union, the independent, non-profit publisher of Consumers Reports, is collecting signatures on a petition asking the FDA to require that “all television ads for prescription and OTC drugs include a toll-free number and a website address for the public to report side effects to the agency.”   The organization’s goal is 50,000 signatures.  So, if you agree that drug advertisements “fail to present the benefits AND risks of using prescription drugs in an accurate and balanced way,”  be sure to support this effort and add your name to the petition.