| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
New Website Relies on Consumers Experiences to Identify Drug Side Effects
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 7:04
% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.
By Kyla Miller, R.H.N.;
There is a new website in development that has the potential to save many lives. Julie and Peter Wood, along with Dr. David Healy are working together to help us learn more about the potential side effects of prescription drugs. After losing their son to prescription medication, Julie and Peter are more determined than ever to bring this information to light. Dr. Healy is a high-profile critic of the pharmaceutical industry who has actively spoken out against various prescription drugs and their tragic side effects.
The website http://www.rxisk.org/ is designed to allow consumers to research any drug that is approved for use in Canada or the United States. Currently, the website lists the adverse impact of drugs collected by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, but depending on success of the website, people will be able to receive information on a broader range of side effects. This is because patients are being asked to report their own side effects on the website. This will allow people to see what others have experienced and whether they have experienced the same symptoms. It is truly a great example of following one’s own instincts and listening to the warning signals of our bodies.
Visitors will be provided with a risk report in which they will be asked a series of questions in order to determine if their symptoms are likely caused by a drug. They will also be asked to rate the impact of the side effects on their lives. Dr. Healy’s goal is to identify potential problems, but also see how drugs work on different systems in the body. This makes complete sense, since we are all biochemically unique and we react differently to what enters our bodies.
