iGuard: Monitor Your Meds
October 4th, 2007
In case you missed it, Anderson Cooper recently aired a fairly surprising story on how many drugs are available and prescribed in the United States that are not reviewed and sanctioned by the FDA.
According to CNN,
Every year, doctors write approximately 65 million prescriptions for drugs not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency that regulates prescription drugs.
These drugs, some of which the FDA admits could be dangerous, slip through a “black hole” in the drug approval system, according to one U.S. congressman.
“There’s a regulatory black hole that makes it possible for the pharmaceutical companies to get these drugs to the stores that sell them without the FDA being able to monitor it,” said Rep. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts.
Dr. Walter over at Highlight HEALTH has an interesting solution — check out iGuard, which claims to be the fastest and easiest way to get personalized safety alerts and updates about your medicines.
According to their website, iGuard is a powerful communication tool designed to:
Alert you and your doctor (if you choose) about important safety information for the drugs you are taking.
Distribute risk ratings that help you understand drug risk today, and in the future as new safety information emerges.
Facilitate communication between you and your physician about medication risks and monitoring.
Provide an easily accessible summary of your medicines and conditions for your own records and to use in coordinating care across all your physicians.
Help researchers identify safety problems faster.
Support family members and caregivers who are responsible for dependents in monitoring safety.
It’s fast, it’s personalized, and best of all, it’s free. Five minutes of registration could save your life — click here to sign up today!
Thanks for the tip, Dr. Walter!
October 4th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Thanks for the heads-up, Tabetha!
It makes me ill every time they get on the news and report new *findings* about ADHD meds. I know better than to believe the hype that the media puts on *studies* but also know that these medications aren’t fool-proof. It will be nice to have another source to go by.
(And, it was SUPER easy to sign up!)
October 4th, 2007 at 9:18 am
i’m so glad! i think it’s a great idea — it is nice to have another independent source to keep track of this stuff, isn’t it?
October 8th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Thanks for the link Tabetha! I think it’s great to see people use the tools of the web to empower themselves and take an active role in managing their health.