UCLA researchers report that doctors are doing an inadequate job at communicating vital information to the patient about the medications they are prescribing. Open communication must be a part of the doctor/patient relationship. This open communication can most often avoid prescription drug misuses, overdoses and underuse.

A report released in 2004 by the National Center on Health Statistics said that almost half of Americans regularly take at least one prescription drug. Half of older patients take at least three or more each day. That is a lot of us. I myself take three separate medications everyday and I'm only 35. I know what they are and I know what they do and I also know their risks and side effects. I also have a pharmacist that always asks if I have any questions about the medication, which I like. I never ask any questions because I already asked my doctors and researched on the internet and found out what I needed to know. Its not that I just want to know what is going inside my body, I am interested in what the drugs actually do. How they work and why they work. It fascinates me so I like to know all the details.

Of course you don't have to be like me and want to know all the details but you should know what your taking and why. Mistakes can be made and you are your number one advocate. Its great to trust your doctor. I completely trust my oncologist but I still ask questions. Thousands of deaths are caused each year because of misuse of prescription drugs.

What you need to know according to the recommendations from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which is the federal agency charged with improving health care quality, is that all patients should be given basic information about the drugs that are being prescribed for them. You can find the list of questions here to ask your doctor.