I think as consumers we have a responsibility to make sure we're careful. My pdoc is my only prescribing doc, and whenever I see my gp I make sure that she's fully aware of what I'm taking. I also really rely on my pharmacist and their computer system to monitor what I'm taking - and they're pretty good about it too. I'm on really high dosage of some meds so every time I go in to pick up a refil, they warn me about side effect risks. I wouldn't even consider taking anything herbal without checking with my pharmacist. And because one of my drugs is an opiate antagonist, opiate based painkillers won't work for me, so I got a medic alert bracelet simply so that if I'm ever in an accident they'll know what meds I'm on and I have a card that I carry in my wallet.

I do sometimes worry about accidental overdose, because I am on such high dosages, and taking my pills is so automatic that it would be very easy for me to get confused and take a med twice. I find what helps is that I take them in the exact same order every day.

--splitimage