When a doctor prescribes drugs to a patient they do it with the intentions of making the patient well, but there are three billion prescriptions filled every year, and one out of every five have serious side effects. When you combine multiple prescribed drugs, the result could be deadly.

Almost 100,000 people die every year because of adverse drug reactions and as many as one million more are hurt by the drugs prescribed by their doctors. When there is a dangerous combination, it doesn't take much. Seniors have to be especially careful because medications can build up in their bodies until it reaches deadly levels.

Drugs can act together in unexpected ways. It is important to remember this whenever you are taking more than one drug at a time. Awareness helps to lower the risk of dangerous drug interactions, but the ways drugs interact with each other are unpredictable. Sometimes negative effects do not show until a drug has been used for a long time. This applies to therapeutic drugs (like medications), as well as to drugs taken for non-medical purposes.

There is always some danger associated with mixing drugs, but the actual risks involved depend on the kind of drugs being combined and the amounts being used. Alcohol is most often mixed with other drugs. It is also among the most dangerous when combined with other substances. Below are some tips on how to keep yourself safe when using multiple drugs.

• Make sure all your doctors and pharmacists know all the drugs, including over-the-counter remedies, that you're taking.
• Keep a list of your medications and allergies in your wallet for emergencies.
• Fill all your prescriptions at the same pharmacy, preferably one that has a computerized system for flagging potential problems.
• Make sure you take only medications that are absolutely necessary. A change in diet or exercise can work as well as another pill.

You can also go to http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html and use their drug interaction checker to see if your drugs could have adverse effects on you.