ABSTRACT
As indicated in the preceding chapter, the exact incidence of drug side effects is not known with certainty. However, we do know that among the millions of cases of human poisonings, pharmaceuticals are most frequently involved in fatalities. According to the 1998 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System, analgesics, antidepressants, stimulants, street drugs, cardiovascular drugs, and sedative/hypnotics/antipsychotics were responsible for 264, 152, 118, 118, and 89 deaths, respectively. Most of the people who die are adults, and the deaths often result from intentional rather than accidental exposure.
