Millions of Americans stopped taking prescription drugs to save money. Doctors explain why this is so dangerous

More than two-thirds of American adults take prescription drugs. Thousands of people die every year due to medication errors.

The latest research reveals that about 9 million Americans sat down to save money. Doctors describe the dangerous things they see their patients do.

For every year Ann Gwin adds to her life, her doctor adds a few more pills.

“I’m up to four different medications now for my blood pressure,” she said.

“Medications can be difficult to take. They can be complicated to take. Especially the more medications someone is given,” said Dr. Daniel Munoz, a cardiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

But if you use the medicine in the wrong way, you can be at risk. And one of the main reasons is the cost.

“The more medications someone is prescribed and they get at the pharmacy, the higher their out-of-pocket costs will be,” he said.

In a recent report, more than nine million American adults said they have tried to cut costs by skipping doses, taking less medicine or delaying getting a prescription.

But not taking some medications on schedule can be unsafe. For example, skipping beta-blockers can cause your blood pressure to rise, which can put you at risk for a heart attack. Another mistake is doubling doses if you miss one. Many times, you should skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Another mistake is stopping your medication. You should always take the medicine for the time prescribed by the doctor.

“I lay out my little boxes and then line up the pills, morning pills and afternoon pills,” Gwin said.

Some drugs like antidepressants can cause harmful withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking them cold turkey. Sharing medicines with another person is also a mistake. Your medications are prescribed based on your height, weight, age and specific medical condition.

UC Davis researchers say that every eight minutes, a child experiences a medication error at home. The most common mistakes are giving the wrong medicine, administering medicine to which a child is allergic, or taking the wrong dose. You should always double check.

MORE: Expert describes ways you can safely save on prescription drugs