Should drugs that can be bought over the counter be available on prescription?!
Question: Should drugs that can be bought over the counter be available on prescription!?
Or is this just costing an already overstretched NHS more money!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
This is a very good and thought provoking question!!
This has been happening as a natural progression for years!. In most cases it is a healthy and safe process!. Good examples are ulcer/reflux drugs!. These progressed from injectable 'wonder drugs' in the 1970s to over the counter oral medication in the 90s!. Similarly many of the hay fever drugs, from antihistamines and nasal cromoglycate, to the milder steroids are now OTC drugs!. There have been some trials of OTC Viagra and though I suspect there will be debate it is likely over the next few years it will go OTC!.
I do have some concerns however!. I think it was inappropriate to make the antibiotic eye ointment chloramphenicol OTC!. I also believe making the potent antibiotic azithromycin OTC for chlamydia is a grave error of judgement!. Any venerologist will tell you that large numbers of patients with one STI are in fact often infected with multiple diseases!. This means that someone may treat themselves for chlamydia and be blissfully unaware that they may have syphilis as well which can be even more damaging and avoid attending a GUM clinic and receiving full testing! There is also a real risk that if uptake is very high and the antibiotic is overused, resistance will quickly develop!.
I also believe that making statins ( Simvastatin/Zocor) over the counter was misguided!.
My overall concern is that the Government will try and push more and more inappropriate drugs over the counter in a vain attempt to save NHS costs!. I think this will turn out to be a massive double edged sword!Www@Answer-Health@Com
This has been happening as a natural progression for years!. In most cases it is a healthy and safe process!. Good examples are ulcer/reflux drugs!. These progressed from injectable 'wonder drugs' in the 1970s to over the counter oral medication in the 90s!. Similarly many of the hay fever drugs, from antihistamines and nasal cromoglycate, to the milder steroids are now OTC drugs!. There have been some trials of OTC Viagra and though I suspect there will be debate it is likely over the next few years it will go OTC!.
I do have some concerns however!. I think it was inappropriate to make the antibiotic eye ointment chloramphenicol OTC!. I also believe making the potent antibiotic azithromycin OTC for chlamydia is a grave error of judgement!. Any venerologist will tell you that large numbers of patients with one STI are in fact often infected with multiple diseases!. This means that someone may treat themselves for chlamydia and be blissfully unaware that they may have syphilis as well which can be even more damaging and avoid attending a GUM clinic and receiving full testing! There is also a real risk that if uptake is very high and the antibiotic is overused, resistance will quickly develop!.
I also believe that making statins ( Simvastatin/Zocor) over the counter was misguided!.
My overall concern is that the Government will try and push more and more inappropriate drugs over the counter in a vain attempt to save NHS costs!. I think this will turn out to be a massive double edged sword!Www@Answer-Health@Com
I think it should be available on prescription - the public are already paying enough money as it is, so why should we have to pay again for expensive medication!?!
But in some circumstances, the NHS is actually MAKING MONEY out of people paying
But in some circumstances, the NHS is actually MAKING MONEY out of people paying
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