DISADVANTAGES OF OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS

Over-the-counter drugs are those you can purchase at any store. To get over-the-counter drugs, you do not need the prescription from a pharmacist or doctor.

Generally, over-the-counter drugs are meant to help you prevent usual health problems like allergies and the likes. Other times, over-the-counter drugs induce some unpleasant effects.

There are risks associated with taking over-the-counter drugs and you need to know them so that you can tread with caution.

One of the major disadvantages of over-the-counter drugs are side effects. These are effects produced in your body that do not alleviate the symptoms of your body. A good number of side effects experienced are never pleasant.

However, there are some that come with their usefulness. There are some drugs you take that have a side-effect of sleep. This might be what you need at that moment.

Our bodies have a way of processing medicines specially. If some drugs are used together, there could be an interaction.

This implies that, the side effects experienced might be doubled. If you take two medicines that have similar ingredients, there is a likely chance that they would give you an increased effect.

This can affect some of your internal organs in the process.

If it is for medicines that have opposite effects and different ingredients, there might be an interaction between both drugs which would yield an unpleasant effect.

Before you take an over-the-counter drug, it is important to inform your doctor. This is important to prevent you from having complicated health problems.

Another major disadvantage of over-the-counter drugs is the interaction between drugs and food. Some food substances can modify the way your body absorbs some over-the-counter drugs.

What you drink or eat can inhibits the ingredients in the drug you are taking. This is why you need the prescription of a pharmacist or doctor in order to prevent health complications.

Allergic reactions are also common with over-the-counter drugs and this is why it is important to receive proper guidance on any drug you take.

It is essential to limit the over-the-counter drugs you take and rely more on your healthcare provider’s prescription.

HOW PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES CAN REDUCE DRUG ABUSE

With every drug comes benefits and side-effects. The reason why side effects exists is because we have different structural make-up.

So, what would affect you might not affect someone else. In a family, some individuals might react violently to a drug, while others would experience no side-effect.

Taking a look at opioids for instance, the demand for it is always on the increase. Pharmaceutical companies cannot be blamed for this because opioids are legal substances.

Opioids help in relieving pain, so if an individual wants to purchase, it might be difficult to know if it is for abuse purposes or not.

Pharmaceutical companies have a pivotal role to play in the marketing of these drugs, and it is up to them to reduce the rate of drug abuse.

One of the ways they can achieve this, is to promote the prescription drug monitoring program of a country.

The purpose of a prescription drug monitoring program is to observe and collect essential information concerning the regulated substances from pharmacists and doctors.

In addition to this, pharmaceutical companies are expected to promote the awareness concerning drug abuse. Also, there is a need for an enlightenment on treatment options and the techniques for treatment.

There are diverse tests that are available for closely monitoring patients who consume drugs illegally.

It is important for pharmaceutical companies to come up with tools that educate people about the proper management of the disorder.

Also, there is a need for the availability of multiple access to various treatment options.

The innovations in the health field come with a broad range of treatment options. Just like there are opioid medications for pain management.

Pharmaceutical companies are also advised to set realistic goals for all products and integrate ethical methods of promotion.

There should be a stock of drugs with registered pharmacies. This is to prevent those clinics who illegitimately provide drugs without any form of prescription.

Drug abuse is always rampant in any country, and it is important to put all hands on deck to tackle this public health problem.