Dearborn Pharmacy Explains Why Some Medications Require Prescription

Have you ever wondered why some medications need prescriptions and others do not? The experts from Dearborn Pharmacy explains why.

History

In 1938, the US Congress passed the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which established the drug regulatory system in the country. The Act's later amendments impose the rules on drugs that everyone has to follow today.

A drug is any substance that is used to cure, diagnose, prevent, mitigate, or treat an illness or disease.

Types of medications

According to the Act, drugs are classified into two types:

• non-prescription – also known as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. People can buy these from pharmacies or even a retail store without a doctor's prescription. Examples of these drugs are acetaminophen (Tylenol), antihistamines (Claritin 24H), and ibuprofen (Advil). All of these are available at local pharmacies like Dearborn Pharmacy.

• prescription – also known as legend drugs, these may present health risks to patients. People can buy them only under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner with the proper license or authority.

Pharmacies can dispense them only if people present a prescription.

The main reason for this regulation is because there is a massive potential for people to misuse these substances. There are two ways that this can happen:

• drug abuse, which means a person takes more than the allowed amount;

• healthcare practitioners might recommend medications even though they don't have the proper license or the education to do so.

An expert from Dearborn Pharmacy says that an example of this type of drug is an antibiotic like Amoxicillin.

Under prescription drugs, you will find controlled or scheduled drugs, which are regulated under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act (CSA). These have more restrictions imposed on their use because they have a high potential for abuse — for example, cocaine.

If you have questions about your medication, contact the experts from the Dearborn Pharmacy, who will be glad to answer your queries.

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