MEDICAL STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Ask the doctor: The good and bad of prescription drugs Q: What are the differences between an over-thecounter drug and a prescription drug? Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs don’t require a prescription from a physician. Prescription drugs go through a much tighter process with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). OTC drugs go through a process with the FDA, but it’s not as stringent. Prescription drugs have more risks of side effects. Q: When are prescription drugs good for patients? Prescription drugs are good for patients when a proper diagnosis has been made, treatment has been chosen and a prescription drug has been selected. The patient and the doctor have decided that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks. It’s a process. Q: What are common misconceptions about prescription drugs? A common misconception is that a prescription drug can’t be harmful. Sometimes people think that a prescription drug is always better than an OTC drug, but that is not the case. There are very excellent drugs that are nonprescription. Q: How are prescription drugs abused? People get a prescription and then sell the drugs for nonmedical purposes. Another way prescription drugs are abused is by taking more than the directions prescribe.
8 Fall 2011
Andrew Bohart, MD, FACP, internal medicine and primary care, BryanLGH Physician Network