Playing Doctor with Friends and Family

A study in The Journal of Women's Health finds that more than one fourth of men (27%) and women (29%) often share prescription medications with family and friends.  (See the New York Times report.)

Apparently a significant number of people are self-diagnosing and self-treating common ailments.  Currently a doctor's prescription is required to obtain drugs other than over-the-counter drugs.  But doctors are often difficult to see.  Increasingly, nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants can prescribe some drugs, but only under the supervision of a doctor.  Some proposals before the FDA would allow pharmacists to dispense some prescription drugs without a doctor's order.  A better idea is to move more prescription drugs over-the-counter.

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