OTC Drug Abuse
Over the counter drug abuse.Just alone, is not good news in the slightest bit. It’s one of the many serious problems in the world today. Drug abuse isn’t just about street drugs such as marijuana. Besides marijuana, legal medications are the most commonly abused drugs in the U.S. Over-the-counter and prescription drugs can help and heal us.. But some can be addictive and dangerous if they’re used the wrong way. I chose two questions to ask someone who knows a lot in this kind of stuff. His name is Dr. Travis Macek (also my brother). These were my questions and the responses i got:
Why do you think over-the-counter drug abuse is becoming more of a problem in our society? To me, over-the-counter (OTC) medication …show more content…
I believe as a pharmacist it is my duty to have the knowledge of the potential for medication abuse, even with OTC medications. Working in drug stores gives us front line access to the people that are potentially abusing these medications, and we need to be able to recognize this. It can still be a challenge, as again these medications are often out on the shelves of the store and not behind any type of surveillance or regulation. Physicians may have a tougher time grasping that these medications are proving to be such as issue, as they are not as intricately involved in medication management as pharmacists, however I do feel that it is being more and more recognized. As to why we are concerned – that leads us in to why we came into the profession in the first place, and that should be to provide the best possible care for a patient. Prevention of abuse is a part of delivering high quality patient care. It is a common yet untrue belief that pharmacists push medications on people, as it gives us “job security”, however this cannot be further from the truth. We aim to deliver the right medication to the right patient for the right indication. I work to limit unnecessary medications as much as I work to add any needed medications, as they can cause unnecessary harm to a patient. Medication abuse is a big problem in society, and the recognition of the problem is the first step in being able to fix
Over the counter drug abuse.Just alone, is not good news in the slightest bit. It’s one of the many serious problems in the world today. Drug abuse isn’t just about street drugs such as marijuana. Besides marijuana, legal medications are the most commonly abused drugs in the U.S. Over-the-counter and prescription drugs can help and heal us.. But some can be addictive and dangerous if they’re used the wrong way. I chose two questions to ask someone who knows a lot in this kind of stuff. His name is Dr. Travis Macek (also my brother). These were my questions and the responses i got:
Why do you think over-the-counter drug abuse is becoming more of a problem in our society? To me, over-the-counter (OTC) medication …show more content…
I believe as a pharmacist it is my duty to have the knowledge of the potential for medication abuse, even with OTC medications. Working in drug stores gives us front line access to the people that are potentially abusing these medications, and we need to be able to recognize this. It can still be a challenge, as again these medications are often out on the shelves of the store and not behind any type of surveillance or regulation. Physicians may have a tougher time grasping that these medications are proving to be such as issue, as they are not as intricately involved in medication management as pharmacists, however I do feel that it is being more and more recognized. As to why we are concerned – that leads us in to why we came into the profession in the first place, and that should be to provide the best possible care for a patient. Prevention of abuse is a part of delivering high quality patient care. It is a common yet untrue belief that pharmacists push medications on people, as it gives us “job security”, however this cannot be further from the truth. We aim to deliver the right medication to the right patient for the right indication. I work to limit unnecessary medications as much as I work to add any needed medications, as they can cause unnecessary harm to a patient. Medication abuse is a big problem in society, and the recognition of the problem is the first step in being able to fix