OTC & Prescriptions

Updated September, 2018.

 I got this flyer from a kid on my bus. It says that since we have exams coming, he could supply us with all sorts of medicine to help us study. He says that people who use his pills do better. I have a lot of pressure on me, so I wonder if maybe I should try it.

 And I wonder if I should tell you to jump off a bridge. Would you consider that?

 What?

Taylor, are you kidding me? You don’t know what those drugs are!

Actually, I do. There is a list on his flyer. Here’s riddling and ….

 That’s Ritalin, Taylor, not riddling. And Nicki’s right. This is NOT a good idea. I don’t think you should take medicine that you don’t have a prescription for.

But Taylor raises a good point, Steve. There is so much pressure to do well. It’s hard to ignore a little pill that could help us do better. Besides, it’s prescription medication… and some are just diet pills. How bad could it be for us?

This is a lively discussion. We hate to interrupt, but you’ve already brought up so many relevant issues, we’d like to clear a few things up so you can make an informed decision, because the answer to Harrison’s question about how bad could it be, is “BAD. Like in real bad. Like in potential death bad.”

Medication misuse has a lot of people talking; even the characters! And this topic allows us to answer the curious question, “How does one become addicted to drugs?” One answer is directly related to over the counter medications, which is the topic of this post. As such, you may wonder, Why are over the counter (OTC) medications dangerous if they are available without a prescription? And, what are all the different prescribed drugs and how do they possibly lead to addiction if a doctor prescribes them? These are all great questions that will be covered in the following sub posts. 

In this post, you will cover the following topics:

OTC medications

Prescription drugs in general

Prescription sedatives

Prescription stimulants

Painkillers/Opioids

Self-medicating: why do people do it?

 

Information for the OTC sub-posts has been provided by:
https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn22/Family_Consultation_Handouts/Facts_about_Antianxiety_and_Sedative_Medications_Veteran_and_Family_Handout.pdf
https://www.news-medical.net/health/List-of-Sedatives.aspx
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/prescription-stimulants
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/prescription-over-counter-medications

Next Post:

OTC medications

Post Question:

Have you ever tried a prescription medicine that was not prescribed for you? If so, why?

Answer the post question here

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