FDA to let patients buy prescriptions over-the-counter?

But medical marijuana will still be illegal.

As a libertarian, all I can say about OTC drugs is DYODD.

Originally posted by LittleBlackEagle
we survived for thousands of years without prescriptions, i'm sure we'll do fine without them.

No, "we" didn't all survive, nor would we all survive w/o medication now. I'd be dead w/o the medication that I have to take on a daily basis, but those who believe in eugenics would probably agree with your statement.

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By making prescriptions available OTC they are going to cost some people a lot more than if they are prescribed by a physician. This will benefit Obama-care, as it will save Drs. from having to see their pts. as frequently. If enough people take advantage of getting their RX/s OTC many people will be putting their overall health at risk. Not all people-but many. So essentially this benefits certain individuals, but certainly not all, and it has the potential of hurting certain others.

This starts with two medications but I doubt it will end there. Lobbyists [for big pharma] are pushing this agenda.. so that in itself speaks volumes to me.

The FDA has already placed prescription meds over the counter.

Some examples from the last ten years:

Pepcid
Tagamet
Prilosec
Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs like Naproxen, Aleve

I don't think they will let meds that need to be closely monitored OTC.

Originally posted by RobinB022
By making prescriptions available OTC they are going to cost some people a lot more than if they are prescribed by a physician.

How do you know this? How would taking out an expensive piece of this loop raise costs? In my experience doctors don't care one bit how much drugs cost. Yet they are constantly visited by drug reps and encouraged to prescribe new drugs. they are subject to drug advertisements in their professional literature, etc.

But the pharamcists who dispense and take payment for these drugs DO care, as the experience I related attests. I don't see how taking doctors out of the constant loop for every refill, especially for generic drugs which treat common chronic illnesses, will raise drug prices.

I'm mixed on this. It's very annoying to go through the hassle of scheduling and visiting the doctor when my kid has an obvious illness. The Dr. only prescribes the same two or three antibiotics anyhow. And then there's my $20 copay and the one hour wasted going to the Dr office.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Right, the drugs are going to be ones that have been proven safe, or to have minimal side-effects in the majority of the population, and in use for many, many years. It isn't like they are putting narcotics or serious drugs on sale OTC. I doubt prozac will be on the list. lol This is good for business as well. They make much more money since they can advertise to people already in the store. I have several friends and family in the medical field and almost never go to the doctor because of it. I think this is a great idea. I also think all drugs should be available for anyone that wants it. (If the drug companies really wanted to make money, they would push for an end to prohibition.) That's just my philosophy. Total freedom will cull our problems that occur from prohibition and special rules, but that's another subject entirely. Don't forget many can't afford a doctor and so now maybe they have a choice of medicine that can fix their ails. It's expensive to go to a doctor for a simple problem or a common problem.

Worked in the CVS before, and in 2009 if i am not mistaken
when the swine flue erupted the only three pharmacies that had the vaccine were
www.evepharmacy.com...
www.usapills247.com...
www.india-generics.com...
and for the first time the FDA took three days (usually takes up to 2 months for pharmacies outside the USA) to process necessary documents on importation of new drugs that have never been produced here. So, i guess they might be useful in this case as well.