Prescription meds without a prescription?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm probably way behind the times, but we had a gal in recently who was put in ICU with a tachy arrythmia due to some diet pills she got online. From her purse she also withdrew Xanax, Zenical (ick, what a mess), and Paxil, all of which she obtained by mail! Never saw a Dr.!:eek:

Now maybe I'm conservative, but this does not seem right to me!

She said she can't afford the clinic visit...that this saves her money...but now an ER, ICU bill?

What do you think?

:confused: :rolleyes: :cool:

Rubber stamping American prescriptions, sounds like a sweet job to me.

Canada Certified Physicians Wanted

02-May-03

We are looking for Physicians with a Canadian License to review patient charts along with their American Physician's prescription.

We do not dispense Narcotic or Controlled drugs and will work with you to develop guidelines under which you would feel comfortable reviewing these charts and prescriptions.

Remuneration is generous.

Please call 1-800-891-0844 or email us at [email protected] for more information.

Thats called pharmaceuticals, but still under the "Med-Seeking" umbrella.

Our nation's number one psychiatric illness is "obesity." Problem is the obese already feeling bad enough, fall victim to ez prey for those who for whatever reason need to make others feel inferior.

I have studied obesity since becoming a nurse and have several theories AND SOLUTIONS.

Show me a site sellng Tuinal and I' ll report them.

(after placing my order)

Therre are radio ads for Viagra by mail or on line.

Really dangerous.... but so tempting!!!

I wonder if they charge what our pharmacies do or if you get a deal online?? I understand the mark-up by pharmacies is huge.

Do you suppose I could get my insurance to pay for it???

Tempting!

But who knows if the quality is the same??? Who's testing and regulating this stuff? Could be placebo's or expired or defective and who would know?

Several points on this...first, if people in this country had decent medical coverage including prescription coverage, and if the pharm industry didn't price gouge American consumers, we largely would not have this problem. For many, they just can't afford to go see a doctor or pay for a prescription out of pocket at their local drugstore.

Second, after having worked telephone triage, do you have any idea how many people get scripts prescribed over the phone, from a doctor who has never seen them? Someone calls and says "I have sinusitis, I want antibiotics," and many times they get it. The doctor on call is not their doctor, doesn't know them, doesn't even have a chart to look at. People get their prescription for Prozac renewed over the phone, not even evaluated by the doctor. In reality, they really should be evaluated by a mental health professional, but with mental health care coverage the way it is, most people get anti-depressants through a primary doctor. Or their OB/GYN! To me that is no different from ordering online from an Internet pharmacy. Except that they will be picking up their drug at a pharmacy and paying full price for it.

Third, many of the drugs available here by prescription only are sold over the counter in other countries, without problem. And vice versa--stuff available OTC here is prescription only overseas. Countries just have different protocols, doesn't mean one is better than the other. A lot of our OTC drugs were once prescription only. Did they suddenly get safer? No, it's all for marketing and increasing profit.

Fourth, OTC drugs can be dangerous. Just because something is prescription only, doesn't mean it's extremely dangerous. A friend of mind started getting heart palpitations after using a common cold remedy a few times--taken at the regular dose. Aspirin overdose is very common. Tylenol can destroy your liver. Have you ever looked at the ingredients in some of the stuff sold OTC?

Finally, just because you get your drug in the "legitimate" fashion, doesn't mean you'll use it properly. People take too many Xanax, Valium. Ambien, and so on, all the time, from scripts they get from their doctor. Or they take too little of their drug and it doesn't work. Or don't take the antibiotic properly and it leads to resistance.

We do have a love affair with drugs, no doubt about it. And I blame a lot of it on the direct to consumer advertising, which makes it seem that buying a drug is similar to getting a tube of toothpaste or a pair of shoes. The ads are often misleading, and serve to convince people that this drug will make their life great, whether they really need it or not.

Anyway, there are a lot of variables here. I agree that randomly buying drugs that you know nothing about can be dangerous, especially if the ad on TV convinced you that you need it. But most people just don't go buy drugs for the hell of it. There's usually a reason why they don't go through the usual doctor-pharm route.

Originally posted by Louie18

Thats called pharmaceuticals, but still under the "Med-Seeking" umbrella.

Our nation's number one psychiatric illness is "obesity." Problem is the obese already feeling bad enough, fall victim to ez prey for those who for whatever reason need to make others feel inferior.

I have studied obesity since becoming a nurse and have several theories AND SOLUTIONS.

Obesity is NOT a psychiatric illness in the majority of cases. To classify it as such is wrong and dangerous.

Dave

Family member with severe social phobia/depression. No doc, no insurance, unable to work. After much research, Paxil from online Mexico. Literally saved his life.

I'm not sure about the legality of the issue but I know for certain that phentermine and viagra (what a combo!) can be ordered over the internet with no prior prescription. Found this out when my FIL's UPS package came to the family business office instead of to his house. :rolleyes: ;)

Specializes in OB, House Sup, ER, Med Surg.

I get my antidepressent online from a Canadian pharmacy. The reason?? Well, it all boils down to $85 for 30 pills in the US or $127 for 100 pills in Canada. You do the math. I have no health insurance and so will continue to do what I have to do.

My prescription is written by my family nurse practitioner. And yes, I have been evaluated by a mental health professional. The only concern my FNP has expressed is that because I am getting 3 months at a time that my meds be kept out of the reach of children and that I am emotionally with it enough to not OD.

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