Prescription drugs

What are prescription drugs? Prescription drugs are certified and authorized medicines that are legalized and require a prescription to be issued before you are allowed to have them. The prescription drugs are distinct from the over-the-counter drugs which can be bought without a prescription. Various countries have diverse laws in explaining a prescription drug, but generally they are more potent drugs, drugs that have more serious side effects, and drugs that may be dangerous when used along with other medications; in all these cases. a doctor must oversee the use of these drugs for those reasons.

A doctor with full registration is allowed to prescribe any medicine. However, he has to ensure that the prescription is in the best interest of the patient. The doctor should keep in mind the adequate history of the patient, especially previous drug side effects and current medical conditions, while prescribing a medicine. Once the prescription is determined and written by the physician, the patient can go to the pharmacist and buy it.

Pharmacies usually have a customary fee for the prescribed drug. The majority of prescriptions are covered by the Health Service Fee and are meted out with no extra charge. The prescriptions are filled according to the medical records so as to validate the identity of the buyer. You may wait till the prescriptions are being filled, or they can be left at the pharmacy and you can pick your medication at a convenient time. Many short term prescriptions may provided free as a sample from your doctor. But long term prescriptions need to be bought from the pharmacy. The pharmacy fees can be enormous for prescription or the branded drugs, therefore you can ask your doctor or the pharmacist to suggest a few generic names for the same drug. This might slash your bill to almost 40%. It is not necessary to pay expensive prescription prices if your drug is available at a lesser price in non brand-name form.

There can be some problem if you are switching from a branded medicine to its generic equivalent. Due to small differences in chemical composition, absorption rate and side effects of both branded and no-name drugs may differ. Thus it will be a wise idea to obtain the advice of the pharmacist or your physician (or both) before making any switch in medication, even if it seems like the exact same drug but with two different names.