<< by allowing more drugs otc, this will put the decision in the pts hand and , most importantly, in the PHARMACY, since pt will invariably ask the pharmacist about the drugs and thier proper usage.>>
For every 1 person that asks a pharmacist a question there are going to be twenty (and that's being generous) who don't. There are already millions of dollars spent annually due to complications due to medication interactions and misuse. Putting these drugs OTC would only make the situation worse.
have you ever thought maybe that "twenty you mentioned" might not need your help. that they actually know how to read the back of the box and inserts then use the otc drugs correctly??? don't assume the general public is dumb.
Are you a pharmacy student or a medical student? Because if you are, you must not value your education. You're basically implying that the public can chose the best medication for themselves over a trained pharmacist or physician. Why is that? Just because the public is "more educated", and I beg to differ, doesn't mean that they have the training than pharmacists and physicians have.
I value my education, thats why I want to increase the role of pharmacist.
As far as antibiotics go, dosing is critical, especially for peds patients. The dose is usually based on weight and not by age, and I'm sorry, but the general public is not familair with units like mg/kg. Not to mention the public health fiasco this will create when all the bacteria out there become resistant to every antibiotic we have.
mg/kg??? you must be kidding me.
ratios are taught in elementary, again repeated in jr high and high school. and alot of folks these days have at least a college education. again people are not dumb.
As far as the birth control, women need to see a gynecologist and be tested for STDs,have a breast exam, and have a pap done. With OTC access to birth control, most women would no longer do these things. I can picture women messing horribly with their bodies by thinking things like "Although I bought Ortho-Tricyclin last month, Target is having a sale on the Lo-estrin, so I guess I'll try that one this month." Drugs aren't like toothpaste, but I could see this happening.