Borrowing other people’s prescription medications may not be such a big deal for most people.
However, it is something like the pharmacist Catharina Claesson think is very inappropriate – and in some cases downright dangerous.
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You should absolutely not do that with your – or other people’s – medicine
In an interview with News24 the pharmacist explains that prescription drugs are prescribed for a person based on a doctor’s assessment and diagnosis.
– The doctor has then made a decision on the treatment and whether the medicine is suitable for that particular person, what dose to take and what to treat, Claesson tells Nyheter24 and continues:
– The doctor also assesses whether the medicine is suitable based on other diseases that the person may have, allergies or if, for example, you are taking other medicines that might conflict with the new medicine.
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Risky to borrow other people’s medicines: “Dangerous”
Every tenth person between the ages of 18 and 49 has consumed prescription drugs that another person has been prescribed. This is shown by a nationwide Sifo survey carried out on behalf of Apotek Hjärtat.
Neon sign on the facade of Apoteket Hjärta’s store in Hornstull. Photo: Janerik Henriksson / TT.
– If you borrow other people’s medicines, that assessment has not been made and there may be a risk that the medicine is not suitable. Maybe you can’t stand it or maybe you don’t have the same problem as the person you borrow from – even if you think so because the symptoms are similar, she says and continues:
– It can actually be dangerous.
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The medicines that can be directly harmful “if you haven’t been to a doctor”
A dose for someone who has been treated for a long time is rarely suitable for someone who takes the drug once or who is just about to start, Claesson emphasizes and points out that each dose is adapted to each patient.
Different types of medicine stored in different types of packaging made of plastic, glass, paper or aluminum foil. Photo: Janerik Henriksson / TT.
There are some medicines that are known to be harmful to people who have not had them prescribed by a doctor.
– For example, high doses of strong painkillers can be downright dangerous to take. Medicines that affect the heart or treat diabetes are other examples of medicines that are not suitable – and can be dangerous – to take unless you have seen a doctor and had them prescribed.
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The pharmacist’s theory: “Then you think you know how to treat”
Why do you think people do it?
– It’s hard to know, but it could be that it’s available, and then it might feel easier to borrow than to contact the care yourself. You may think that you can make the diagnosis yourself or that you recognize yourself in someone else’s symptoms – and then think that you know how to treat and therefore think that you can borrow, Claesson tells Nyheter24.