Prescription Drugs
Abstract
The given paper is devoted to the problem of drugs prescription as a medication. Here the general description of the issue is revealed and the literature sources which may be used for the studying of the given problem are presented.
As well as the topicality of the problem of drugs prescription is very high nowadays, there must be certain criteria and circumstances in which the doctors or pharmacists should prescribe drug medication. Such situations require special attention and careful examining in order to prevent misusage of drugs prescription as its consequences are highly negative and dangerous for human beings.
The biggest difficulty connected with this issue is not the usage of drugs itself, as it goes without saying that there are special medical cases when the usage of drugs is highly inevitable. But the complication is connected with the fact how to differentiate those conditions and make clear norms for prescription of drugs in regard to medical demands. Some patients, or even doctors and pharmacists may break the rule and the law and take, or prescribe drugs medications without any profound reason. This way the notion and problem of drugs misuse appear which requires great attention from all spheres of regulation – from social to governmental, as the future of the nation is put at stake.
On the one hand, they claim that nowadays a lot of people and doctors misuse the opportunity of drugs prescription and do that to one’s personal advantage. The wide range of doctors and licensees contribute to the fact of drugs prescription misapplication. Considering pharmacological peculiarities of the given medicines, they become an easy lure for drug-addicted people and those who would like to distribute them.
On the other hand, there are harsh situations which require the drug prescription in order to ease the pain of a patient in difficult disease cases. Also, there are different authorities and institutions which are responsible for controlling of drug prescription operations. The fact worth mentioning is that there is criminal responsibility for the misuse of drugs and mis-prescription of the given medicine.
This problem is of high interest for me personally, as I had a grandfather who suffered cancer, brain tumor to be exact, and I am aware of the situation when the pain is very intense and the drugs are necessary, but it’s hard to get them in order to cease the pain of a dying person. That’s why I became interested in this particular topic and I would like to find out the special conditions and rules which presuppose the permission of drugs prescription.
The answers to the following questions would help me to understand this problem and be aware of the regulations.
Firstly, what institutions or doctors are available to prescribe drugs? What kind of documents does it require to get a drug prescription? It goes without saying that not all doctors or pharmacies are free to give or sell this medicine. That’s why it is important to find out about the requirements needed to attain this opportunity.
Secondly, what are the methods which help a doctor to find out whether the patient needs drugs as medicine or that’s the misuse. It goes without saying that doctors are ordinary people who do not possess special supernatural possibilities in order to detect the pain felt by a patient and evaluate the necessity of medicine usage. So what are the diseases which presuppose drug medicaments usage? Also the risks of drug prescription must be mentioned and explained. (Light, 2010). Very often patients may not be aware of the danger drugs may bring and that’s why it is to responsibility of a doctor or pharmacist to explain all pros and cons of drugs medication.
Thirdly, there are drug medicines which do not require prescription. Is it legal and moral to produce those ones, as this way anyone can take those, with a reason or not and that can’t be controlled.
This problem needs careful studying as it influences the life of people and society in general. That’s why I would like to find the answers to those questions and understand this problem. To answer these questions I need special academic resources which can provide theoretical and practical data in order to argument certain idea and explain it.
Annotated Bibliography
1. Griffith, H. W. (2013). Complete Guide to Prescription & Nonprescription Drugs 2014. New York, NY: Penguin.
The given book provides its reader with information about the drugs, which of them are safe or dangerous to be used as a medical treatment. The medical conditions and indications for drugs prescription are revealed and explained. Also, the classification of drugs provided in the given books helps to understand better the peculiarities of given medicine and its influence upon human body. As well as different drug-medicine have different influence upon a human’s body it is very important to study them profoundly and the influence the produce is one of the spheres which require special attention. Such data as interviews with doctors and pharmacists help to observe and evaluate actual practical experience and knowledge attained as the result of this activity.
2. Light, D. W. (ed). (2010). The Risks of Prescription Drugs. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
This books is oriented towards the impact of drugs upon the human organism. It correlates the advantages and risks of drugs prescription. The risks are explained, but also the means for protection are revealed. The given book provides with the information about the risks for both patients and physicians and the way it may influence those. This edition is aimed at protecting from drugs overuse and stating of reasonable and sensible conditions for the drugs prescription for patients, who really need them. There is the list of diseases and their stages and the information about them which may help in the cases which require thinking whether the drugs should be prescribed or not.
3. Arlotta, C. J. (2015). Should Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs Include Opioid Overdoses? Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/cjarlotta/2015/12/28/should-prescription-drug-monitoring-programs-include-opioid-overdoses/#3147b4ea701b
This article reveals data about the influence of drugs, opium in particular, upon the humans’ lives and cases when it causes death. The problem of opium overdosing is highly stated and criticized and the necessity for find the solutions is emphasized. The writer reveals statistics of drugs death. In the given article the issue of opium prescription even in drug-abused patients is described which led to the increasing of mortality among US population. The writer states the necessity of greater drug prescription control, opium in particular as very often they may be the reason of a person’s death or lead to incorrigible consequences for the patient and the doctor as well.
4. Pear, R. (2015). Administration Is Seeking Ways to Keep Prescription Drugs Affordable. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/21/us/politics/administration-is-seeking-ways-to-keep-prescription-drugs-affordable.html
In this article the financial side of the drugs prescription problem is stated. The problem of drugs prices rising is revealed, which makes a bad influence on the pharmacies. I have chosen this article for my research as it is highly relevant to my topic. As well as the price of drugs medicine rises, it makes doctors to look through their prescriptions again and understand better whether they are necessary for a patient or not. Also, the patients themselves will be able to evaluate their condition and realize whether the drugs medicines are what they need. The writer emphasized the fact that only those whose medical requirements need drugs will let themselves afford them. This way the problem of drugs misuse may be solved partially.
5. Noordin, M. I. (2012). Ethics in Pharmaceutical Issues, Contemporary Issues in Bioethics. Dr. Peter A. Clark (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-51-0169-7, InTech, Retrieved from http://www.intechopen.com/books/contemporaryissues-in-bioethics/ethics-in-pharmaceutical-issues
This research provides with the ethical side of the problem of drugs prescription. Here the role of a pharmacist and a doctor in the process of drugs prescription is emphasized. As well as the pharmacist is responsible for the dispensing and compounding drugs, he or she, besides the theoretical knowledge in the given field should possess the set of ethical features. Ethics is very important for the given problem of drugs prescription as it touches the sphere of human-human relationships, and medical treatment in particular. The article emphasizes the role of a pharmacist who has to inform the customer about the pharmaceutical issues and products, their influence. People must be aware of the peculiarities of their medication and be able to protect themselves from a disastrous influence.
