Have you ever passed over a leftover prescription painkiller to a friend? "Borrowed" a prescription antihistamine from a family member?
Well, if so you are not alone. A recent study by Richard Goldsworthy of Academic Edge showed that 27% of people interviewed had borrowed prescription medication and 23% had given their medication to someone else.
Twenty two percent claimed to have shared pain medication, 7 percent had shared mood-altering medication and about 25% had shared allergy medication. However, perhaps the most concerning statistic was that almost 21% reported sharing antibiotics.
While sharing one or 2 painkillers with someone isn't a major deal, people on antibiotics should not have any "extra" to "share". Antibiotics are a full course medication that patients are required to take the complete prescribed dose. There is already concern regarding the overuse of antibiotics and not finishing the prescription can lead to antibiotic resistance.
"Don't share antibiotics," Goldsworthy advised. "You shouldn't have any leftover. You should have finished them all yourself."
[Source: YahooNews]
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