Moral Issue With Using Another's Prescription?

[CuriousInIL]

My understanding is that it is illegal to transfer prescription medication from the individual to whom it was prescribed to another. Does anyone know if that is true?

Also, either way, is there any moral problem with me using medication that was initially given to my wife? She stopped using it after a few days so we have about an 85 day supply leftover. My doctor has now prescribed the same medication to me. I am looking only for moral–not medical–opinions.

 

[baltobetsy]

Well, I always like to apply common sense to this kind of question. The reason for the prohibition (if there actually is one) against giving your medication to another is to prevent harm to the other in case the medication is not good for them. Since your doctor has prescribed the exact same medication (you did check that it’s exactly the same, didn’t you?), this objection to sharing it is blown out of the water. That doesn’t make much good sense, does it?

If you tossed your wife’s medication and filled your prescription for the same thing, you would increase everyone’s health care cost as well, by forcing the insurance company to pay for the waste. I’m sure the drug companies are also behind legislation like this, in order to preserve their profits, even if some product is wasted. Another poor outcome.

So, in the face of all this common sense, **my opinion **is that it is not necessary to obey this arbitrary rule. I’m quite sure others, who believe that a more rigorous adherence to the law is necessary, will disagree. I just don’t think God wants us to jettison common sense for the sake of blind obedience.

As far as the existence of such a law, I’m pretty sure it applies to controlled substances such as painkillers, but I’m not certain about other medications.

Betsy

 

[Newbie2]

It’s not an arbitrary rule, and is there for a good reason; using prescription drugs without the supervision of a physician is foolish and could be life-threatening. There are medications that sound the same, and generics that don’t work as well as brand-name meds.

That aside, in a moral sense if it is **exactly **the same medication, concentration/dosage, etc., there’s no reason not to use it. In fact, there’s an argument that would say that not using it is wasting resources.

 

[rwoehmke]

Unless it is exactly the same as prescribed for you, it would be very unwise. If you sold it to another it would be totally illegal and you could be charged with several crimes including selling of prescription drugs without a pharmacists license and without an appropriate prescription from a doctor registered to write it. If it were to be given to someone else who had been prescribed the the exact same drug, dose, etc. it would probably not be illegal, but you could be on the hook for a lawsuit if something goes awry.

I do have an acquaintance who fell ill and took one of his wife’s meds for what he had self diagnosed as the same illness. He came very near dying and ended up having obvious brain damage.