Over-the-counter medicines, otherwise known as OTCs, are medicines that can be sold directly to the consumer without a prescription from a doctor or another kind of healthcare professional. Typically, over-the-counter drugs are safe and effective, even without direct medical supervision, when used for their intended purposes.
Overall:
In the United States, over 300,000 different kinds of over-the-counter, non-prescription drugs are offered and marketed to consumers. These drugs contain approximately 800 different kinds of ingredients under 80 different therapeutic categories. In instances where non-prescription drugs fail to meet the conditions of the OTC monograph, the drugs go through an NDA process. The NDA process requires adequate studies to be done to assess the drug's safety and effectiveness and if consumers can use those drugs appropriately. There have also been instances where drugs that were initially prescription drugs were switched to non-prescription drugs. In fact, 95% of all non-prescription drugs were initially prescription drugs and only 5% were originally non-prescription drugs.
Approval for Over-the-Counter Drugs:
To be considered an over-the-counter medicine, the United States requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make sure the drugs are safe and effective before approving them as an over-the-counter drug. Generally, the Food and Drug Administration looks into whether or not the drug can be used appropriately for consumers with self-diagnosed conditions, whether or not a healthcare professional determines if it’s safe and effective for the consumer and if the drugs have a low potential for misuse and abuse.
Possible Risks:
Usually, over-the-counter drugs are safe when used in their regular and recommended doses, but just like illegal and prescription drugs, when abused, these medications can prove to be fatal. Although when compared to illegal and prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs are less potent, they still pose a high risk for addiction when abused. To determine if a medication is being abused, any intake of the drug outside its regular, recommended dosage is considered abuse. Along with further health complications such as memory loss, kidney failure, heart issues, etc, abuse of these medications may lead consumers to experience a euphoric high or hallucinations.
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