Random Thoughts

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by orthodoc

Not all prescriptions are controlled substances...

Why are they prescribed then, instead of being available otc?

Why do I have to pay a middle man a hundred damn dollars to write me a prescription for 'not a controlled substance'.

If you drive down the road with ANY prescription pills not in their proper container, [and get stopped by the popo] you will go to jail.

If I can't walk into Wally World and buy it without a prescription, that is a controlled substance. In circumstance, if not on an official list.

A prescription drug may not be a narcotic, or a recreational drug, but I still think that it would be a controlled substance.

Then again, I'm not a doctor. Or a cop.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Why are they prescribed then, instead of being available otc?

Why do I have to pay a middle man a hundred damn dollars to write me a prescription for 'not a controlled substance'.

Because government and industry collude to take advantage of you.

[Lamplighter]

... or because you haven't yet signed up for Obamacare.

[orthodoc]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Why are they prescribed then, instead of being available otc?

A prescription drug may not be a narcotic, or a recreational drug, but I still think that it would be a controlled substance.

I was referring to the DEA classification of controlled drugs, Schedules 1 through 5. Other prescription drugs are restricted in that they need a prescription, but aren't tracked in the same way.

[Snakeadelic]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Why are they prescribed then, instead of being available otc?

Why do I have to pay a middle man a hundred damn dollars to write me a prescription for 'not a controlled substance'.

If you drive down the road with ANY prescription pills not in their proper container, [and get stopped by the popo] you will go to jail.

If I can't walk into Wally World and buy it without a prescription, that is a controlled substance. In circumstance, if not on an official list.

A prescription drug may not be a narcotic, or a recreational drug, but I still think that it would be a controlled substance.

Then again, I'm not a doctor. Or a cop.

I know this is an old post, but I can answer part of it for you.

I take a generic that is available OTC to combat massive acid reflux. I survive on $725 a month BEFORE I pay rent, which is almost half that amount. My OTC medication, at the cheapest local pharmacy, is $56 a month. When my 'scrip was originally written by a doctor who actually understood the nightmare that is fixed-income budgeting, it was given to me because on 'scrip the exact same month's supply cost $1.05. One dollar and one nickel.

I still take it, but changes in my insurance coverage have removed all my medication copays. If not for the prescription and the insurance actually covering it, I'd have had to skip many months, possibly leading to gastric and esophageal damage that could have required tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars in hospital visits and surgeries. I am profoundly grateful to the taxpayers who fund my quiet little life and I have a strong preference for minimizing my use of community resources and avoiding any spending beyond my means. This includes keeping myself out of the ER and off the surgical table whenever possible.

Added detail bonus I found out the hard way: if you do something stupid like leave the state without your tranquilizers, it is against USPS regulations to have them mailed to you in the bottle with the correct label unless NONE of the meds have been taken.