Prescription Drug Safety
Under Massachusetts law, licensed pharmacies are the only stores that may sell prescription medications; and licensed pharmacies may sell these medications only to customers who present a prescription from a licensed health care provider. These laws are designed to protect your health and safety and that of your family.
If you buy a prescription drug without having had proper medical care or a proper prescription from a health care provider, there are risks to your health.
Prescription Drugs
Risks of treating yourself with a prescription drug Undertreatment of your condition so that you don't get enough medication to make you well Inappropriate treatment caused by your not getting the right drug for your condition Unsafe treatment that may cause damage to your body or health Drug interactions resulting from dangerous mixing with other drugs you are taking Allergic interactions that could be harmful if you have any drug allergies Medical complications or effects of the drug that could actually worsen your health Bacteria resistant to antibiotics could cause the infection to continue Unexpected adverse reactions or bad effects that could cause illness, injury or even death If you buy a prescription drug from an unlicensed source (e.g., store, market, bodega) rather than from a pharmacy, there are risks to your safety and health.
Risks of illegally sold prescription drugs Unapproved drugs that have not been shown to be either safe or effective Untested and unsafe drugs that may contain dangerous substances Counterfeit drugs that do not contain the drug you believed you were buying Outdated drugs that are beyond the expiration date and may have lessened effectiveness Banned drugs that have been shown to cause illness, injury or death Animal drugs sold for human use but are not safe for human use Contaminated drugs that contain dangerous materials or substances Drugs with little or no active ingredient that will not work Mislabeled drugs that have incorrect ingredients or dosagesഊAn example: Treating yourself with antibiotics If you have a sore throat and treat yourself with an antibiotic for a few days, the symptoms may go away and you may feel better but the infection could still be active in your body. You couldhave a serious infection such as strep throat. Because you are not being treated by a health care provider, you may not be getting the right treatment, the right antibiotic or the right amount of antibiotic. As a result, you could experience medical complications, the most serious of which is rheumatic fever, which can cause heart disease. At the same time, your family and others are exposed to the infection.
Another problem: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics Treating yourself with antibiotics can be harmful in another way. Repeated and improper uses of antibiotics are primary causes of the increase in drug resistant bacteria, one of the world's most pressing health problems. Every year antibiotics become less effective against bacteria and infections are harder to cure.
The example above is what can happen when taking antibiotics without proper medical care. Different complications and ill health effects can occur with other medications when you treat yourself.
If you feel you need treatment for a medical condition, we encourage you to speak with a health care provider. If you have any questions about prescription drugs or this advisory, please call the Department of Public Health, Center for Quality Assurance and Control, at 1-800-462-5540. If you speak a language other than English, you can still call this number. An interpreter will be available.