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The Dangers of Taking Medicines Without Consulting a Doctor

A lot of people tend to self-medicate with prescription medications without consulting a physician. A good example is for migraine. Most sufferers try to get a hold of prescription migraine medications like Zebutal without even consulting their doctors if it's safe for them to use it. Consumers should know that by taking prescription meds without being advised to, exposes them to various risks.

Author: Mark Walters
Date: Nov 6, 2008 - 2:48:39 AM

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A lot of people, not only in the United States, but all throughout the world, are guilty of attempting to self-medicate in an attempt to cut down on consultation and prescription costs. It's understandable why people would try to do this, but have you ever stopped to wonder about the dangers you subject yourself to when you choose to take prescription medicines without consulting a doctor?

Say, for example, that you have a migraine that has been pestering you for the past 3 weeks. You ask around for prescription medicines that are sure to work in relieving the pain. Sure you can get Zebutal or other migraine medications from friends or from the Internet, but are you sure it's safe?

You may want to bypass the trip to the doctor's office because someone suggested that you take this specific prescription-grade drug. You may say that you're sure that the prescription drug is right for you because you know of someone with the same condition as you taking the same medication and they're still fine. But you have to understand that by doing so, you expose yourself to various risks that may endanger your health, not to mention waste your money, too.

Here are some of the reasons why you must not take prescription drugs without consulting a doctor first:

• All medications have side effects
  Now, you may think that there are very little side effects to a certain drug just because you know of a person who used the medicine and not show symptoms. But you must understand that medications react differently with each individual. What works for one won't necessarily work for the other and vice versa.
• Each person is different from the other
  You may think that you and your friend are exactly alike because you're of the same built, height, and have the same level of health, but what you must understand is that each individual's internal body system is slightly different from the other. So although you have the same health concern, it doesn't mean that the same medications will be effective in making both of you get better. It may work perfectly for one and trigger an allergic reaction on the other and vice versa.

If you'll notice in the detailed literature included in prescription boxes, they always include a warning that says “do not take this drug without first consulting your physician.” This precautionary warning is included there for a good reason, to avoid accidental misuse of the drugs.

Mark Walters  is a part-time writer and a part-time researcher. He is currently self-studying various Far Eastern languages and is an avid fiction reader. He is currently writing articles oriented towards consumers of pharmaceutical products. InternetPharmacy is a reputable online drug store and offers an array of health products and medicare prescription drugs.

View all articles by Mark Walters

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