Posted by Bill L on October 17, 2002, at 11:25:30
In reply to Why not make most psychotropics OTC?, posted by chad_3 on October 16, 2002, at 0:01:39
I would like to see more drugs go OTC. Right now, insurance companies have a big push to make the antihistamines Allegra and Claritin OTC. They should be OTC because they are safer with less side efects than the other antihistamines which are curretnly in OTC medications. Recently, an athelete's foot cream went OTC (Lamisal).
For consumers it's a double edged sword. If a drug goes OTC, insurance in the US will no longer cover it. So the consumer will not need a prescription. But then he or she will have more out of pocket spending.
In the case of SSRI's, I would like to see them go OTC. I think that more people would get help. It's much easier to die from an overdose of aspirin than from an overdose of an SSRI.
poster:Bill L
thread:123854
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021012/msgs/124006.html