Why are some drugs only available by prescription?

Answer 1

Speaking very generally, prescription drugs can be divided into two types:

1) Those drugs which can only be used safely under the supervision of a medical professional. For example, narcotic dosages must be selected and monitored by a provider.

2) Those drugs which, while not dangerous in and of themselves, are used to treat conditions which should be monitored by a physician or other provider. For example, saline (salt water) is not particularly dangerous, but saline wound irrigation is a prescription item because a wound which requires irrigation should be seen by a doctor.

Answer 2

Prescription drugs are:

• Prescribed by a doctor
• Bought at a pharmacy
• Prescribed for and intended to be used by one person
• Regulated by FDA through the New Drug Application (NDA) process. This is the formal step a drug sponsor takes to ask that the FDA consider approving a new drug for marketing in the United States. An NDA includes all animal and human data and analyses of the data, as well as information about how the drug behaves in the body and how it is manufactured. For more information on the NDA process, please see "The FDA's Drug Review Process: Ensuring Drugs Are Safe and Effective."

OTC drugs are:

• Drugs that do NOT require a doctor's prescription
• Bought off-the-shelf in stores
• Regulated by FDA through OTC Drug monographs. OTC drug monographs are a kind of "recipe book" covering acceptable ingredients, doses, formulations, and labeling. Monographs will continually be updated adding additional ingredients and labeling as needed. Products conforming to a monograph may be marketed without further FDA clearance, while those that do not, must undergo separate review and approval through the "New Drug Approval System."

Regulated drugs require prescription to prevent user's abuse and disuse.

Answer 3

people get high on some drugs people get high on some drugs

Answer 4

Some drugs are for prescription only because people would abuse them if they could be bought over the counter.