How Do Prescription Drugs Work?
Other People Are Reading
-
Who Writes Drug Prescriptions?
-
In the United States, licensed physicians (M.D.), dentists (D.D.S.) and podiatrists have the power to write drug prescriptions for essentially any class of medication. Optometrists (O.D.) can prescribe drugs, but only those drugs which treat specific eye diseases. Psychiatrists are M.D.'s and can thus write drug prescriptions. Psychologists cannot write drug prescriptions unless they are registered clinical psychologists, have additional training in writing prescriptions and practice in a state that has passed laws allowing clinical psychologists to write prescriptions. However, they are only allowed to write prescriptions for a limited range of drugs used to treat mental disorders.
Who Fills Prescriptions?
-
Drug prescriptions are filled by pharmacies. Pharmacies must be owned by a registered pharmacist and are located in hospitals, supermarket chains, convenience store chains or independently-owned drug stores. Each pharmacy has its own ID number; this number is included on the packaging of every prescription filled. This allows for law enforcement agencies to keep a well-formatted record of the flow of certain classes of abuse-prone drugs (e.g. narcotics and stimulants) from each pharmacy.
-
How Are Prescriptions Filled?
-
Most commonly, the physician will handwrite the name of the drug, the dosage size and the dosage instructions (i.e, how many doses per day) on his special pad of blank "scripts" which have his name and address on them. Each doctor must special order these pads, as they feature several anti-forgery measures. Once complete, the doctor will tear off this top piece and give it to you to take to the pharmacy.
At the pharmacy, you will go to the "Drop-Off" counter and give them the prescription. The pharmacist then collects your name, address, phone number and insurance information. In the case of hospital pharmacies, a doctor may be able to phone the prescription in directly, saving you this step.
Once the pharmacist is done filling the prescription, you will collect and pay for it at the "Pick-Up" counter. Some drug prescriptions allow for "refills". Either a set number or unlimited, refills simply require you to drop off the empty container at the pharmacy (instead of returning to the doctor's office for a new prescription).
Brand Name vs. Generic
-
When a pharmaceutical company discovers a new drug, the government grants that company patent protection. This means that for a set period of time, usually 10 years, the company has exclusive selling rights for that particular drug under its brand name. Because they are the sole supplier, the company can also set the price of the drug as high as it wishes.
After this government protection phase has expired, the company can still sell the original brand name drug at whatever price it pleases. However, other companies are then allowed to sell chemically-identical drugs under a "generic" name. Because these other companies didn't have to pay for the steep costs of researching and developing the drug, they are able to sell the generic version at a lower price while remaining profitable.
Fraud And Other Problems
-
Prescription drugs like amphetamines, morphine and Oxycontin have a high risk of abuse. Therefore, criminals or addicts will often try to obtain them illegally and in excess. One common fraud technique simply involves stealing a doctor's prescription pad and filling in bogus prescriptions. To counter this, doctors keep their pads well-guarded, and each page includes the doctor's phone number, which allows suspicious pharmacists to confirm new prescriptions directly.
The other major problem is patients who secretly see multiple doctors. For example, if a patient has ADHD, he might see a psychiatrist who prescribes Adderall or Ritalin (both amphetamines). This prescription will follow standard dosage. However, if the patient sees three other psychiatrists, he can get access to 4 times the standard dosage. Luckily, insurance plans will only cover a certain amount of medication over a 30-day period, helping to curb this form of fraud. Also, the rise of retail networks of pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, etc.) helps keep an eye on patients who seem to be dropping off a suspicious number of prescriptions.
-
