Prescription medications are specially chosen for use by a specific person for a specific use and are dispensed only with the written approval of a licensed physician or nurse-practitioner. OTC (over-the-counter) medications are considered safe for everyone. They may have a variety of intended purposes and can be bought without a doctor’s prescription.

While prescription drugs require a prescription from a doctor, OTC medications don`t.

Active ingredient- ingredient that treats condition (including amount)

Inactive ingredient- substances such as flavor and color (which do not help treat the condition)

Uses- conditions or symptoms treated by the product

Warnings- side effects and interactions, tips on when to talk to the doctor, when not to take product or keep out of reach of children

Expiration date- the date when you should not take it anymore

Purpose- what is product supposed to do

Other information and directions- for example how to take the product or how to store it

Active ingredient, inactive ingredient, uses, warnings, expiration date, purpose and other information and directions.

Medicine misuse can be failing to follow instructions on a package, taking another person medicine without talking to a doctor, taking too much or too little medicine, taking medicine for a longer or shorter period than prescribed, mixing medicines without the knowledge of your doctor.

Medicine misuse is using a medicine in ways other than the intended use. It differs from medicine abuse because medicine abuse is taking medications for nonmedical reasons while medicine misuse is taking them for medical reasons but in not proper way.

Medicine labels are regulated by FDA so no wrong, ambiguous or false information is given. It is important that medication companies don’t give information such as effects or benefits of a medication that it doesn’t have. Also, they check if they state the various side effects that a medication can have. That information is important because in that case, patients are correctly informed and can make a right decision in choosing a medication.

FDA regulates medications to see if they are safe to use and to provide information on how to use them. Also, they check information on medicine labels in order to verify the accuracy of the data given.

To avoid medicine abuse you must follow several things. Weight is a very common reason why people practice medicine abuse. Remember that eating a healthy diet and exercise are the best and healthiest ways to maintain healthy weight. Always be aware of potential interactions of certain medications with others drugs or alcohol. Mixing them can be very dangerous and have serious consequences on your health. Never use another person’s prescribed drug and don’t give yours to them. Your doctor knows why a certain medication is right just for you. It doesn’t mean that it will be right for another person, so it is very dangerous to do that and can also have serious consequences on health.

Maintain healthy weight by eating a healthy diet and exercise; be aware of potential interactions with other drugs or alcohol; never use another person’s prescribed drug and don’t give yours to them.

1. Patient`s safety comes first

2. Be aware of your condition and improve quality of your life

3. Use it properly in order to control chronic condition or treat temporary condition

4. Avoid harmful consequences that are following after taking too much or too little amount of medication

5. Follow the instructions on medicine label

The importance of correct use of medications is huge. If you are not using them properly for some reason, it can lead to serious and dangerous consequences on your health. See the explanation for a bookmark example that shows the importance of correct medicine use.

“Do you suffer from menstrual cramps?

A powerful and effective solution, approved by a doctor is here. Read the medication label carefully before use. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for information on indications, precautions and side effects.”

For example, I wrote a script for a commercial for a medication that fights menstrual cramps. Reading medicine labels and talking to your doctor and pharmacist are the best ways to ensure safety use.