Have you been considering using someone else’s prescription medicine during the flu season? Even if there are some options for medicine at home, refrain from using anybody else’s prescription medicines at all times. However, do keep in mind that no two prescriptions are ever the same. While some ailments are generic and have common cures, there are individual histories, medical conditions, and other factors like lifestyle preferences, allergies, medication, etc. Hence, you must realize that no two prescriptions are the same. In addition, there are unwanted side effects of medications that may affect you in such scenarios as well.
Instead, you should emphasize finding the best antibiotics for cough and cold and other cures for viral infections suitable for your requirements. Taking another individual’s prescription drugs may lead to several aspects going out of the window, making you more vulnerable to a whole new line-up of issues, some of which may be fatal or threatening too. Here are some of the potential issues that may plague you if you end up taking prescription medicine intended for another individual, especially during the flu season.
- You may be unable to understand the actual or intended usage of the medicine and the side effects. This may impact you negatively in the future.
- Owing to similarities in medicine names, you may end up using a different medicine than what you thought it was!
- You may not fully understand or know about the potential (both long-term and short-term) for the side effects of these medicines. As a result, you may remain unprepared for the same or not end up recognizing their actual occurrence.
- The medicine may be unsuitable or non-recommended for an individual with any particular medical conditions/issues. The doctor may not have prescribed it for you at all.
- You may not know whether the best antibiotics for cough and cold or even flu can be taken with specific food items, alcohol, other depressant medicines, and so on.
- You may already be consuming another medicine that may interact negatively with this particular type of drug.
- Consuming medicine without any appropriate diagnosis may ultimately conceal symptoms of any latent medical condition that may get aggravated as well. Read – difference between COVID and common flu.
- You may take the wrong dose concerning your body weight or size.
- The dosage may be a little higher since you will need to gradually build up to a particular dose by initially consuming lower doses. Slowly increasing doses may have been the best way for you instead of straight away consuming a higher dose.
- You may have allergies to the drug or specific components that are hard to discover without a diagnosis.
- Having kidney or liver dysfunctions means that you may be unable to suitably metabolize medication, enabling its build-up towards levels that are regarded as toxic.
- You may have to consume other medicines alongside for combating any possible side effects.
- You may also be nursing/pregnant, and the medicine may not be suitable for usage in such scenarios.
- The medicine may have crossed its expiration date as well.
If you have a medical reaction that is sudden and unexpected, it could well be the outcome of taking medicine that was prescribed to someone else. Therefore, during the flu season, it is advised that you get yourself diagnosed and take medicines specifically prescribed for you by the doctor instead of getting hold of medicines prescribed to others and follow flu-shot tips to make a shot feel better.. This will ensure that you are not vulnerable and have suitable medication that can help you heal faster.
