Should the FDA Allow Patients to Medicate Themselves Without a Prescription I think most people would agree some of the worst mornings are waking up sick. You are then obligated to get your ill body out of bed and go to the doctor’s office. After spending at least a hour at the doctor’s you go to a pharmacy to pick up your prescription and have to wait for that as well. This terrible morning has turned into a three ring circus of you going around town just to get medicine while you are sick. For awhile there has been an idea for people to just go to a pharmacy and pick up medicine without a doctor’s note. Patients would not have to go see a doctor and the pharmacist could diagnose and medicate patients in the pharmacy and this would cut time for people.…show more content… Rebecca Burkholder writes that the FDA should allow pharmacist to distribute behind the counter drugs. Mrs. Burkholder is vice president of health policy for the National Consumers League and is a former health attorney. Burkholder believes with the right infrastructure and FDA regulations in place, behind the counter drugs could be a reality and help patients. Mrs. Burkholder believes that pharmacists have what it takes to diagnose, medicate and treat these patients without a doctor. In order for the patient to get the right medicine the pharmacist would have to do all these things and council the patient before giving them an behind the counter drug. Burkholder knows we do not live in a perfect world, so pharmacists would need to encourage patients to follow up with a visit to their physician after taking behind the counter drugs. Burkholder believes that pharmacists could ensure the role of educating consumers on which drug to take without a doctor’s
