Carethics

2 days and 2 reports, questioning our most natural habit – regularly pop medicines or pills without doctor’s approval. Day before yesterday, it was a shocking case of medicine going haywire (IIT professor in coma since 1 ½ years after having a single tablet of known pain killer, brufen reports Mumbai Mirror) and now FDA has asked American people to stop giving cold and cough syrups (being sold OTC) to children younger than 2 years (Business Week). Well, the whole mechanism started last year when few pharma companies pulled its cough syrups out of the market, and now FDA has issued warnings to prevent parents giving cough medicines to adolescents under 2 years of age.

Pediatricians who criticize the use of cold and cough medicine say the ingredients in the medicine make children hyperactive, irritable and sometimes side-effects could be fatal. Doctors even say only medicines to be made available OTC should be vitamin capsules and rest should not be given without prescription.

Well, these incidence do put up a question….what all medicines should be available over the counter?

But what about our regular habit of popping pills for headache…for stomach ache….for cold….pain killers…sleeping pills…and likewise n number of other reasons.