Photo

Prescription and Over-the Counter (OTC) Drugs

Prescription and OTC drugs are important and beneficial products that every year improve and save countless lives. They are effective, and they are also safe – but only if used as medically intended.

Prescription (Rx) Drugs)
Safe when used according to doctor’s instructions, these medications should be taken only by the person for whom a doctor has prescribed them. Using prescription drugs prescribed for others or without doctor’s orders is unsafe and illegal.

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drugs
OTC drugs are available at any pharmacy without a prescription. Like prescription drugs, they’re safe when used according to packaged instructions or when recommended by a doctor familiar with your medical history and other medications you may be taken.

More Drugs, More Danger
Prescription and OTC drugs have side effects that range from the unpleasant to the dangerous when using them recreationally. But the effects – and the dangers – are intensified when these drugs are combined with each other, with alcohol, or with illegal drugs. Even when used at the recommended doses to treat medical conditions, combining multiple medications can be dangerous.

For more information on drug interactions please visit:www.healthatoz.com

 

Prevention Department

SWFAS recognizes that the key to preventing substance abuse or other problem behaviors is ongoing education about the impact of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. SWFAS offers prevention programs and services for both youth and adults.

The role of prevention is to create healthy communities in which people have a quality of life that includes:
  • Healthy environments at work and in school
  • Supportive communities and neighborhoods
  • Connections with families and friends
  • Drug and crime-free


Community Resources, Links and Information contained under our different Programs and Services are being provided as a convenience and for information purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Southwest Florida Addiction Services (SWFAS) of any of the products, services or opinions of the organizations. SWFAS bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of these services, sites or their subsequent links. Contact the individual service or external site for all concerns regarding their content.