Study finds one-quarter of Americans share prescription medications

WASHINGTON According to a study conducted by the American Journal of Public Health, out of 700 Americans interviewed, about 23 percent of them shared their prescription medication with someone else, and 27 percent reported borrowing prescription medications.

The medications most frequently shared (loaned or borrowed) were such allergy drugs as Allegra (25 percent), followed by such pain medications as Darvocet and OxyContin (22 percent) and such antibiotics as amoxicillin (21 percent).

Seven percent of those interviewed said they shared such mood-altering drugs as Paxil, Zoloft, Ritalin and Valium. A little more than 6 percent said they shared the prescription anti-acne drug Accutane and about 5 percent shared birth control pills.

The survey also showed that Whites (23 percent) and Hispanics (26 percent) were more apt to share prescription pain medicines than were African Americans (14 percent). Women were more apt than men to share antibiotics (24 percent vs. 12 percent).

The researchers, however, are worried about some of these medications being shared without knowing the risks behind taking them or checking with their physicians. One example, Accutane has birth risks associated with it and features a warning for pregnant women to discontinue use. They also pointed to the importance of finishing a dose of an antibiotic so as to not allow the disease to build up an immunity and make the drug ineffective.