Yeah, OK, here's a scenario.

I get a scrip for it in advance most winters, for the annual ear infection I usually get. I'm allergic to so many antibiotics, and can't take decongestants, so nowadays the doc just lets me have a weekend's worth so I can start when the signs present, and THEN see her on Monday for an exam and the rest of the scrip... because other meds I take make the clearing out of an active ear infection SOOOO difficult that she's given up treating it less aggressively.

But imagine in today's climate... a friend worries that maybe she's been exposed to anthrax-- could I please give her mine? No.... that would be DUM.... she doesn't need my drugs, she needs a DOCTOR! ASAP!

But imagine my teenage step daughter starts a really bad ear infection over the weekend and can't get to see her doc-- it's real rural out here and it happens often... and I give her a dose to hold her till she can get a ride into town...

But she turns out to be allergic, and Poof! She's gone! Ooops!

There is a good reason why prescription meds are regulated, and only the good guys get to give them out. If they were something we could manage properly, they'd be over-the-counter meds!

~Susan