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As we highlighted in this weeks report, patients are handing over millions of doses of prescription medicines to family members and friends according to a recent study.Research by community pharmacy chain Lloydspharmacy revealed that over the past five years more than 37 million doses of painkillers, antibiotics and other medicines have been given to someone for whom they were not prescribed.

Heart medicines, statins, depressants and oral contraceptives are also among the prescription drugs which have been passed on by patients in the mistaken and dangerous belief that they are doing someone a favour.  With only half of all prescription medicines being taken as directed it seems that there is no shortage of ‘spare’ drugs available for amateur dispensing.

Whilst we'd hope that everyone might understand the potential danger in giving a prescription medicine to a friend or relative, according to the research more than 6.3 million people have done just that. The practise is most prevalent among older patients and people on lower incomes, suggesting that prescription costs may be one of the factors at play.

No Room For Good Intentions: - We may think we're being neighbourly by giving someone a prescription drug such as a painkiller.  You can understand the thought process; the drug has worked well for the patient, they have a friend who seems to be displaying similar symptoms and they have some pills to spare. It seems like a harmless and kind act to throw over a bottle and say, try one of these....But.....what if the individual they are giving this drug is allergic to the active ingredient, or it may be contra-indicated with other medication they are taking. And of course, the ‘diagnosis’ may well have been wrong in the first place.

As we heard from Andy Murdock, Doctors prescribe particular drugs to suit the individual needs and circumstances of the patient. If you cross the wrong drug with the wrong person, the results could be awful, even fatal. What’s more, it’s likely that many of the drugs which are passed on are out of date, and that presents its own dangers.

The community pharmacy chain behind the research, which itself dispenses more than 150 million prescriptions a year tells us one in four British homes has some prescription medication which is no longer being taken according to the research.

In 2008  research showed that there were 40 million items of out of date prescription medicines in Britain’s medicine cabinets, but as Andy Murdock told me off microphone, it's thought that figure is an under estimation of far bigger problem. If this report has inspired you do your own medicine cabinet survey and found prescreiption medicines no longer in uses, out of date, painkillers, cough linctuses, prescription medicines et al..DON'T flush them down the loo or put them in the bin...take them to your local pharmacy, where they can dispose of them safely.

I'd like to thank Andy Murdock for his time and congratulate Lloydspharmacy for their work in this area and for bringing this issue to our attention