From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: sci.med.pharmacy
Subject: Re: Seldane
Date: 28 Mar 1998 13:00:56 GMT

In <351CE9C4.9213AAC9@yahoo.com> marcie rekenn <rekenn@yahoo.com>
writes:

>None of them *are* prescription in Canada. I'm not sure it's a matter of
>sucking the money out of prescription plans (?by whom - the pharmacist or
>the customer) or if it's a matter of greedy doctors who like nothing
>better than an office visit to write out a prescription for an allergy
>medication. This is one group of patients who just keep right on coming
>back filling everyone's coffers along the way. It's interesting to see
>which drugs are considered safe for otc use in Can. and which in the US,
>and vice versa.
>
>marcie



   If Hismanal's OTC in Canada, that's a screwup.  The stuff is
probably too dangerous for that.  Having your heart stop because you
had a sinus infection and allergies, and you took your old antibiotic
but didn't take one of the several better alternatives antihistamines
available available, is a silly way to die.

    As for whether or not doctors have much say in which drugs are or
are not prescription items: I'm afraid we have almost none.  That's
other lobbies.    And for what it's worth, most of us also have the
impression that the rather boring work involved in writing out reams of
this stuff is not worth what we get paid for it.

                                    Steve Harris, M.D.