Sharing medications might at first seem like a good idea. After all, medications especially prescription ones, are expensive and you need to see a doctor first to even get the medication.

And it turns out that about 37% of Americans do in fact share prescription medications.

Without a doubt this is a very dangerous practice. What works for you may not work for your friend.

Your friend maybe taking other prescription medications which can interact with your medication.

Your friend may have allergies to medications that you don’t know about.

What if your friend has medical conditions which might be made worse with your medications?

An example of this might be someone who has asthma and is on a blood pressure medication. She runs out of her blood pressure medication and feeling kind, you offer her one or two of your blood pressure pills propanolol. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to you, Propranolol can make asthma worse and even cause fetal reactions.

There is a reason that prescriptions can only be written by licensed medical providers such as doctors or nurse practitioners.

So if your friend asked you for some medication do him or a favor and don’t offer up your medication.