In a new survey of 700 Americans, about 23 percent admit to "sharing" their prescription medications with others, Reuters reported.
The medications most shared included Allegra (25 percent admit to sharing), Darvocet and OxyContin (22 percent), as well as antibiotics like amoxicillin (21 percent), according to the study published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Antidepressants, anti-anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity medications like Paxil, Zoloft, Ritalin and Valium were shared by 7 percent of respondents.
Six percent shared acne meds and 5 percent shared birth control pills. The findings weren't surprising, but they were higher than expected, study leader Dr. Richard Goldsworthy, director of research & development at The Academic Edge Inc. in Bloomington, Ind., told Reuters Health.
"While ideally people should never share any medications, realistically, people do, in fact, share them and in many cases, such as allergy medicine, doing so is beneficial and carries little risk," Goldsworthy added.
Goldsworthy added that antibiotics should not be shared because people need to complete a full course of treatment for optimal results.
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