Ask Dr. Hallberg: Some medications not suitable for over-the-counter distribution

Dr. Jon Hallberg
Dr. Jon Hallberg is assistant professor in family medicine at the University of Minnesota, and medical director at Mill City Clinic. He is a regular medical analyst on MPR's All Things Considered.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Jon Hallberg

Consumers often want to save money by purchasing drugs over-the-counter, but Dr. Jon Hallberg says rushing to make medications available without a prescriptions has its own complications.

One might not think twice about taking over-the-counter medications since they're so widely available, nor even remember that they many used to be available only by prescription.

Whether or not more medications should be available over the counter was the subject of a "Room for Debate" feature in the New York Times online yesterday.

The discussion got MPR News' medical analyst Dr. Jon Hallberg thking about the issue of which medication are available over the counter and which ones aren't. Hallberg is a physician in family medecine at the University of Minnesota.

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