Prescribed medications are an essential part of life for many Americans. In some cases, they help them get through short-term conditions – such as painkillers prescribed after an injury. In other cases, they may have to take those medications every day for years – for example, medicine for a heart condition.
Missing even one dose of the medication you have been prescribed might negatively affect your health, so it would seem to make sense to ask someone with those same drugs for some of theirs if you find that you’ve run out and are unable to get more from the pharmacy in time for your next dose. Is this something you can legally do?
A prescription is for use by the named person only
It does not matter whether you have been prescribed those same drugs for weeks, months or even years. The drugs prescribed to the other person is for their use only. The law does not allow you to accept them, even when they willingly give them to you.
It is also illegal for that other person to share their medication with you. That means if you accept some of their prescribed medication, you would both be acting illegally.
There might be circumstances where you feel it’s a risk you are willing to take. Or it might be that you forget about the law or weren’t aware of it in the first place. If you are caught sharing someone’s prescription medications or sharing yours with someone else, it is important to seek legal guidance on how best to deal with the matter.