Zocor heart pro professional#

In some countries, there has been a clear move from accepting self-medication only for minor and self-limiting diseases towards supporting self-medication for the treatment and prevention of chronic conditions, often based on an initial medical diagnosis.

The political debate around self-medication has therefore moved from general acceptance of self-medication within the healthcare systems to an active promotion of responsible self-medication for a range of indications that is much wider than in the past. The importance of responsible self-medication has also been widely recognised by European and other organisations worldwide. This means that a move of medicines from prescription to nonprescription status should be disconnected from considerations of the reimbursement of that medicine by social security institutions. Allowing individuals certain options when they suffer minor, self-limiting or chronic diseases is a fundamental consideration behind responsible self-medication in Europe, and should be the basis for all policy considerations in the future. The whole notion of responsible self-medication – both in the traditional sense and in future settings – is based on the concept of choice. It may also be evident that not everyone has the financial means to do so.

Zocor heart pro professional#

This means that not every citizen may feel sufficiently confident to use a nonprescription medicine without professional advice.

The study also points out that, whenever the economic and public benefits of self-medication are discussed, it is important to address inequalities in health.

Case studies on vaginal mycosis, smoking cessation and heart disease prevention demonstrate how innovative nonprescription medicines may improve treatment as well as prevent illness. Thus, the study demonstrated that self-medication makes a significant contribution towards relieving the financial burden of European healthcare systems (see Table 1).Īt the same time, the move of medicines from prescription to nonprescription status and the availability of a growing range of nonprescription medicines make an important contribution to public health. This calculation was based on the assumption that a considerable number of doctor consultations for minor illnesses could normally be avoided and treated by citizens themselves in a more cost-efficient manner. The economic and public health benefits of responsible self-medication have been analysed in a number of studies and were recently summarised in a document entitled The economic and public health value of self-medication.(1) The document demonstrates that total annual savings resulting from a move to self-medication of 5% of prescribed medication would exceed €16bn in the European Union. The use of nonprescription medicines corresponds to high levels of consumer satisfaction. Consumer studies carried out in many countries worldwide also indicate that citizens first read labels and leaflets before they use a nonprescription medicine for the first time. There is evidence that consumers can and do practise self-medication responsibly. Hence, the challenge and opportunity for governments, healthcare professionals and providers of self-medication products is to have a responsible framework in place for self-medication. They do so because it may be easier, more cost- or time-efficient, because they may not feel their situation merits making an appointment with a healthcare profes-sional, or because they may have few or no other options. Every day, people throughout the world reach for self-care products to help them deal with their common health problems.