Prescribed drugs are technically drugs that are dispensed by drug stores only if the buyer has a medical prescription from a physician or other qualified medical personnel.
They differ from over-the-counter drugs in that the latter does not have the said requirement and can be bought liberally in drug stores. Prescribed drugs are often used to treat severe symptoms of various diseases.
Prescribed Drugs Benefits
- They are drugs that are intended to target and eliminate a specific ailment, making them very effective at treating it.
- With their efficacy considered, they, in the end, almost always tend to be the cheaper option compared to the hierarchy of drugs used in step therapy.
Health Benefits of Prescribed Drugs
1.) Proper care from the right person
With prescribed drugs, you are always assured that you would be getting assistance from a medically-trained professional.
You will be given proper instructions on how to take them, and you will also have the appropriate person readily available should you need further consultation and guidance. Keep in mind that the key to beating most serious disease is by fostering a good relationship with your doctor or physician.
2.) Avoid cheaper drugs
Cheaper drugs are just that – “cheap”. And, when we say “cheap”, we’re not just talking about its cost. Most of these drugs attract you for their relatively less expensive price, but they are almost always very ineffective.
What’s worse is that health insurers use them all the time in their step therapy methods. Prescribed drugs may seem costlier if you don’t look at the big picture, but, ultimately, they prove to be the most economical choice in the long run.
3.) Prevention from side effects
Almost all drugs cause side effects, may they be OTCs or prescribed. However, the drugs that are used in step therapy, since they follow a progressive model of drug intake, are more prone to inducing various side effects to patients who are taking them.
To make matters worse, these side effects could turn out to be more lethal than the disease that the drugs are intending to eradicate.
4.) Prescribed drugs are safe and effective medically
Since they are drugs that are prescribed by a licensed medical professional, the safety of prescribed drugs is without question. They are not issued by a health insurer, which doesn’t have the least bit of medical training that physicians and other medical professionals have.
5.) Control the higher health costs of the later stages of step therapy
If the cheap drugs that you took in the initial stages of step therapy proved to be ineffective, you always take a step up the treatment ladder.
This means the drugs get pricier as well. Once you reach the last stages of step therapy, the drugs become almost as expensive (if not more expensive) as the best prescribed drugs available to combat your ailment.
As you can see, the benefits of prescribed drugs overshadow those which are used by health insurers with their step therapy methods. Cheaper treatment cost is one thing; however, can you handle the risks involved in step therapy procedures?
