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Most probably you have read or heard that getting drugs from "unapproved" pharmacies is dangerous. But these statements can't change the fact that in recent years, millions of people have become increasingly health conscious and have assumed more responsibility for their health and used such pharmacies to their advantage.

Internet is a reach source of any kind of information, and many people turn to self-diagnosis and self-treatment. It's pretty easy to visit a special website, enter your symptoms and get a list of possible diagnoses. You can use the World Wide Web to further educate yourself about your condition so that you possibly don't need to visit a clinic every time you don't feel well.

As John Naisbitt writes in his book Megatrends: "No longer do Americans feel they must run to a doctor for every minor ailment..."

This leads to a point when ‘patients’ become ‘consumers’. Consumers, who prefer not to spend their time on doctors and require more over-the-counter (OTC) medications. And during recent years a number of prescription drugs already have gone OTC.

OTC use is also increasing as a result of the economic downturn. And besides the consumers, who are able to pay less for their drugs, the trend toward more Rx to OTC switches is also generally greeted with enthusiasm by the pharmaceutical industry.

Upon patent expiry, pharmaceutical companies risk losing their profits, and the Rx to OTC switch is a strategic option for extending their revenue streams.

Nielsen conducted a macro analysis and found that in 12 currently marketed categories (such as asthma, antacids, insomnia, feminine hygiene, athlete’s foot, allergy, diet and obesity, hair growth, laxatives), a number of potential brands and technologies have yet to switch from RX to OTC.

In the coming years, the number of switches will increase. For example, Viagra - which is prescription only in the USA - is already available OTC in some UK stores.