On the C.L.: Would You Ever Share Prescription Drugs With a Friend? Um...Have You?

When you go into the hair salon and they ask you if you'd like a magazine while you wait, would you ever, ever dream of saying, "No, but do you by any chance have a Xanax?" Me neither, but that's exactly what a stylist friend told me a client recently asked him. "Hello, aren't you supposed to go to a doctor for that stuff?" my friend asked me, freaked out. You are, of course, but lots of people (especially women) are bypassing that step these days. Now I'm curious about what you're doing...and I promise not to be judgmental.

My stylist friend told me the Xanax story because I was prepping to be on the Today show this morning talking about the trend of women sharing one another's prescription drugs. We did a big story about it in the November 2009 issue of Glamour, and studies show that somewhere between 20 and 40 percent of women have swapped pills, often seriously heavy-duty stuff like stimulants, antianxiety drugs and sleep aids. (I've had people sitting next to me on planes offer me Ambien twice. And I swear I'm not one of those annoying airplane talkers either!)

Doctors are deeply concerned about this trend, but you can understand how we got here: First of all, insurance is, how shall I put it, mildly messed up in this country, so getting a problem fixed without an M.D. visit is understandably alluring. And most people under 30 grew up in a drugs-can-fix-it culture: The shame and stigma that once went along with needing medication is thankfully gone, so we have a more casual attitude toward taking pills. Women we spoke to told us they borrowed friends' stimulants to focus better at work, anti-anxiety meds to get through public-speaking moments, and allergy drugs to survive the sneezy season. "About a year ago I had a very bad breakup, and Klonopin was a good friend to me," one interviewee told writer Liz Welch.

But these aren't breath mints we're talking about here. You need to see a doctor to find out if you even have a problem that needs fixing; a drug might not be right for you, or it might interact with something else you're taking. (Did you know certain decongestants and stimulants should not be mixed?) And at this morning's Today show visit, Dr. Nancy Snyderman really chilled me when she pointed out that women with a history of eating disorders (that's a lot of women) have systems that are already weakened-so popping a pill that might work fine for a healthier person can have tragic consequences. Frightening. Watch the whole segment here:

Bottom line: These little suckers are prescription-only for a reason. Maybe a medication will fix what you want fixed; maybe it won't. The only way to know is to go to a doctor. A good one.

But enough of that. I'm truly curious: Who out there borrows pills, and which ones? (Any birth control borrowers out there?) Do you ever worry about the health risks? What would make you stop?