The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has warned against taking medicines prescribed to another person, even if the symptoms are similar. “Taking someone else’s medicine if the symptoms are similar to you does not mean that this is the right medication and at the right dosage for you.” SFDA said. The patients who were given a certain medication by the doctor must take it as prescribed to them, the authority noted. SFDA has set guidelines for the use of prescription medicines subjected to control (controlled drugs), which indicate that if the patients have been given controlled drugs by prescription, then they must use them correctly to avoid side effects. It also stressed the importance of not stopping taking the drug or changing the dose without consulting a doctor. In the event that the patients did not use the medicines for what they were prescribed to them, then they must bring the medicine back to the source from which it was dispensed. The authority has also advised the patients to contact the doctor periodically to ensure the healthy dose and the effectiveness of the drug, or in case there were a problem with the usage of the prescribed medicine. It is noteworthy that people’s use of medicines without obtaining a prescription from a specialist doctor, or their use of medicines prescribed for another person, is considered as an act that exposes the person to legal accountability.