Examples of some irrational prescription

1. Use of drugs when no drug is indicated, as for example, use of antibiotic for           viral upper respiratory infection.

2. Use of wrong drug for specific conditions , as for example- Tetracycline in childhood diarrhea requiring ORS.

3. The use of medicines with doubtful/unproven efficacy. e.g., the use of antimotility agents such as loparamide in acute diarrhoea.

4. use of medicines having uncertain safety status, e.g., the use of dipyrone to relieve visceral pain.

5. Failure to provide available safe and effective drugs, e.g. , the failure to vaccinate against measles or tetanus, failure to prescribe ORS for acute diarrhoea.

6 Use of correct medicines with incorrect administration, dosages and duration, e.g. the use of intravenous metronidazole  when suppository or oral formulation   would be  appropriate.

7.The use of effective medicine but one which has higher level of potential toxicity, e.g. injection kanamycin/gentamicin;

8.Prescribing new costly medicine even when an alternative cheaper medicine of equal efficacy is available, e.g. prescribing diclofenac. ketoprofen and piroxicam.. Whereas aspirin is available, cheap and efficacious with very similar risks of side effects for the relieve of somatic pains and inflammation

9. Excessive cost for unnecessary therapy-e.g., the use of terfenadine instead of  chlorpheniramine.

10.Indiscriminate use of injections e.g., AIDs, HB virus infection through unnecessary use of injections. 

11.Overuse and misuse of antibiotics cause drugs resistance, adverse reaction, super infection, and excessive cost.