OTC Products

The Secret of Great Health Care

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OTC Products

Chapter 2: Over-the-counter products

An over-the-counter (OTC) drug is one you can buy without a prescription. Contrary to what many think, they are not necessarily safe medications, but they do have some proven degree of safety.

Each OTC product has a Drug Fact Label. This helps assure that you choose the correct medication. The drug fact label will tell you the active ingredient, the use of the medication, how to use the medication, if the medication will help your problem and who should talk to their doctor before taking the medication.

Generic vs. Name brand

Generic drugs are copies of the brand medications. They have the same use, side effects, dosages, risk and safety associated with it. Generally speaking generic medications and brand medications are equally effective.

It is important to look at the active ingredient list. A product that has the same active ingredient to a brand name product is similar. If the active ingredient is the same, there is likely similar effectiveness.

The Food and Drug Association assures that generic medications are equal to brand name drugs. In fact, the same companies that make many of the brand name medications make many of the generic drugs.

The other advantage of generic medications is that they are cheaper. These drugs are cheaper not because they are inferior products but because the company that makes the drug does not have to incur the cost of making and marketing a new medication.

Active ingredient

The active ingredient is the substance in the medication that is performing the desired action in the body. Knowing the active ingredient will help you determine what the medications are going to do. The active ingredient is often the same as the name if you are buying a generic product. For example, children's ibuprofen is the name of a product and the active ingredient is ibuprofen.

It is important to know what the active ingredient in the medication that you are taking. Some medications have multiple active ingredients. I generally do not recommend using products with too many active ingredients. Products with multiple ingredients are commonly seen in cold and flu preparations, cold and cough preparations and some allergy medications. Be sure to read labels carefully.

As a general rule products with multiple active ingredients are less desirable because they are associated with more side effects.

Examples of active ingredients include:

In Tylenol the active ingredient is acetaminophen

In Advil or Motrin the active ingredient is ibuprofen

In Sudafed the active ingredient is pseudoephedrine

Safety of over-the-counter medications

Are OTC medications safe? When used in healthy individuals as directed they are generally safe – but that is assuming a lot. Many people use over-the-counter medications inappropriately. OTC drugs are generally safe, just make sure you follow the label.

Here is a list of tips for safe use of OTC medications

Read and follow labels
Use over-the-counter medications for short-term use
If the box directs you to, talk to your doctor before taking the medication
Record all mediations that you take
If you take other mediations check with your doctor or pharmacist to assure there is no interaction
Generally avoid multi-symptom medications. Treat only the symptoms that you are having.
Keep medicine in the box, tube that it came in so you do not mix up medications
Keep medications away from dogs and children
Keep medicines in a dry cool place
Do not keep expired medications
Make sure you measure medications correctly
Be careful about crushing or chewing pills

Healthy adults can generally use medications safely, but other groups of people have more risk. This is particularly true among children and adults with multiple medical problems.

The use of many over-the-counter medications in children under 12-years-old has proven ineffective and not safe. Many of the problems in children have risen out of incorrect dosing. Using the measuring devise that came with the product is the safest option. It is critically important to use the proper doses of medication in children.

Patients with multiple health care problems have many risks with multiple over-the-counter medicines.

How to choose a product

Choosing a product is challenging. One look at the cough and cold section of a drug store is enough to give anyone a headache.

The first step in choosing a product is to identify your most troubling symptom and pick the product that targets that symptom. Every once in a while you may need a product that targets two symptoms. Rarely will you need to target more than 2 symptoms. The major time targeting more than 2 symptoms may be appropriate is when you are afflicted with the flu.

Sam is a 23-year-old male who has had a cold all week. His major complaint is nasal congestion. "This stuffy nose is going on a lot longer than I thought it should." He also complains of mild head pressure and a sore throat.

Treating Sam for his major complaint – nasal congestion – is likely all he needs. Clearing up the stuffy nose should help reduce nasal congestion, head pressure and maybe even the sore throat.

Anna is 17-year-old-girl who has the flu. Her major complaint is that she has a fever, chills, achy muscles, headache, some nasal congestion and a non-productive cough. She has been taking Nyquil Cold and Flu. Nyquil Cold & Flu has acetaminophen, a cough suppressant and an antihistamine. It has provided her some relief, but she has been extremely tired, nauseated and has a dry mouth.

When her symptoms were evaluated it was determined that feeling run down, achy and headache were her worst symptoms.

Based on these symptoms she is getting some relieve from the acetaminophen, but the antihistamine and cough suppressant are probably not helping much. The sleepiness, dry mouth and nausea may be related to the antihistamine and cough suppressant.

She switched over to taking 400 mg of ibuprofen and using nasal saline and felt better almost immediately. The sleepiness, nausea and dry mouth stopped and the aching muscles and headache were better relieved with the ibuprofen than with the acetaminophen.

When choosing a drug make sure that you note its:

Name
Active ingredients and what those active ingredients treat
The dose of the medication
How often it should be taken
How long it should be taken
If it should be taken with food
Any precautions with the drug
Drug interactions with any of the drugs you already take. You may need to ask a pharmacist.
Side effects

Take a drug that targets the major symptoms that you are having. Be very cautious of multi-symptoms medications - you risk more side effects.

To purchase products discussed in this book visit The Drug Store.

Summary

Over-the-counter products are confusing. It can be overwhelming to look at the medicine isle and notice that there are over 20 different products to help with your sinus issues.

OTC medications can very effectively treat many common health problems, but they need to be used carefully. Make sure you read the label on each medication that you take.

The next few chapters will help you put together information on common problems that can be managed with OTC products. The book will look at 30 common issues and discuss how you can treat them without a doctor and when you need to go to the doctor.