Transcript Over the Counter Medication Use:

Over the Counter
Medication :
Overview of OTC
Medications (Harris Survey)
> 100,000 OTC Products
 Few unique active ingredients
 > 700 are former Rx meds

Some Interesting OTC
Facts:
3/5 people have used an OTC
medication in the last 6 months
 This is slightly more than who used
an Rx medication in the last 6
months

Basic Points:
Medication v. Drug
 MOST medications can cause

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
Interesting Facts and OTC
Problems:
People don’t consider OTC’s real
medicine.
 People just don’t know what is in
these medications, and many
contain the same active ingredients.
 Only 34% of consumers could
identify the active ingredient in the
medicine they were taking.

OTC Medication Use by
Category:

Most common uses include:
Pain (78%)
 Cough, cold, flu (52%)
 Allergy and sinus (45%)
 Heartburn, stomach (37%)
 Constipation, diarrhea (21%)
 Skin problems (10%)

For Example:

Pain

Most common ingredients:
• Acetaminophen (Tylenol aka, APAP)
• Aspirin (Many)
• Ibuprofen (Motrin IB, Advil)
• Naproxen (Aleve) and ketoprofen (Orudis)
• Caffeine
• Buffers, coatings, long acting, strongest
pain reliever you can buy without a
prescription….
OTC Medication Use:
Some specific
recommendations
and considerations
Pain

Acetaminophen (apap)
• first line treatment in those < 18
• Generally causes few problems
• Is very safe to use

Aspirin
• should be avoided in the under 18 age
group
• Reye’s syndrome
• Other problems usually associated with
stomach distress (NVD)
Pain

Ibuprofen
•
•
•
•
•

Fine to use in the <18 age group
Works about as well as apap
Caution if kids are dehydrated
Sometimes used in combo with APAP
Dizziness, plus stomach problems
CAUTION
• Aspirin / ibuprofen allergies a concern, in some
cases you are seeing students after their first dose
of a medication!
• Hives, shortness of breath, facial swelling, difficulty
breathing or swallowing, itching, feeling funny
• Seek medical assistance immediately
Cough, Cold and Flu,
Allergy and Sinus

Decongestants (stuffy)

Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)
• PPA removed from the market, others include
phenylepherine, and some nasal sprays (Afrin)
• Have been associated with hallucinations,
hypertension, irritability and hyperactivity
• Can also cause drowsiness, especially as as the
dose wears off
• Products are available for very young children,
but dosing is critical, so use pediatric dosage
forms and measure carefully
Cough, Cold and Flu,
Allergy and Sinus

Antihistamines (runny)
• Claritin, Alavert (loratidine)
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), chlor and
brompheniramine (Chlortrimeton,
Dimetapp)
•
•
•
•
Alone, usually cause drowsiness
In combination, variable effects
NLD – 1:05 AM
Kids need plenty of fluids when taking these,
helps with drowsiness and dry mouth, PLUS
MORE
Cough

Cough suppressants

DM = dextromethorophan
• Drowsiness, dizziness, NV

Codeine
• Have to sign for OTC use
• Not recommended for infants
• Small or young children, can be used with caution

Expectorants
• Guiafenesin (basic ingredient in most)
• Usually no problem, need to use with water, works
about as well as water in OTC doses.
• No, water probably works better…
Combination Products

are very popular because they have
many choices
• Plain, DM, CF, PE, Orange, Grape

These products may contain
• Antihistamines
• Decongestants
• Cough suppressants
• Expectorants
Heartburn, Stomach, Gas

Antacids – many, many
• Maalox, Riopan, Gaviscon, and plenty more
• Tagament, Zantac, Pepcid, etc.

Gas

Simethicone
• Breaks up the gas bubbles so they can be
expelled and not cause pain. These products do
not reduce the amount of gas!
• Gas X
• Mylicon
• Many generics available
Constipation and Diarrhea

The most amazing products that treat
both! How do they know?
• Equilactin
• Balances water in the colon to properly form
stools, adds fiber.
Skin Problems

Key here is contagiousness
• Is the problem going to spread?
• Bacterial, fungal, yes.
• Contact dermatologic problems, usually
not.
• OTC Skin products usually present few
problems
• Neosporin, Polysporin, Micatin, Lotrimin, Lamasil,
Aveeno, Bacitracin, Ivy Dry, Calamine,
Hydrocortisone, etc.
• Local reactions possible, sensitivity
Surprising?
49 percent of consumers get
information from ads
 57 percent get their information
from a health professional

Ask Your Pharmacist!
10 Tips on OTC use
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Read the label
Treat only the symptoms you have
Know what to avoid while taking OTCs –
beware of interactions
ASK before you buy
Use as directed on the label
Be careful if you take > 1 OTC
Don’t mix Rx and OTCs including herbals
Give your doctor a list of ALL meds
For kids, use pediatric formulas
Throw meds away if they are expired
Keep in mind:
If patient takes OTC meds, more than
1 medication, Rx and OTC meds, and
something seems out of character, it
could be the cause of adverse
reaction.
 These kinds of problems need to be
brought to the attention of a health
professional.
