Over The Counter Drugs: How To Safely Choose The Right Medication
What Medication Can Cure Me?
1. Am I expecting a cure? Some medications relieve symptoms that is, they stop the itching, pain, redness, etc but do not actually get to the source of the illness. Some illnesses, like the common cold, can t be treated/cured, so looking for an OTC drug may be a waste of time; getting rest and drinking fluids may be a better way to spend your afternoon! Other things, like yeast infections, can be treated by over the counter medications; if the infection is making you uncomfortable as well as needing treatment, make sure that you pick a product that gives you both symptomatic relief and treatment.
Is It Safe For
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2. Is it for your child? If so make sure that you re getting a drug that can be given to children. Some drugs that help adults can be dangerous for children; others need to be given at a special dosage. Read the fine print on the box before buying for your child.
What About Interactions With Other Drugs?
3. What else am I taking? If you re on any other medications, whether over-the-counter or prescription, stop by the pharmacist s desk before heading to the check-out counter. She can check to make sure that the drugs you are taking don t change the effect of the drugs you are taking.
Wait… Shouldn’t My Illness Be
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4. Should my illness have ended by now? If you think you have something that has a natural lifecycle - that is, something like a cold that should end on its own - but you don t feel better after that time is up, you may have misdiagnosed your illness. If you re having to take pain-reliever nonstop to keep functioning, your body is trying to tell you something and you should listen. What feels like a cold might be bronchitis; that achy foot may require orthotics, not aspirin.
Long Term Medication Use
5. Is it a chronic problem? If you re having to take over-the-counter medications over a long period of time to prevent symptoms, it is
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Compare Ingredients
6. What s the active ingredient? If the same
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Pregnant Or Breast Feeding?
7. If you re pregnant or nursing, check with your physician before taking ANY medication, including OTC drugs and alternative products (such as herbal remedies). Some drugs can cross the placenta or through the milk glands, giving your fetus or baby a whopping dose of medication. While the medication might be fine for you, it may not be fine for your baby.
Watch Out For Alcohol
8. Does the medication contain alcohol? If it does, it s probably going to make you sleepy, it will probably make you feel dehydrated, and adding more alcohol on top
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Double-Doses: Be Careful!
9. Am I doubling up? If you re taking more than one over-the-counter medication, make sure that they don t have the same ingredients; if they do, you might be doubling the recommended dose of that medication and setting yourself up for unpleasant side effects. This is a particular problem when you take something that combats multiple symptoms of an illness (like flu medications that relieve pain, fever, stuffy nose, and sore throat) - often they contain multiple active ingredients, one of which may overlap with another medication (like a pain killer) that you re taking
Side Effects And Allergies
10. Check the label for side effects and symptoms of
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Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD, your source for [http://www.shoppe.md]Online Prescription Medications, drug information and support forums.
Ian is a fat-to-fit student of health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his
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