drdĒv
07-31-2005, 04:09 PM
No prescription, but not no risk
Care must be taken even when using over-the-counter medications
DORENE WEINSTEIN
[email protected]
July 18, 2005
Jamie Kenyon's medicine chest is empty.
The Sioux Falls man doesn't keep Tylenol, aspirin or cough syrup around. In fact, he questions the safety of over-the-counter drugs and never takes them. "I don't believe in them," he says.
His occasional headache gets dosed with a couple of glasses of water.
Kenyon is unusual - most people have some over-the-counter medications in their home, such as pain relievers, cold remedies or vitamins.
Consumers may think these medications, which are inexpensive, easily accessible and widely advertised, are harmless because they don't require a prescription, but they can be dangerous if used incorrectly or consumed in excessive doses.
"Discuss all vitamins, over-the-counter medication, herbal vitamins and supplements with your physician, and consider them medications with potential side effects," urges David Nelson, an internal medicine physician with Sioux Valley Clinic.
Althea Allen of Sioux Falls limits her over-the-counter medicines to Mylanta, Aleve, Tylenol P.M. and Robitussin but is leery about recent publicity surrounding Aleve, which has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in a National Institutes of Health study. So she plans to do some serious reading about her drugs of choice. The Food and Drug Administration advises taking Aleve only as directed on the label.
Jackie Dogg-skin of Sioux Falls is just as judicious. She has reservations about the effectiveness and safety of over-the-counter medications and keeps only ibuprofen and aspirin handy.
"I don't think they're safe," she says. "My sister used to take Rolaids, and it made her worse."
A medicine cabinet also can become a black hole in which medications get put in, but nothing gets thrown out, says Bill Ladwig, pharmacist and director of professional services at Lewis Drug Stores.
The original packaging might have been tossed long ago, and people aren't even sure what they have or how they can use it safely.
Then, when a family member gets sick "at 2 a.m., people are rummaging through their medicine cabinet and can't find anything to take," Ladwig says.
He recommends purging the cabinet annually and discarding expired drugs.
"Most meds lose a percent of effectiveness, and in time, they become bad, maybe even harmful."
Medications also can be harmful if directions aren't followed.
It's frightening how lax Americans are about consuming over-the-counter medications, Nelson says.
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../507180306/1004 (http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050718/LIFE/507180306/1004)
Care must be taken even when using over-the-counter medications
DORENE WEINSTEIN
[email protected]
July 18, 2005
Jamie Kenyon's medicine chest is empty.
The Sioux Falls man doesn't keep Tylenol, aspirin or cough syrup around. In fact, he questions the safety of over-the-counter drugs and never takes them. "I don't believe in them," he says.
His occasional headache gets dosed with a couple of glasses of water.
Kenyon is unusual - most people have some over-the-counter medications in their home, such as pain relievers, cold remedies or vitamins.
Consumers may think these medications, which are inexpensive, easily accessible and widely advertised, are harmless because they don't require a prescription, but they can be dangerous if used incorrectly or consumed in excessive doses.
"Discuss all vitamins, over-the-counter medication, herbal vitamins and supplements with your physician, and consider them medications with potential side effects," urges David Nelson, an internal medicine physician with Sioux Valley Clinic.
Althea Allen of Sioux Falls limits her over-the-counter medicines to Mylanta, Aleve, Tylenol P.M. and Robitussin but is leery about recent publicity surrounding Aleve, which has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in a National Institutes of Health study. So she plans to do some serious reading about her drugs of choice. The Food and Drug Administration advises taking Aleve only as directed on the label.
Jackie Dogg-skin of Sioux Falls is just as judicious. She has reservations about the effectiveness and safety of over-the-counter medications and keeps only ibuprofen and aspirin handy.
"I don't think they're safe," she says. "My sister used to take Rolaids, and it made her worse."
A medicine cabinet also can become a black hole in which medications get put in, but nothing gets thrown out, says Bill Ladwig, pharmacist and director of professional services at Lewis Drug Stores.
The original packaging might have been tossed long ago, and people aren't even sure what they have or how they can use it safely.
Then, when a family member gets sick "at 2 a.m., people are rummaging through their medicine cabinet and can't find anything to take," Ladwig says.
He recommends purging the cabinet annually and discarding expired drugs.
"Most meds lose a percent of effectiveness, and in time, they become bad, maybe even harmful."
Medications also can be harmful if directions aren't followed.
It's frightening how lax Americans are about consuming over-the-counter medications, Nelson says.
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../507180306/1004 (http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050718/LIFE/507180306/1004)